SPAR’s Rural Hub model wins GlobalG.A.P Changemaker Award

SOUTH AFRICA – SPAR’s Rural Hub farming initiative in Limpopo, South Africa, has received international recognition by winning the retail category of the GlobalG.A.P. Changemaker Award at the 2024 summit in Warsaw, Poland.

This accolade highlights the company’s efforts to create a more equitable supply chain for small-scale farmers in rural areas.

The Rural Hub model, developed by SPAR, supports twelve small-scale farmers on 140 hectares of land in Limpopo’s Mopani District.

These farms provide employment for over 160 people in rural communities, contributing to both local livelihoods and food production. James Lonsdale, SPAR’s national sustainability manager, explained, “This initiative is transforming rural farming, and the impact on the community has been significant.”

SPAR plans to expand the program over the next five years, aiming to increase the number of participating farmers from twelve to sixty and boost the cultivated land from 140 hectares to 1,000 hectares.

The initiative, currently limited to Limpopo, will extend to other South African provinces, giving more farmers access to formal retail markets.

Small-scale farmers face multiple barriers when entering formal value chains, including lack of capital, poor infrastructure, and inconsistent crop yields. Through the Rural Hub, SPAR has been investing in these farmers for the past eight years.

One of the initiative’s milestones was introducing a localg.a.p. Capacity-building program in 2018, which has helped farmers move towards full GlobalG.A.P. certification.

“This would have seemed out of reach just a few years ago,” Lonsdale noted, emphasizing how the support has allowed these farmers to participate in formal retail chains typically reserved for larger commercial suppliers.

In addition to SPAR’s guaranteed market, some of the produce is sold to aggregators, allowing the farmers to broaden their market access.

The Rural Hub farmers primarily focus on winter crops such as cocktail tomatoes, baby corn, green beans, and peppers, which are consolidated and packed at SPAR’s facility in Ofcolaco, Limpopo Province. One farmer has even diversified into fruit production, planting two hectares of guavas.

In addition to growing crops for SPAR, many farmers continue to cultivate private crops for their local communities, reflecting the program’s balance between commercial farming and community support.

Lonsdale reflected on the recognition, saying, “It’s quite amazing to think that this rural farming initiative in Limpopo has received international recognition of this stature.”

At the GlobalG.A.P. SUMMIT 2024, the Changemaker Award highlighted the innovative and sustainable efforts of SPAR’s Rural Hub model.

Other awards presented at the event included the Innovation Award, the Sustainability Award, and the Food Safety Excellence Award, recognizing various contributions to agriculture worldwide.

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