I no longer grow maize for food; only produce to sell, she explains with obvious pride in her growing business.

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2 Farmers in Southern Africa have to trade more for the region to develop economically and grow out of poverty. By teaching ambitious small farmers in Southern Africa about local, as well as global agriculture standards, Trademark has been helping 147 farmers in four Southern Africa countries to help themselves. Here we grow spinach, but next it will be beetroot, says Thembi Mamba (38), pointing at the neat rows of greenery prospering in the red soil of her small-holding in central Swaziland. This enterprising farmer has tripled her output over the last few years; after those carrots I will plant seedlings of another crop to keep the soil good, she confirms. Her success in the field means that she no longer has to worry about how she will feed her family, pay school fees for her five children, or afford other routine expenses that arise for subsistence farmers living in Swaziland, a country where about two thirds of the population live under the poverty line on less than 90 pence a day. As part of this programme, Mrs. Mamba, along with 145 other farmers from Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia and the South African province KwaZulu-Natal, received training on how to meet required market standards in order to join the supply chain of large retail outlets, such as Shoprite. I learned about the application of manure and fertilizers and about the importance of testing the soil and maintaining records, explains Mrs. Mamba. I learned a lot and that helped us improve our quality and especially our business planning. When you plan better, you sell more. I no longer grow maize for food; only produce to sell, she explains with obvious pride in her growing business. Mrs. Mamba, who farms with her husband Joe, attributes their recent prosperity to a contract with Freshmark, the fruit and vegetable procurement arm of the local Shoprite supermarket chain. They were short of lettuce suppliers and that s when they gave us a contract that has changed our lives, says Mrs. Mamba. Since then, she has been supplying the chain with cabbages, spinach, lettuce and a range of other produce. A combination of her hard work and support from UKaid has seen her relationship with Freshmark grow from strength to strength. In 2008, Freshmark partnered with the Department for International Development s Trademark Southern Africa programme to help farmers like Mrs. Mamba improve their access to local and international markets. 2 TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers

3 In this way, support from UKaid is helping small Southern African suppliers to develop and retain their commercial relationships with food retailers like Freshmark, improving their sustainability, productivity, competitiveness and ultimately, their standard of living. Together with her workers, Mrs. Mamba has been up since sunrise and is now harvesting, washing and bunching her spinach crop on a crisp winter s morning in Swaziland. There are small fires on the edge of each field, where they warm their hands while they work. She explains that lessons about fertilizer management have been crucial; I can determine the quality of the spinach by the waves of the leaves. If my vegetables are not performing well, I must boost them. Although Mrs Mamba is farming just two hectares of land, her team has doubled from two to four farm hands, as well as several family members. While they get the spinach ready go to town Mrs. Mamba s husband Joe is busy repairing sprinklers at their second plot. With the extra money the Mamba s have been able to earn, they have purchased two small pickup trucks to transport their produce to the stores they supply. I used to struggle just to survive. Now I have a growing plan and each Monday I can tell the buyers from Freshmark what I can supply, confirms Mrs. Mamba, whose children now dream of better futures as the family can afford the steep Swazi school fees; my 17 year old daughter Gcebile plans to be a nurse. Monday, Wednesday and Friday are harvest and delivery days, with the rest of the time spent looking after the land and the crops. We have also learned not to harvest too soon after spraying for aphids and cutworms, says Mrs. Mamba. In the past we also tried to wait, but now we understand better how important it is. TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers 3

