The website of the cosmetics company has some interesting case studies of the work they fund in Africa, particularly the Mountain Organic Farming Network that operates in the arid regions at the base of Mount Kenya. This article highlights the successes of connecting smallholders with large-scale enterprises, and how subsistence food crops can be compatible with cash crops if an innovation, value-chain approach is adopted.
At the farms mentioned, intercropping is practised. This means different crops are planted in close proximity, with considerations such as providing shade to vulnerable species, fixing nitrogen in the soil, or retaining soil moisture. This improves soil fertility and biodiversity in an area that lacks consistent rainfall, and challenges the 'monoculture' approach inherent to large-scale agriculture. Moreover, local farmers choose to grow food crops with specific micronutrients that supplement the cheap, but often nutritionally inadequate, staple crops that are purchased. These methods promote food security; in the concentrated nutritional benefits of these crops, but also because the project links local farmers, and allows them to trade crops that are either surplus or lacking.
Alongside food crops, cash crops are grown. While not a food, geranium plants produce a valuable oil that is in demand in the international market. Local people maintain the business, but this would not have been achieved without LUSH's investment into the value chain infrastructure: the ability to store, process (by distilling), and package the crops. In my opinion, this is an example of an international company contributing to African agriculture in a successful and sustainable manner.
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