Sustainable Agriculture in Mauritius

A Small planter's field in Mauritius

Sustainable agriculture is a term and practice which is gaining a lot of momentum these days. But for many of us, it is not well-understood what it is about. Different persons in different regions have their own definition of sustainable agriculture:

Sustainable agriculture is an approach that maximises the use of natural and renewable on-farm inputs, while ensuring long-term environment stability and health benefits. It involves farming systems which are capable of maintaining their productivity and usefulness to the society on a long-term basis. Such systems must be resource-conserving, socially supportive, commercially competitive and environmentally sound. 

Over the years, agricultural policies in many countries have laid emphasis on the use of external inputs to increase farm productivity and as a result, there has been an increase in the global consumption of pesticides, chemical (inorganic) fertiliser, animal feeds and agricultural machinery. Gradually pesticides have started to replace biological/cultural/mechanical control of pests, weeds & diseases, and on the other hand chemical fertilisers have substituted livestock manure, compost and nitrogen-fixing crops. Furthermore, rather than relying of traditional methods, farmers started to seek advice from input suppliers and extension services which encouraged them to use inorganic fertiliser and pesticides. As a result, these chemicals have had a negative impact on the environment.

Sustainable agriculture in Mauritius

Among the countries that have been relying heavily on agro-chemicals in their agriculture, Mauritius is also included. This practice is not only harmful to the environment, but it also has an impact on the food quality and safety. The government of Mauritius has taken note of this problem and has included strategies in its agricultural policies to encourage the practice of sustainable agriculture by the farming community. The strategies in the policy are focused on the following areas:

• Sustainable land Management
• Development of sustainable fertilisation programme
• Irrigation and Water management
• Integrated Pest Management

Sustainable Land Management

As a small island, Mauritius has limited area of land, therefore it is very important to utilise it sustainably so as to keep it productive and minimize environmental hazards. This is expected to be achieved though capacity building on sustainable land management among farmers, encourage the use of bio-fertilisers, regular assessment of land degradation and finally regular training of farmers on sustainable agricultural practices.

Training of farmers on the use of bio-fertilisers by Extension Officers

Mixing Biofertiliser with water for field trial

Application of biofertiliser in carrot field (Trial)

Development of sustainable fertilisation programme

Since current fertilization recommendations do not take into consideration the amount of nutrients that are already available in the soil from organic sources (manure, scum etc.) and crop residues, what happens very often is over-fertilisation resulting in nutrients leaching. To avoid having these problems, it is encouraged to test nutrient content of the soil and develop fertilisation programme according to the status of the soil. The use of compost and bio-fertilisers are also encouraged.

Nutrient determination in the lab (Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security - Mauritius)

Irrigation and Water Management

Without doubt, water is a scarce and valuable resource in agriculture. In fact, 70% of water utilisation in the world is for agriculture. As a small country, Mauritius is concerned with the impact of climate change and recently (2011) there was a drought in the country. In order to improve crop productivity while optimising the use of irrigation water and minimising risks of run-off and salinity, research in Mauritius has developed small-scale drip irrigation and fertilisation technologies. To encourage farmers to adopt this practice, a drip irrigation system/ fertigation  (irrigation+fertilisation) system have been installed in model farms of the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU), where farmers can see how it works and adopt the technology. The extension service also trains them on how to manage a drip irrigation system. In addition, incentives are being provided on family drip systems for small scale farming.

Field trial on fertigation system at a Research Station (Mauritius)

Drip Irrigation System at Flacq Model Farm (Mauritius)

Family Drip System at Flacq Model Farm (Mauritius)

Integrated Pest Management (IPM)

Integrated Pest Management is an effective and environment-friendly approach that is used to control pests and diseases in the field. Some of these techniques are described below:

Biological Control

Biological control of pests was introduced in Mauritius in 1762 when the Mynah bird was brought to the island from India to control Red Locusts in sugarcane fields. Over the years, many natural enemies have been brought into the country. Some were successful while others were not for various reasons. A very interesting article on alternatives to pesticides can be read HERE.

Release of Natural Enemy of Plutella Xycostella (pest) in Cauliflower field by Extension Officer

Sterile Insect Technique (SIT)

Sterile Insect Technique (SIT) is a biotechnological control of pests. The insects are passed through certain chemicals or x-rays/gamma-rays in the lab and as a result, they become sterile. These sterile insects are reared in large numbers and released in the environment. Since they are sterile, they will not multiply when mated with the female insects. The following video (by FAO) gives a good over-view on the use of SIT to control fruit fly in Croatia: 

Bio-pesticides

Bio-pesticides are being sold by input suppliers in Mauritius, but it is known to work a bit slower than inorganic pesticides. Farmers are usually trained on the benefits of using these organic products to control pests by the extension service.

Some bio-pesticides available in Mauritius

Pheromones/baits

Melon fly is a pest that causes a lot of damage to cucumber in Mauritius. This pest was successfully controlled through IPM some years ago, from the implementation of a project in the region of Plaine Sophie (in the central part of Mauritius). Losses of up to 90% were recorded in cucumber fields in the region and the pest had become resistant to pesticides. Planters were spending a lot of money to buy pesticides and apply to their fields, but nothing was working. This project was funded by the International Agency for Atomic Energy (IAEA) and implemented by the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU) and the Entomology division of the Ministry of agro-Industry and Food Security, which included: 

a) plantation of a trap crop (Maize)

It was recommended that maize is planted in the field at least 1 month before transplantation of cucurbit seedlings.

