An integrated approach to the mango supply chain in Mali The project partners will establish a modern mango plantation of 200 ha with high yielding varieties suited for export. A modern drip irrigation system will be installed with fertiliser mixing tanks, to mix the fertilizers with the irrigation water. The energy to pump the irrigation water will be generated by solar panels.The mango trees will be pruned every year in order to keep the trees small (short stem type) and increase the vegetative mass allowing more than 400 trees per hectare based on modern farming techniques.Trees will be planted to protect the top soil from wind erosion and to create a micro climate favourable for the mango trees. These trees will also prevent the wind from damaging the mango flowers in order to keep yields as high as possible.Furthermore, a knowledge exchange centre for outgrowers will be established.Currently, yields from existing mango trees in Mali are declining year by year because the trees are aging and no maintenance, irrigation or fertilisers are used at all. To remain competitive on the world market, Mali has to invest in mango plantations like it has been done in Peru, Ivory Coast, Senegal and Ghana and many other countries around the globe.An average production of 20 to 30 tons per hectare will be obtained, once the trees reach full production.As demand for fresh mangos is rising in Europe, increased production and export of mangos offer great possibilities for Mali to increase its welfare and encourage its development process.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The CSR policy of the project will reflect both Durabilis' and SCS's current approaches to CSR. This means that high emphasis will be placed on social standards and preventing any adverse environmental impact. The mango farm will work according to the Code of Conduct of BSCI and GlobalGAP standards which address environmental, economic and social sustainability for on-farm processes and result in safe and quality agricultural products. The farm will apply for enrolment in these monitoring and certification schemes as soon as the farm starts to have significant output. In this regard the project will be able to benefit from best practices and experience from Peru.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsThe official minimum wages in Mali is CFA 28,465 without the required package of benefits, including social security and health care. With this package the minimum wage is CFA 35,000.A total of 28 full-time jobs will be created by the end of the project.The lowest paid employees will earn 171% of legal minimum wages. Employment contracts will include a social security package and health care insurance.Two years after the pilot a total of 209 employees will be engaged by the project. 168 Harvesters will have a seasonal job of 4 months per year. This is the equivalent of 56 FTE. In total 97 FTE will be created two years after this project's completion.•	Innovation / Transfer of knowledgeIt is Durabilis' strategy to focus on knowledge transfer between supply chains in different parts of the world. For example, it shared its technical know-how on exporting sugar snaps and snow peas by sea from Guatemala to a local exporter from Peru last year. Likewise, mango exporting from Mali could greatly benefit from Fair Fruit's experience in Peru especially given that Peru has some of the highest yields in mango production worldwide.In a country like Mali, where 70% of the population depends on agriculture as the primary source of income, advanced knowledge of modern agricultural practices will lead to an advanced knowledge level for all employees as well as for the outgrowers that will be trained by this project.The knowledge transfer will relate to all kinds of modern agricultural practices which are relatively new to Mali. These include drip irrigation techniques, plantation management, pest and disease control of mango trees, environmental awareness and the like.•	Chain effectsIn the long run, the whole mango sector of Mali will benefit from this project as it will set an example of modern agricultural practices needed in Mali to remain a leading exporter of mangos in West Africa. It is difficult to estimate exactly how many people will benefit from this project, but as at least 100,000 farmers gain additional income from the export of mangos, the number of beneficiaries from this project will be at least 10,000 farmers as well as harvesters, packagers and exporters and transporters of mangos.•	EnvironmentTrees will be planted to protect the top soil from wind erosion and to create a micro climate favourable for the mango trees.Solar panels will be used to pump the water. Solar energy is a renewable energy with zero emission.Because a modern drip irrigation system will be used, water waste will be kept to a minimum which is very important in a country like Mali where groundwater resources are often overused.Fertiliser will also be applied through the drip irrigation system. This is an efficient way of balanced fertiliser application. This way overuse and resulting contamination of sub-surface water will be prevented.The project will work according to GlobalGAP and BSCI standards, but certification lies beyond the scope of the pilot phase as certification can only be obtained during the first harvest after 5 years.•	Position of womenThe project has no specific gender aspect. The partners' CSR policy includes an equal opportunities approach: Every employee has 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. No form of gender discrimination will be tolerated. To establish the first benchmark high productivity mango plantation in Mali for export of 4,000 tons of fresh first class mangos to Europe per year, eventually, when the trees have reached maturity. At the end of the project an additional 3,000 tons of Pa