Mouhammad Samb

Hi my name is Mouhammad Samb and together with my father we grow organic mango’s here in the north west of Senegal for Nature & More.

Our 140 hectares farm was established in 1989 by my father and ever since then, we have growing mangoes here. Due to the rich soil and good coastal climate, this part of Senegal is excellent for growing mangoes. Ten years after setting up, we converted to organic agriculture. When you look at the mango production here you can basically divide the growers in three different groups. Firstly you have organic certified farms like us. Then you have farms that produce conventional mangoes and the third group are farmers that work according to organic principles but are not certified organic. These farmers grow mangoes in harmony with nature as they have done for more than a century.

We are proud of the fact that we sell our organic Kent mango’s both overseas as well as here on the local market. Furthermore we are trying to stimulate more organic production by offering technical advice to local growers. This way we hope to have a positive impact in this region!

Interview with Mouhammed Samb

Why did you switch from conventional to organic mango production?
One day when my father sat down for dinner with us he looked at his plate full of salad and said “I want to know what happened to this salad before it arrives on my plate .. I believe we all have the right to know this”. At that point he made the decision that our farm should also become an organic mango farm where people can sure no chemical pesticides have been sprayed.

In 2005 we were certified organic and to be honest switching to organic was not too difficult since we have the right climate and the right soil in this part of Senegal

Why does not everyone switch to organic ?
This has to do with a lack of knowledge about the benefits of organic agriculture. For many farmers it is easier to react to a problem with chemicals then to act proactively to prevent the problem in the first place !

What is organic agriculture for you ?
Life

What do you love about the business ?
That through our delicious organic mango’s we are reaching millions of people, every year .. whereas an estate agent only reaches a few

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soil

The word for soil in Wolof (the local language that is spoken here) is Souf. For us everything starts with healthy “Souf” that is full of (microscopic) life. That is why we nurture and feed the soil using compost that we produce ourselves. The compost not only feeds the soil but also improves the soil structure and this in turn helps to prevent erosion.

biodiversity

At Notto, we try and keep the right natural balance between our mango trees and other local flora. Furthermore, we do not only grow mangoes but other fruits like limes, mandarins and coconuts. By the way did you know that a mango tree takes 10 years to get mature?

society

At our farm we employ 20 people permanently and during the peak period when we need to harvest, sort and pack we employ a hundred more. Most of the workers come from the three villages around the farm and this is also where my father was born and grew up.

climate

Mango trees rely on mother nature. In conventional farming, the dominant energy inputs are indirect and come from for the manufacture and transport of fertilizers (specifically nitrogen) and pesticides. Depending on the crop these can account for as much as 80% of the energy input. Since we farm organically and therefore do not use chemical fertilizers, pesticides or other agro chemicals, it comes as no surprise that these fruits are considerably more energy efficient than their non organic counterparts. The mangoes are transported to Europe by ship. We do however use energy for cooling, packing and to pump up the water.

water

Compared with other fruit and vegetables, mangoes do not need very much water. That explains why you often find these trees in relatively dry areas. To irrigate our farm we installed three water drilling & pumps. Two pumps are for the trees and one is for the village!

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