A beneficiary of Base Titanium-Tuk apprentice project. Photo/COURTESY
Since
Base Titanium set foot in Kwale County in 2011 and started mining
operations in 2014, the company has been a pace-setter in the mining
sector and game charger in turning around fortunes for the local
community.
According to the Base Titanium General
Managing External affairs and Development, Joe Schwarz, the company has
spent more than Sh1 billion on its community developments, which include
Sh320 million in social infrastructure, Sh485 million in livelihood
enhancement programmes, Sh135 million on health and Sh175 million on
education.
However, it’s in agriculture that the
company has redefined how Corporate Social Responsibility programmes can
have real sustainable and meaningful change in the lives of the local
community.
“We have been working will local
small-scale farmers to introduce and support cultivation of a variety of
crops as both a source of food and for generation of incomes to the
families,” Base Titanium General Manager Environmental and Community
Affairs Colin Forbes said.
“Base works with various stakeholders to
provide training and expertise. We also provide the initial inputs to
allow farmers to transition to new crops.”
The company has partnered with the Kwale
County to revive cotton. The programme which started with initial 10
volunteer farmers now has close to 1,000 farmers with over 800 acres
under cultivation. Base Titanium has assisted the farmers form a
cooperative society to help pool resources and streamline delivery of
support services.
“We have also managed to bring Australian
apparel company ‘Cotton On’ to offer direct market for the harvest.
Furthermore, the farmers also generate more revenues from oil extracted
from the cotton while cotton seed is sold as a livestock feed,” he said.
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