Sustainable Agriculture

The concept of ‘sustainable agriculture’ is grounded in practicality. Its objectives include a healthy environment, economic profitability, and social and economic equity. Monarda has embraced the pursuit of these objectives by ensuring responsible sourcing for all its crops, paying fair prices to farmers and land-owners, and finally providing opportunities to communities and individuals to thrive with integrity.

As a rice distributor with considerable reach, Monarda believes in participating in all initiatives that support sustainability. As such, Monarda is a proud member of the Sustainable Rice Platform (SRP)which provides sustainability insights, guidance, and tools to stakeholders of the rice business.

Furthermore, as a leading player in the soft commodities business, Monarda subscribes and adheres to the guidelines set forth in the No Deforestation, No Peat and No Exploitation (NDPE) commitments.These are guidelines for the prevention of deforestation, using Best Management Practices on peat plantations, and adopting a rights-based approach to agriculture where all groups and communities are treated with respect, fairness and tolerance.

Monarda is committed to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2, 5, 8, 12 and 15 which directly apply to our business operations.

Sustainability

Monarda is a member of the Sustainable Rice Platform.

Social Responsibility

There is a folk saying that one must not make holes in the very bowl one eats. The earth and all itsresources are the very bowl that we eat in – it nourishes us, provides us with shelter, and allows us tothrive on it. Social responsibility is merely ensuring that this source of wellness and prosperity does notrun out.

The Wema Works Initiative (WWI)

The Monarda social responsibility initiative is called the Wema Works Initiative. ‘Wema’ is the Swahili word for ‘kindness’ and embodies the spirit in which this initiative was started. Here are some of the on-going programs that Monarda has undertaken under the Wema Works umbrella:

Monarda Resource Champions

This is an apprenticeship offered by Monarda to 15 young men and women in the markets that we operate in. These young apprentices are trained to research and implement sustainable practices into the Monarda business. By training young talent, we ensure that we leave behind a stronger, more sustainable society, each time. The Wema Works team is responsible for the sourcing and selection of these apprentices who are paid a generous stipend, along with valuable training, for their contribution.

Lend-a-Hand Drives

At Monarda, we believe in encouraging all employees, vendors, leaders, and partners to lend a hand to help others. In all the markets where we have a footprint, we try to mobilize our human resources to help the community. This is often in the shape of hunger-alleviation drives, literacy-promotion drives, and tree-plantation drives. Our teams identify resource-deficient areas and move our internal resources to make up for the deficiencies. We have delivered food to food-insecure districts, distributed books and other literacy tools to under-educated communities, and planted trees in plantation-impoverished areas.

Invisible Footprint

While Monarda has a considerable footprint in the markets we engage in, our aspiration for the future is to have an ‘invisible footprint’. This means that we are working towards minimizing our carbon foot print by taking actions such as: using electric vehicles wherever possible, switching to sustainable sources of energy (e.g. wind and solar power), increasingly using biodegradable packaging material for our products, and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions through the increasing use of non-motored vehicles such as bicycles and roller-cars.