Selection Egypt
Giza Seeds and Herbs
Giza Seeds and Herbs is one of the fastest growing exporters of premium spices (particularly medicinal and aromatic plants) in Egypt. We are a 100% export business providing premium hydrated spices such as herbs and vegetables. We are the largest buyers of raw materials in our spices segment, we source raw materials from different regions in Egypt. Recently, we have been expanded this to the to the remote area of The New Valley. As a manufacturer of spices, we manage around 3k acres of contracted farms. Our business model is dependent on contract farming and the quality assurance of crops produced. So far contracted farms hire workers in the old-fashioned manner which has many inefficiencies. We at Giza are looking to providing guidance on employment practices in the agricultural space ensuring both decent working conditions and fair pay while at the same time providing skilled labour to the contract farms.
The Problem
Unemployment amongst youth in Egypt is a growing problem. From the ages of 15 to 30 the unemployment rate is around 30%. Besides that, many young people that have employment work in the informal sector, which usually lacks decent employment conditions. Within the agricultural sector there is a high rate of informal jobs, but it is also a sector with many opportunities to create decent employment since it is the largest employer for youth.
There are also problems specifically faced in the area of the New Valley, where our project will take place, such as the lack of infrastructure and access to agronomy. This is hindering the agricultural development and financial growth in the area.
Furthermore, the New Valley has a higher rate of unemployment than the country average, and 50% of the inhabitants are living under the poverty line. Many young workers in the New Valley would like to have seasonal working opportunities but do not have access to investors and therefore rely on manual casual labour agents. Additionally, many land-owners in the New Valley do not have access to skilled agronomy workers, and it is especially hard for them to find seasonal workers to help with agronomy related activities.
This is why, with our project we want to challenge unemployment and the access of Egyptian youth to decent and formal work in agriculture
The Solution
With our project in the New Valley, we want to enable and empower a community that finds itself in a remote and under-served area.
Our project involves creating the first organic agronomy hub and a training to manage our contract farming projects, in addition to this we would like to attach an organic spice manufacturing centre. These will create decent employment opportunities in the agricultural sector for the local community, especially for women and youth between the age of 18-35.
Our project will provide a solution for unemployment and poverty in the New Valley and will close the gap between the supply and demand for work in the agronomy sector, especially for seasonal workers. We will accomplish this by training and developing agronomy workers, specifically seasonal workers from the community region, in the agronomy hub.
Our goal is to create 500 jobs in agronomy and processing, of which we aim to assign 300 positions to women. Furthermore, we will apply the same job decency framework to farmers we already work with, improving 100 existing jobs.
Additionality
The support of CFYE will help us cover 50% of the required project investments. As a consequence, we will be able to complete the project at the desired scale, which would not have been possible without CFYE support.
CFYE will offer us critical support in successfully hiring 600 workers and provide sustainable jobs. Also, it will help us achieve our desired female worker quota via their experience and expertise.