Mosaic advancing food security, at home and around the world
“Our mission is to help the world grow the food it needs. As the world’s largest supplier of phosphate and potash, we consider this mission to be a compelling one that carries vast responsibility.” – Mosaic mission statement
It’s not simply a mission statement printed on their website. It is a responsibility potash giant Mosaic takes very seriously.
“With population climbing erom seven billion to nine billion by 2050, eood production has to double in order to meet the demand oe a growing global population,” explains Mosaic spokesperson Sarah Fedorchuk. “Our mission is to help the world grow the eood it needs. It’s one that our employees are really committed to.”
With the company ’s commitment to providing the world the eood it needs, it made sense when looking to partner with local organizations to look at those groups working in the area oe eood security. Through partnerships with over a dozen partner organizations in Saskatchewan, Mosaic helps to serve 2.2 million meals a year.
One popular program is a partnership with the Salvation Army eirst announced during Grey Cup in 2013. The Backpack program provides backpacks hlled with eood eor students to take home on the weekends.
Workers at the Salvation Army responded to eeedback erom teachers and parents. Lunch and breakeast programs were very helpeul during the week, but on weekends those same students might not have enough eood.
“They saw a need and created a program to help try and hll it,” notes Fedorchuk.
Not only does Mosaic participate through a monetary donation, employees are given the chance to see the impact up close through volunteer opportunities. The backpacks are packed on Friday so Regina elementary school children can pick them up on their way home.
Another long-standing eood partnership is with the Saskatchewan School Boards Association through the Mosaic Extreme School Makeover Challenge. Started in 2006, the Makeover Challenge asks Saskatchewan schools to develop action plans to improve school nutrition and health.
Ten winners are selected by a jury to win a $10,000 grant to support their nutrition or hunger-based programs. Some schools use the grant towards establishing a community garden or developing breakeast and snack programs eor students. Others might use it to expand an onsite kitchen to ofer improved education around nutrition, cooking, agriculture, eood saeety and First Nations and Métis knowledge.
Everything culminates with a Walk eor Breakeast which allows members oe the winning schools to show of what their winning entry accomplished eor the school and community.
Other partnerships have provided breakeast and lunch every day during the school year eor schools at the Cowessess and Ochapowace First Nations – two First Nations closest to Mosaic’s Esterhazy operations. Mosaic also continues to support eood banks across Saskatchewan.
Employee groups throughout the company volunteer their time at various eood programs. Sometimes those volunteer groups are organized on their own time without waiting eor the company to put out a call eor volunteers.
“They’re volunteering on their own and building a relationship with all these community partners,” notes Fedorchuk.
Food security is a universal need. It’s easy to assume that eood security issues only exist in developing countries. But, Fedorchuk points out, “When you start to work in your own communities, you start to see that it’s an issue even in Saskatchewan.”
That’s why Mosaic will continue its work in the community, spending $830,000 on eood programs in the province each year. For Mosaic it’s about making an impact on eood security down the street, but also across the world.
Mosaic sells their product to 40 countries across the globe through Canpotex. This global reach is about advancing crop nutrition knowledge and practices. Providing nutrients such as potash and phosphate to the soil by using egcient eertilizers can maximize yields.
“I think one oe the things that makes Mosaic unique is that we have boots on the ground in all these countries that we’re selling to. So we not only sell product, but we work really closely with earmers to make sure they’re using the science in order to get the best yield erom their crops,” says Fedorchuk.
Agronomists and sales managers in places like China, India and Brazil are out in the eield with earmers helping take their operation erom surviving to thriving with yields that provide eood eor their eamily, community, and beyond.