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Mahmoud El Shishiny and Abdelhamid Demerdash

Mafa Organic

Hi, I am Mahmoud El Shishiny of Maghrabi Farms. We produce haricot verts, mangetout peas, sugar snaps, organic oranges and other citrus fruits in Egypt for Nature & More. We are certified organic since 1999. We also grow biodynamic (Demeter) products. Thank you for buying our fruit!

To be exact, I am responsible for marketing and business development at MAFA. Although located in Cairo, I am constantly at the organic farms in Noubareya to be close to the fields and the farmers. I think that is important, not only for the planning and operations, but also on a personal level. We have 7 fully certified organic farms.

Our company, MAFA, was established in 1989 in Noubareya, about 80 km from Alexandria. This area used to be desert, but we brought it back to life with irrigation. Apart from citrus fruits we also grow organic lettuce, herbs and grapes. Most of the farms have a compost production unit. Here we recycle organic agricultural waste. It is composted together with cow manure, to provide high quality compost. Composting has huge benefits for the soil, climate and biodiversity!

"We don’t just follow standards, we try to go beyond that"

The history of our company is quite interesting. MAFA Organic is owned by the Egyptian well-known Maghrabi family. In the 80’s, Egypt had a very low food production capacity and imported most of its food; so as a country we had low food security. The Maghrabi family decided to buy land and start farming in Egypt on a large scale. First all our farming was conventional, but from 1999 onwards more and more of our farms changed to sustainable farming.

Interview with Mahmoud El-Shishiny

What do you see as the most important differences between an organic and a non organic orange?
A non organic orange is good, but an organic orange is naturally good. The market in Egypte for organic products is still developing, but producers like ourselves have taken the first step by growing and exporting organic products. We believe that together with our competitors we can take this market to a new level, and establish a strong brand for Egyptian Organic Products.

What ‘s your ambition for organic in Egypt?
“Our goal is to be the market leader in Egypt in all sustainability issues such as greenhouse gas emission, water use, etcetera. We don’t just follow standards, we try to go beyond that. Organic has a big future if all of us try to be more professional. We want to be ahead of the market with new ideas and new varieties."

Do you see yourself as an ambassador for sustainable farming?
"Yes, by showing other growers that organic is possible, we hope to inspire them. We also cooperate on a national level through participation in various associations, to promote our sustainable methods. We believe that when we, as a large company, go in that direction, many small farmers from neighbouring areas will follow.”

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for buying our organic citrus fruit particularly because through your purchase you are directly improving the health of our employees and the local community. Let me explain, for every kg of oranges sold, € 0,01 will go towards the health clinic on our premises. The clinic employs a full time doctor and is equipped with an ambulance to serve our employees as well as the local community. Not only do we use the clinic to treat our employees and their families but we also help them to stay healthy. So on behalf of everyone here many thanks for your support. Warm Greetings Abdelhamid

What am I growing?

Recipes with this ingredient

Chicory salad with oranges, apples and pine nuts

Salad with dates, fennel, blood orange and avocado

Chinese cabbage with mandarin

Mandarin popsicles

Mangetout and beef salad with Thai dressing

Geolocation is 31.0011545173, 30.709533691399997

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soil

All Mafa’s organic citrus products are also Demeter biodynamic certified. When it comes to soil, this means a holistic farming system that is minimally dependant on outside inputs. No artificial fertilizer is used, because this effectively kills all soil life. Instead, compost is the vital ingredient for keeping the soil healthy. It enhances life in the soil and improves the soil structure. Due to the special humus structure the water holding capacity of the soil increases up to 70% which is very important in the Egyption arid climate. Good composting in fact helps to address the worlds’ biggest environmental and agricultural problems, such as soil degradation, climate change, the excessive use of water and the increasing amount of waste. To achieve the best possible composting process, Maghrabi worked with Soil & More, a daughter company of Nature & More.
The final compost contains several millions of micro-organisms, a tightly knitted soil-food-web, creating a natural immune system for the plant, thus acting as natural predator against most known soil born diseases and other pathogens.

biodiversity

In the organic orchards of MAFA no pesticides are used, which means that there is a lively ecosystem of insects, birds and other small organisms. Soil life is activated by the use of organic compost and manure, instead of being killed by artificial fertilizers. Did you know that soils contains one quarter to a third of all life forms on the planet? Yet only 1% of these soil creatures has been identified so far. On the MAFA farms this solid foundation for the food chain leads to a large variety of bird species. The farm is certified with LEAF standards, so there are particular areas in the different locations dedicated for biodiversity conservation; here the soil is just being irrigated to provide habitat for natural fauna and flora.

