Mashare Agri Group and a community

The Mashare story begins with a community on the Kavango River: 50 km downstream from Rundu is Mashare village, the namesake of our irrigation farm. The whole region is plagued by high unemployment and opportunities for formal employment are limited. Since 2018 the expansion of the Mashare estate has benefited its community members, with even greater prospects for the years to come.

Mashare Agri is a large-scale irrigation farm. Initially, the property consisted of only two pivot fields of 30 ha each, which produced maize, wheat and potatoes, and employed ten people. After proving the success of these cash crops that supply the Namibian market, the farm grew and took on an even greater responsibility – providing international markets with job-creating, high-value permanent crops.

The Kavango Region’s soil, with its low pH level and clay content, is not the best suited for grain production. But it suits certain permanent crop production perfectly. Still, not just any large-scale crop can grow in the acidic ground on the farm. After much deliberation and research, Mashare Agri chose a crop that would thrive in the region and bring considerable investment into the country, while simultaneously providing more employment opportunities to the nearby villages. It was to be blueberries, a fruit that must be carefully picked by hand and that can grow prolifically in the acidic soil of the Kavango. As a region, the Kavango also has a competitive advantage when it comes to timing. The crop arrives in the international markets before that of competitors, thereby putting Namibia, Mashare and its community on the map.

Since the very first blueberry harvest in June 2020, the Mashare community has become increasingly involved in farm operations. During the first harvest from the initial 20 hectares of blueberries, 30 permanent and 400 contract workers assisted in getting the berries to far-away markets in their best condition. In 2022, with the addition of another 40 hectares, Mashare increased their numbers to 85 permanent and 500 contract workers.

Berry-picking chief supervisor, Leopoldine, has shared with us the sentiments of her coworkers, particularly the women who pick the Mashare blueberries by hand. In this region, which accounts for a large percentage of Namibia’s unemployed population, farming projects like Mashare bring great relief and upliftment. Leopoldine says that she and her fellow farm workers are incredibly grateful for the opportunities offered by Mashare. Most noteworthy to Leopoldine is the fact that a large portion of the farm’s contract workers are women. They can now be breadwinners for their families, when previously every meal, school uniform or home improvement tended to be unpredictable.

For many of the Mashare berry pickers, irrigation operators and pack house assistants, this is their very first employment experience. Community members from nearby villages who are employed by the farm are now able to provide for their families while simultaneously developing a sense of purpose and self-worth. Leopoldine says that without the existence of Mashare and prospective farms it is uncertain whether she and her co-workers would have the means to uplift themselves. She reiterates how empowered they feel to gain financial independence and how thankful she is that Mashare Agri is investing in her community.

At Mashare Agri the goal is to grow this world-class irrigation farm, involve more locals in our operations and continue to provide perfect blueberries to export markets. Without the Mashare village community, however, the irrigation farm would not be the success that it is today.

Charene Labuschagne