How two Senegalese farms feed Britain’s winter produce demand

Scale and reach: Two large agricultural complexes in Senegal’s north now send refrigerated vegetables to UK supermarket chains on a weekly basis, closing the seasonal gap that appears in colder months at home.

These sites collectively cultivate about 2,000 hectares and have created roughly 9,000 jobs, most of them filled by women drawn from surrounding communities.

One operator dedicates close to 500 hectares to salad crops and ships around 2 million spring-onion bunches per week, while its partner supplies roughly 55 million corn cobs annually alongside beans and winter squashes.

Irrigation and logistics: Water is taken from the Senegal River, routed through a network of canals and pumped across arid land so crops can grow where rainfall is scarce. Harvested produce is chilled quickly at pack-houses, trucked to a deep-water port and loaded into containers for a sea journey to the UK that typically takes about six days.

Major British fresh-produce firms have sunk permanent capital — including an investment of approximately £70m — to lock in steady off-season supply. Pay mostly meets the legal agricultural minimum, approximately 2,500 XOF per day (about $4.50), with bonuses tied to pick rates.

Retail demand and sourcing drivers are clear: constraints on Mediterranean output, higher transport costs for airfreight and post-Brexit trade shifts have pushed buyers to explore West Africa as a reliable supplier.

• Environmental trade-offs: sea freight cuts emissions versus air cargo but still contributes to shipping’s global greenhouse footprint.
• Economic effects: the projects supply supermarket shelves but also create pressure to expand where labour costs stay comparatively low.
• Local dynamics: long leases and licences control land and water access; the arrangement generates steady work but prompts debate over wages and local benefit.

Looking ahead, current economics favour further expansion of similar ventures unless governments or consumers push for seasonal eating, stronger local production incentives, or higher social and environmental standards.