4 With the extra money the Mamba s have been able to earn, they have purchased two small pickup trucks to transport their produce to the stores they supply. Besides staple crops like spinach, lettuce and cabbage, Mrs. Mamba is also experimenting with red cabbage. Most of the crops are sold in a huge Shoprite supermarket in Manzini, Swaziland s biggest city about 30 kilometres from Mamba s farm in the Mhlabubove area. Some of Mamba s neighbours are also benefiting as they can sell their crops to the Mambas, who can offer them to Freshmark. In addition to improving the lot of their children and their community, they dream of buying a small farm of their own as they, like the 75 percent of the Swazi population that rely on small scale farming, currently cultivate communal land (called Swazi Nation Land), with the permission of their chief. Soil productivity is generally low with limited crop yields. Many people are only growing crops to feed their own families, perhaps adding one round of cash crops in the winter months. According to the World Bank though, just a 10% increase in crop yields leads to a 9% decrease in the percentage of people living on less than 90 pence a day. In the world of fresh produce, where safety standards have become a critical hurdle to the survival of small scale producers in developing countries, Mrs. Mamba s success is encouraging. It shows that with the right support and training, small-scale farmers can adjust their practices and systems to meet the challenge of food safety and quality standards and, secure their place in the local supply chain. 4 TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers

5 Record keeping is an important part of standard compliance and Thembi Mamba learnt how to maintain her documentation. TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers 5

6 In the world of fresh produce, where safety standards have become a critical hurdle to the survival of small scale producers in developing countries, Mrs. Mamba s success is encouraging.

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8 Agriculture continues to dominate livelihoods and employment for millions of Southern Africans. The region s agricultural performance is a determining factor in the quality of life of over 150 million people. Increased support for the agricultural sector is a pre-requisite for achieving a six percent annual growth rate in agricultural GDP in Southern Africa, a goal that has been adopted by NEPAD through the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) and as part of the region s commitment to MDG1: Eradicate Extreme Poverty and Hunger. *Agricultural Growth, Performance and Agricultural Investment in the SADC Region. Presented by Dr. Lovemore Rugube at a conference for Rural Development. 8 TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers

9 Due to the growth in her agricultural output, Thembi Mamba now employs four farm hands, as well as several family members. TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers 9

10 Soon after picking, the Mamba s produce is sold in a huge Shoprite supermarket in Manzini. Freshmark is the fruit and vegetable procurement arm of South African Shoprite supermarket chain. Shoprite has 169 corporate and 43 franchise stores in 15 Southern African countries. The majority of Shoprite s produce is sourced through Freshmark from growers. This reduces the cost of packaging and eliminates unnecessary handling of fresh produce, while at the same time, empowering local farmers. It is estimated that Freshmark purchased tons of fresh produce directly from farmers between June 2010 and July 2011, offering an important economic opportunity for small-scale growers in the region. However, as part of its food safety and quality assurance programme, all Shoprite suppliers regardless of size or location - must comply with specific industry food safety standards. These include compliance with Freshmark s Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), based on the GLOBALGAP standard. Initially, these obligatory standards made buying directly from growers more complicated for Freshmark because many small-scale farmers, like the Mambas, did not know how to comply with them. They in turn risked losing their market share, with potentially dire consequences for them and their families. With the support of TMSA, in collaboration with Freshmark, small scale farmers in South Africa s KwaZulu Natal Province, Swaziland, Namibia and Zambia were trained to comply with Freshmark standards over a period of 36 months. An independent evaluation of the project by ECIAfrica Consulting (Pty) Ltd notes that it was a timely intervention that threw a lifeline to small-scale farmers who were in danger of losing a market and a source of income and livelihood for themselves and their employees. For more information visit 10 TMSA Case Story - Growing Better Lives for Small Scale Farmers

11 Trademark Southern Africa (TMSA) is a UKaid supported project that works with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA), the East Africa Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Tripartite to lower the physical, political and economic barriers that isolate national economies. The purpose of the programme is to improve southern Africa s trade performance and competitiveness for the benefit of poor women and men. TMSA s activities address current constraints to trade. By supporting regional collaboration through the enabling environment in the COMESA-EAC-SADC Tripartite area, TMSA is helping African countries to unleash their full potential. The work with Freshmark is just one way that TMSA is helping the private sector in Southern Africa do business in ways that are not only good for profits but also good for development. For more information visit

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