A healthy soil and healthy environment produces healthy plants with more resilience. MAFA has an active policy to stimulate plant biodiversity by planting wind breaks with indigenous trees. They also plant a wide variety of wild flowers. Of course, as an organic farm no herbicides are used. All this results in a more plant biodiversity. MAFA is also LEAF (Linking Environment And Farming) certified.

society

Individual development and empowerment leads to freedom which is the basis for all progress. In this regard education is a key issue at Mafa. Mahmoud El Shishiny explains: “We provide illiteracy classes for our employees and we pay the tuition fees of their children. Illiteracy classes are currently being given in 14 different classes to workers who would like to complete their basic education. The attendees are not only workers, but also those living in the neighbouring villages in the Noubaria area. The total number of graduates is now 435, and the program expects to graduate a further 500."

Furthermore, workers are encouraged to continue their education and obtain a degree by enrolling in the distance learning programs offered by Egyptian universities. El Shishiny: "Currently there are 57 workers continuing their education through distance learning or attending university. This number is increasing every year. We support workers who wish to complete their masters' studies in plant pathology, physiology, etc."
Apart from education, sports are encouraged as well. Mafa sponsors the Mafa sporting club, which is open for all employees. The club is renowned in the region and its soccer team plays in the regional league.”

Solidarity means the sharing of economic benefits; a fair wage, decent housing and good food are the basic ingredients. Abdelhamid Demerdash: “We ensure workers receive a fair wage and provide our employees with medical services. Full time employees are fully integrated into company structure. Since seasonal or part-time workers our employed through an agency, there is no full control of who comes every day. But we try, also for training reasons, to always get the same workers, which would then also have regular access to companies social facilities, rights, etc."
The premium does not only serve educational and health purposes, but is also used to help out the workers in need of a small loan. MAFA's Joint Body, who decide on the spending of the premium, has decided to provide micro-loans to workers. Therefore, 150.000 Egyptian pound has been set aside for a micro-loans project, to be able to serve a wide range of workers who request loans for special needs.

Respect for human dignity leads to fundamental human rights, such as equal opportunities for everyone. Good communication and clear contracts are a prerequisite. Mahmoud: “To ensure that contracts are easily understood and misunderstandings are avoided all our contracts are written in Arabic, using simple language. The communication structure is open and flat although operations follow regular chain of command but in case of concerns, management is directly approachable."
Safe Transportation: 52 cars have been bought so far in order to provide safe transportation to Magrabi Agriculture workers. Magrabi Agriculture has also bought 4 busses. These busses are used to provide daily transportation to workers from their homes to work.
Mini-hospital: There used to be a small clinic in the farm but it was upgraded to a mini-hospital. The hospital was built in 2007 and is providing health care to all Magrabi Agriculture workers and their families as well as the people living in the Nubaria area. All workers undergo regular health checks. There is also an eye clinic that provides optical examinations and simple eye operations. The hospital has been opened to serve about 300 persons monthly.
Ambulance: An ambulance was bought in june 2007 and is used to aid Magrabi Agriculture workers as well as the people living in the Noubaria area. If the case is not too severe then the patient is taken by the ambulance to the mini-hospital in the farm. If it's more serious, the patient is brought to the Noubaria or Alexandria hospital.

climate

Organic agriculture generally results in lower overall energy use, because no pesticides or artificial fertilizer are used. This results in a low carbon footprint (see air section). On the biodynamic MAFA farms, the warm Egyptian sun, making the crops grow, is still energy source number one. The main external energy input is electricity for the packhouse, to keep the fruit cool after picking. According to Mahmoud, the equipment is state of the art and energy efficient. “All Magrabi farms have recently conducted environmental measurements through the National center for Environmental Measurements and Occupational Safety. We are carefully following the developments in the green energy sector and when the time is right (technically and economically) we shall definitely start utilizing green energy."

As an organic grower, MAFA is protecting the climate. The use of compost results in carbon sequestration in the soil. Since no pesticides or organic fertilizer is used, this means a reduction of nitrous oxide emissions. A full life cycle assessment was made of the CO2-footprint of MAFA's citrus fruit. It is possible to deliver MAFA's oranges climate-neutral, by compensating the greenhouse gas emission with carbon credits from organic composting.

CO2-footprint of MAFA citrus fruits: 0.752 C02e/kg.

What does this mean
The footprint shows the amount of greenhouse gas emission for one kilogram of fruit, for the whole production process: from the field to the store. The average CO2 footprint for fruit is 3.4 CO2 / kg, according tot the Food Climate Research network. MAFA's citrus fruits are far below this and are therefore a climate friendly fruit.

Technical explanation:
All emissions are taken into account, including transport and packaging. The calculations for carbon footprint are based on the reported emissions in 2008. The assessments are done according to a comparable methodology as described in the PAS 2050, a standard developed by the British Standard Institute was carried out by Soil & More International BV. www.soilandmore.com.

water

Growers at Mafa regard water not just as an input into the agricultural cycle, but as a vital resource that must be protected and enhanced through careful management. Based in Egypt, where availability of water is a problem, Mafa is looking for the best possible options: “All water comes from Nile through canals. The compost we use increases the water holding capacity of the soils and therefore we reduce the water consumption”. To irrigate the fields, drip irrigation is used, which is the best water-efficient system.

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