High quality sesame from Mali The partners will set up a sesame treatment unit in Fana, Mali. The unit will be equipped to clean, sort and de-hull sesame and to produce sesame oil from roasted sesame seeds.Malian sesame production is lagging behind because unlike its neighbouring countries Mali cannot process its sesame. In the face of longstanding sesame cultivation in Mali, the partners got the idea of upgrading sesame production and processing in the country.The result of the project will be the annual processing of 20,500 tons of sesame, the production of 50,000 litres of roasted sesame oil, 75 tons of press cake.12,000 outgrowers will profit directly from this project as well as Mali as a country as this project will contribute to increasing the quality and the quantity of sesame export from Mali.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The project partners agree to take an exemplary approach to CSR issues in order to ensure a positive social and environmental impact of the project. They agree to comply both with legal and voluntary international standards that apply to their business.The project will employ 49 full-time employees. All will receive a contract and good and safe working conditions. Working hours will not exceed 48 hours a week on a regular basis and the maximum allowed overtime will not exceed 12 hours a week. Wages will be at least 71% above the legal minimum wage. All employees will receive social security benefits via registration at the Institut National de Prévoyance Sociale (INPS). At an ad hoc basis employees will be provided with additional financial assistance, means of transportation and land for housing. The joint venture will under no circumstances make use of forced or child labour and will work with farmer cooperatives to prevent any form of forced or child labour in their supply chain and to promote educational possibilities in farmer communities. Furthermore, the company will do all that is reasonable and practicable to protect the health and safety of its employees. Accordingly, all employees will receive a HIV / AIDS prevention training and receive protective clothing for as far as necessary. An advantage with respect to the machinery that will be bought is that it reduces dust production considerably and therefore contributes to a healthy working environment. Also, the company recognises and respects the freedom of employees to choose whether or not to establish, or to associate with, any organisation. Finally, all employees will have equal opportunities and will be treated equally in employment and occupation regardless of personal background, race, gender, nationality, age, sexual preference or religious belief. The same applies to the recruitment of employees. The company strives to offer equal pay for equal work performed at equal levels at similar locations.With respect to the environment the project does not constitute any major risks. Sesame production does not consume a lot of energy or water and no pesticides are involved.One of the major environmental topics within the outgrowers programme will be the fight against soil erosion. The joint venture will encourage farmers to plant trees in order to reverse this process.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe project will employ 49 full-time employees. All will receive a contract and good and safe working conditions. In the chapter on CSR aspects the working conditions and environment are treated in detail.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeKnowledge transfer will be an important aspect of this project. All of the aspects of the project related to the treatment of sesame are unknown in Mali. All the machine operators will have to be trained on how to use, maintain and repair the treatment line. All that knowledge will be brought by the project. In addition, all of the employees will receive training on HIV / AIDS prevention and environmental awareness.Apart from the joint venture employees, 1,000 outgrowers will also receive training and assistance on modern agricultural practices and social and environmental aspects related to growing sesame.•	Chain effectsIt has been proven with other agricultural value chains that the fact that there is a reliable market with reasonable prices, in itself, leads to higher production. With this project the whole sesame value chain will profit (fertiliser suppliers, transport sector and finally the governments treasury).•	EnvironmentThe project does not pose any risk to the environment as only 100% natural raw materials will be processed. The waste is limited to sand and stones from the cleaning process and sesame seed hulls from the de-hulling process. The waste from the production of sesame oil consists of press cake that will be recycled and sold as animal feed.The fact that processing will be done in Mali instead of exporting the raw material implies that less volume has to be exported which results in 30% less use of fossil fuels for transport.For the Malien farmer two main cash crops are available, cotton and sesame.The cotton crop has a lot of negative environmental impact as it uses high quantities of pesticides. Sesame is much less attacked by pests and diseases and is therefore less detrimental to the environment. This also implies less risks for the farmer as even under bad conditions sesame always produces a crop.•	Position of womenTen out of 49 employees will be women. Three women will work at a medium-level, the remaining 7 will be operators and cleaners.The main impact on the position of women is that sesame is mainly a women's crop in West Africa where cereals and cotton are a man's crop.Promotion of sesame growing means direct gain for the women farmers. In West Africa, men and women have separate incomes and expenses, even within a marriage. They both have separate obligations to pay up within the family. To establish a sesame seed treatment facility in Fana, Mali for processing 20,500 tons of sesame per year for export and 50,000 litres of sesame oil for sale in the local market.