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Social

Herakles Farms appreciates the opportunity to develop sustainable oil palm plantations in regions of great economic need and incorporates community engagement into all stages of planning and development. Measures include:

  • direct communication and negotiation with land owners and the local population when leasing land
  • continuous communication with local populations on land development plans
  • support for local independent farmers (smallholders) to produce food crops and engage in animal husbandry, including training on environmental best practices, crop diversification, efficient resource utilization, pricing and alternative sources of protein to reduce bush meat hunting
  • support of local small-and-medium-sized enterprise (SME) development both through sourcing and procurement, as well as through social programming
  • contributions to community schools, hospitals, health clinics, clean water facilities and community programming
  • already installed six wells in Ghana and is currently installing several wells in Cameroon, with more to be added in each country
  • will share roads and infrastructure with local communities wherever feasible
  • partnership with All for Africa, a nonprofit with a collaborative approach to poverty reduction by working the private sector to foster projects that generate economic and social benefits in the communities in which they are located (programs focus on agriculture, clean water, community health, education, energy, environmental impact, micro-financing and skills training/livelihood creation)

Please click on the below links for further detail on company policies, initiatives and best practices:

Environmental & Social Impact Assessment

Cameroon (please note that additional studies are currently being conducted)
Cameroon ESIA Annexes
Ghana

Employment

Herakles Farms has developed its staffing plan for the next ten years and will work closely with the village leaders to identify and train candidates and employ as many of those seeking employment as possible. The company strongly believes that the provision of good cash paying jobs will significantly reduce illegal hunting, poaching and logging activities.

Additionally, the company maintains a hiring policy that does not discriminate against age, disability, sex, religion or race, and sexual harassment is strictly prohibited.

Herakles Farms also maintains grievance procedures for its employees to ensure their views and input are fairly considered.

Stakeholder and Community Engagement

Herakles Farms is committed to stakeholder engagement throughout the planning and development process. For instance, in Cameroon in July 2010, Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) were agreed upon with the local communities, after which several small nurseries were developed. As part of the Herakles Farms development plan, a detailed needs study specific to each village is being conducted. In both Ghana and Cameroon, Herakles Farms is not demobilizing any local villages, and steps are being undertaken to support local independent farmers in best practices for resource enhancement and sustainable improved production. Together, the Ghana and Cameroon projects are expected to create over 10,000 jobs for local people, as well as housing, healthcare, clean water, schools and infrastructure such as roads.

View SGSOC's Common Commitments with the villages in Kupe Muanenguba and Ndian.

Social Projects for Workers / Communities

Herakles Farms is in the process of planning several programs to enhance the wellbeing of the workers of and communities around its operations. For instance, in Cameroon, a shortage of protein in the local diet contributes to illegal hunting of bush meat. It is the company's intent to develop significant programs to increase protein availability through fish ponds, animal husbandry and poultry development, modeled after success stories the management team has achieved elsewhere. The company will also support the training and development of independent smallholder farmers in the area in regards to best practices for efficient, productive and sustainable crop cultivation.

Anti-Corruption Policy (PDF)