We cannot close our eyes to the problems the world faces. At Agrichem Africa Limited® we believe that business must be part of the solution. But to be so, business will have to change. Sustainable, equitable growth is the only acceptable business model.
Agrichem Africa Limited® works to create a better future every day, with brands and services that help people feel good, look good and get more yields out of the harvest. Our first priority is to our consumers – then farmers, employees, suppliers and communities. When we fulfil our responsibilities to them, we believe that our shareholders will be rewarded.
Agrichem Africa Limited® has, from its origins, been a purpose-driven company. Today our purpose is to make sustainable farming a common activity. This means helping to build an industry where everyone lives well and within the natural limits of the planet:
- Brands that offer balanced nutrition, good yield and the confidence that comes from having even more when it comes to farming for both the Floriculture and Horticulture sector.
- Products which are sustainably sourced and used in a way that protects end user who is in this case the farmer and the earth’s natural resources at large
- Respect for the rights of the people and communities we work with throughout the world.
Our new global initiative will lead for responsible growth which aims by inspiring to motivate millions of people to live sustainably by taking small, everyday actions that make a big difference to the world.
Agrichem Africa Limited® will grow by winning shares and building markets everywhere.Agrichem Africa Limited® is already seeing the results of our efforts. Our focus on sustainability is driving brand growth, competitive advantage and differentiation.
The virtuous circle of growth describes how we generate profit from our sustainable growth business model.
Brands that are integrating sustainable living into their core purpose are driving success for our business. Our growing range of sustainable products is also helping drive growth with our retail partners.
By looking at product development, sourcing and manufacturing through a sustainability lens, opportunities for innovation open up. By collaborating with partners in products manufacturing and supply chain organizations, we can leverage skills, capabilities and networks that we do not have.
We have avoided cumulative production costs of over the years through more efficient manufacturing. Agrichem Africa Limited® plan is inspiring our employees to act. One example is by encouraging staff to develop sustainable business ideas. These yields an average payback time of less than two years and have helped us achieve big reduction.
Working closely with packaging technology experts, we have developed a technique which allows major savings through this technology after being fully applied across our portfolio of products of which upon implementation this technology has delivered major cost savings.
Over the past years they have been years of good performance. We have found we are able to make excellent progress on the targets within our direct control. Those outside our control are proving more challenging. This has been a success since Agrichem Africa Limited® has helped majority of farmers improve their cultivation progress which was a target towards our ambitious target among most brands gaining market share and growth in sales.
In partnership with our manufacturers and suppliers we have provided help and training to farmers. We plan to deepen this engagement to ensure it feeds through to a positive impact on their farming experience and livelihoods. Our door-to-door selling operation provides work for large numbers of technical sales representatives in different areas. This grows our business and improves by impacting positive output in the lives of many farmers, often doubling their harvest yield.
Our supplier and distribution networks across the Africa region and the world at large involve majority of smallholder farmers, small-scale distributors and retailers. We contribute to their economic well-being by creating employment, improving skills and offering access to markets. This can, in particular, benefit young people who have borne the impact of the slowdown in the global economy.
Agrichem Africa Limited® main goal is to have a positive impact on the lives of many farmers as possible and the entire society at large by improving the livelihoods of smallholder farmers, improving the incomes of small-scale retailers and increasing the participation of young entrepreneurs in our value chain. Our approach is to engage with smallholder farmers to improve their capability and productivity, focusing on key crops in the Horticulture and Floriculture Sector. We also plan to expand opportunities for micro-entrepreneurs in the distribution and retailing of our brands. This will grow the markets for our products and make our business more resilient in an uncertain world.
We have set a bold ambition to achieve change within our own company – through our brands, innovation, sourcing and operations. But we are only one company among many and the change needed to tackle the world’s major social, environmental and economic issues is big – and urgent. What are really needed are changes to the broader systems of which we are a part.
We have decided to deepen our efforts in key areas where we have the scale, influence and resources to create ‘transformational change’. By that we mean fundamental change to whole systems, not simply incremental improvements by championing sustainable agriculture and the development of smallholder farmers. Going beyond what we can achieve in our own operations and with our suppliers, we are stepping up our engagement to work with governments, NGOs and others in our industry on these issues. By working together, we believe that fundamental change is possible in the near term.
Rising populations, climate change, water scarcity and unsustainable farming practices are threatening food security. In developing countries three out of four people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. That makes sustainable agriculture a strategic priority for us by engaging with at smallholder farmers to improve their livelihoods.
Agrichem Africa Limited® open-source Agriculture Code has not only been used by our own suppliers, it has inspired and set a benchmark for other companies and organizations, catalyzing broader change. We are also playing a leading role in transforming the tea industry, working with a range of partners in the manufacturing industry and global supply chain certification bodies to achieve fundamental change in farming practices.
Uniquely, Agrichem Africa Limited® has leading brands that can make a difference in the Agriculture Sector. We are exploring how we can focus our efforts and engage even more with others. Already we are changing farming behavior at scale. Innovative farming, crop care and protection have assisted to achieve better yield outcomes and lower costs.
Agrichem Africa Limited® has found that doing business sustainably is possible and that brands that build sustainability into their offer can be more appealing to consumers. We realize that we can make a bigger difference to some of the world’s major social, environmental and economic issues if we leverage our scale, influence and resources to drive transformational change. We cannot achieve our vision alone.