Being responsible is the only sustainable way forward.
sustainable thinking
We’ve chosen to be part of the solution.
We’re a female-run company in agriculture and agri-processing, and it’s very close to our hearts to promote women in all sectors of our business. We’ve chosen to be part of the solution concerning transformation in agriculture and agri-processing and we hope to address the low number of business women participating in this industry.
Social sustainability
Women in agriculture
We train and empower women, and we strive to make agriculture and agri-processing an attractive field to work in. It is also our aim to assist more women to enter agriculture and help them develop the tools that will enable them to become self-sufficient cattle farmers.
Addressing stumbling blocks
We’ve identified a route to market as a stumbling block for emerging and subsistence farmers who would like to sell their cattle into the market. To facilitate this process, we have made certain concessions to these farmers when they supply cattle to us.
The way forward
We are exploring a project to assist emerging female farmers in our Marquard community with capital and access to our expertise and the expertise of many of our own suppliers. We intend to enable them to become fully-fledged cow calf farmers.
Sparta is committed to the well-being of the environment in which we operate. We take special care to tread lightly.
Environmental sustainability
Sparta’s cattle feeding operation
A full environmental impact study of our cattle feeding operation was commissioned, completed and approved by the Department of Environmental Affairs in 2007.
Land/water conservation
Our large tracts of grazing are strategically monitored to allow for rotation for our pasture-raised and grain-finished cattle. Where soil erosion could or has taken place, we’ve implemented water stream rehabilitation. Our ground water is tested regularly by the Institute of Groundwater Studies at the University of the Free State. Effluent dams collect feedlot run-off, which provides essential water for irrigation. Sparta makes use of manure on its fields, which is more eco-friendly and increases soil fertility, water retention and the absorption rate of the soil.
Our beef processing facility
Since 2008, Sparta has been modernising its plant and effluent waste, implementing various measures and upgrading systems, where necessary, to ensure we operate in a sustainable way. We strive to be compliant in terms of the National Environmental Management Act, 1998.
Waste management
We strive to limit our carbon footprint and we have outsourced our general waste sorting to a SABS certified organisation. Annually this enables us to recycle more than 2000 cubic meters of paper and plastic waste and save almost 1 million litres of water and over 600 trees.
Giving back is at the core of the Sparta culture and value system. We invest heavily in several worthy causes in our communities, including schools and centres for the elderly and disabled.
Human Sustainability
We believe in investing in the lives of future generations by giving funds to a local agricultural college and providing bursaries for qualifying students.
Mama Sophia’s School
Mama Sophia’s Pathways School is a non-profit organisation situated in Marquard, Free State. The school was established by Sparta in April 2015, to provide a sanctuary for children and young adults living with a range of disabilities with the objective of empowering each of them with a sense of purpose, and to help them attain as much independence as possible, regardless of their challenges.
Since 2015, Mama Sophia’s has grown by leaps and bounds and continues to make remarkable progress. What started as a daycare facility is now a school, and what was originally just a house is now a home to these youngsters.