Overview
Vegbox Horticulture is an Ethiopian-based farm that produces fresh fruits and vegetables for the regional market, with plans to export to Europe in the future. The farm has achieved a significant milestone by becoming the first to receive recognition for FOSSEM Basic, a pre-certification approach by the Food Security Standard (FSS) that focuses on establishing socially sustainable management structures with an emphasis on food security.
The Food Security Sensitive Management (FOSSEM) system offers a customizable, step-by-step approach to implement human rights due diligence and realize the right to food, ultimately leading to full FSS certification. This approach is particularly beneficial for farms operating in challenging conditions, as it allows for gradual improvement towards full compliance with certification requirements and food security guarantees.
For Vegbox Horticulture, FOSSEM Basic is also being implemented alongside preparations for a GLOBALG.A.P certification.
Furthermore, agricultural producers and buyers have a legal obligation to act responsibly and avoid causing harm to the environment, their employees, local communities and the public by implementing responsible measures and complying with relevant laws and regulations. FOSSEM supports farms in working towards corporate social responsibility related to food security and can provide evidence to companies on due diligence regulations to showcase their duty of care.
The following case study focuses on Vegbox Horticulture’s efforts to start their journey of protecting the right to food and the wide range of human rights interconnected with it.
Background
Ethiopia faces significant food security challenges; it ranks 101st out of 125 countries in Welthungerhilfe’s Global Hunger Index 2023, with a score that indicates a serious level of hunger. Multiple factors contribute to Ethiopia’s food insecurity—including political instability, droughts, flooding, inflation and armed conflicts, according to a 2024 World Food Program Report. In turn, agricultural supply chains face challenges like insecurity, fuel shortages, road blockages and poor infrastructure. As a result of these compounding factors, 12,2% of the Ethiopian population (15.4 million people) required humanitarian assistance in 2023, according to the World Food Program.
Despite these challenges, Ethiopia has made progress since 2000 when its hunger levels were considered extremely alarming, according to the Global Hunger Index 2023. The Ethiopian government has taken proactive steps to address food insecurity. It has implemented a five-year Growth and Transformation Plan (GTP), which aims to elevate the country to a low-middle-income status by 2025. The plan focuses on achieving rapid, sustainable and broad growth through enhanced productivity in agriculture and manufacturing.
Within this context, Vegbox Horticulture set the goals of enhancing food security in the surrounding communities in Sodo Wolaita, Ethiopia, and promoting socially sustainable management systems in its agricultural production. It began its FOSSEM journey 2023 to strengthen its initiatives promoting the welfare of its fieldworkers and neighboring communities.
Approach
By prioritizing risks, FOSSEM can support agricultural operations in progressively meeting human rights due diligence obligations without the need to immediately comply with all FSS certification criteria. It can also enable an agricultural operation to focus on the most pressing actions—ensuring a manageable and systematic approach to improvement.
The FSS team, which is managed by Welthungerhilfe (WHH) and Meo Carbon Solutions (MCS), supported Vegbox Horticulture in its FOSSEM journey to identify measures to close gaps and strengthen management structures that build on social sustainability requirements.
- Training
The FSS team provided food security and nutrition training to both the auditor and relevant stakeholders before the initial assessment to enhance the effectiveness of the evaluation process and raise awareness for food security related topics. This training ensured that the auditor had a comprehensive understanding on food security in general and the specific situation in the region, allowing for a more accurate assessment. Additionally, by including stakeholders in the training, the FSS team aimed to raise overall awareness of food security in the area. This collaborative approach aimed to maximize the positive impact by spreading knowledge about different topics related to food security and practical exercises beyond the audit team.
- Initial Assessment
This assessment was comprised of confidential interviews with workers—including sprayers, field workers, guards, kitchen staff, accountants, among others—on their individual food security situation. It also included documentation checks and an on-site visual inspection. Additionally, interviews with external stakeholders were held to cross-check compliance, which gave the auditor an overview of the food security status in the area and relationship between the local communities and the farm aswell as possible effects of the operation on these communities.
- Action Plan: Defining Criteria and Self-assessment of Food Security
The auditor developed a report, which was discussed during a debrief session with the farm management on the findings. Based on this report Vegbox Horticulture developed its action plan for its first year in FOSSEM, working towards progressing to FOSSEM Advanced. It defined measures and developed a comprehensive plan to achieve at least 60% of the FSS indicators within the next three years:
- Clear Communication: It began developing policy documents and communicating policies to workers that were currently in place but had not yet been effectively communicated to the workers and anchored within the farm management.
- Training Programs: It started regular training sessions for workers on health, safety and nutrition, along with proper documentation of these activities.
- Access to Clean Water: It planned the installation of water filters to ensure that workers have consistent access to potable water.
- Nutritional Meal Planning: Since the farm provides meals for its workers, its meal plan was redesigned to be more nutritionally balanced.
Achievements To Date
Vegbox Horticulture has taken the following steps in the first year, among other actions:
- Installing an extractor hood in the communal kitchen
- Improving the fieldworkers’ meal plans by adding diversity and ensuring the nutritional value of each meal
- Providing training on food security and water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) to enhance conditions for farmworkers
- Built a water canal to improve water availability on the farm and for neighboring communities.
- Developed and documented a contingency and risk mitigation plan for the farm and its area of influence.
- Developed a management system to document working hours, contracts and pay slips
- A hygiene and sanitation station was installed to help ensure workers can wash their hands with soap before eating their meal
The next Assessment is set for August 2024.