Cucumber plants with maize as trap crop at Flacq Model Farm

b) Bait Application 

Two weeks after transplantation of the cucumber seedlings, it was recommended to apply a protein bait under the leaves of the trap crop.

c) Mass trapping of insects

Two weeks after transplantation, traps made of plastic bottle with openings on the sides were put in the field and the insects were trapped in numbers. These traps contained insecticides and were placed 20m apart. After 15 days, they needed to be changed.

Traps made up of plastic bottles in farmer's field

d) Sanitation

Along with these processes, all infested fruits were recommended to be collected and disposed by placing them in sealed plastic bags or burying them at a depth of at least 30 cm.

This project was very successful in Mauritius and farmers claimed that before implementation of these techniques, they were having 80% losses and using twice as much pesticides than it was recommended and after implementation, the losses were barely 5% without application of pesticides. This project has helped them increase their farm productivity and at the same time they have been able to reduce the cost of production by not applying pesticides.

The above are few examples of IPM and farmers who are using these practices should make sure that in the region other farmers are not applying pesticides or using agro-chemicals since for some of these techniques (biological control for example), the natural enemy will die with the chemical and the technique will not work.

Way forward

It is true that for farmers who are used to rely on agro-chemicals to increase their production and control pests and diseases, it would be very difficult for them to shift to sustainable agriculture. This is because while using agro-chemicals, the result is immediate but while using environment-friendly techniques, it may take time to work and the quality of the produce may not be that good. The important point to understand is that for today and some years to come, we can benefit from the current agricultural practice, but if we do not take actions now, there is high risk of land degradation, pests may develop resistance to chemicals and other unforeseen problems may arise. Hence, the extension service has to keep on encouraging farmers to practice sustainable agriculture and train them on the different techniques that have been validated by research.

Hungry Planet - Episode 11

In this Episode of Hungry Planet, turning arid desert into productive farmland helps ward off hunger in drought-prone Niger. Fishermen and fish sellers in Benin discover alternative ways of earning a living that are good for them and the fishery. Mountain gorillas in Rwanda, the original "gorillas in the mist", are under greater threat due to climate change. This video shows about what can be done to protect them.

Source: Youtube

Crowd-sourcing Experiment by the Breadfruit Sector Consortium in Mauritius

This week, something really "cool" is happening in the Breadfruit Sector in Mauritius. A Crowd-sourcing Experiment is in progress to locate breadfruit trees in Mauritius. This initiative is by the Food and Agricultural Research Council (FARC) and other partners involved in the Mauritius breadfruit sector consortium. The aim of this stakeholders' collaboration is to be able to know where we stand, what we want to achieve in the breadfruit sector and hence develop a National Breadfruit Programme.

In my last blog post, I had mentioned about using a wiki for managing a project or group work. A wiki has been created for this breadfruit project in Mauritius and on one of the pages, we have added a link a Google Map, whereby someone who knows where there are breadfruit trees can add the tree to the map. This is quite easy to do by clicking on this LINK.

This link has been shared on Facebook Pages (mainly those which are visited by youths in agriculture) and on the D-group of the Mauritius Agricultural Information Specialist Network (MAISNET). Mauritians who know about the location of these trees are gradually adding them to the map. For the time being, the response is not very high, but still there are some people (mostly those who are related to agriculture) have been contributing.

The pictures below may give an idea about how this is happening:

Link shared on Facebook and people responding

This page opens when user clicks on the link

Tree(s) added to the Map and Saved

Certainly, this activity will not give us the exact number of breadfruit trees in the island, but the consortium will have an idea about the location of these trees and at the same time, we will be able to see the interest of Mauritians in this type of activity and about the breadfruit sector.There may also be some disadvantages of this process, for example someone may not be sure if it is the tree in question and provide the wrong information. But this is only a first step, and the following ones will depend on the response of this activity.

Personally, I am enjoying it because I am looking for the tree wherever I am travelling and when I spot a tree, I'm adding it to the map! :)

If you are reading this post and you know where there are breadfruit trees in Mauritius, do not hesitate to add them on the map. Have a look at the tutorial below which will help you to do so. Thanks!

 

Web 2.0 tools: some practical examples

I usually meet friends or colleagues who tell me that they do not like to have accounts on social media networks or use web 2.0 tools as they find it a waste of time (Which is what they think I do by the way..). But is it really so? For me, the answer is definitely NO since I am using these tools everyday, and these are helping achieve my personal and professional goals. Looking at the benefits I am getting from them and how they are making my life easier, I really believe that people who are not using these tools are losing a lot, which is the reason why I encourage people around me to use them. It is also true that there are some negative aspects of social media and web 2.0 tools, like people may hack your profile and use the information you have put in a wrong way. But it is all about adjusting your privacy settings and allow only people you know and trust to view information on you and your activities. 

My interest in Social media and web 2.0 tools

I started to be interested in social media because it was a new way for networking, making friends and also it was cool to have a profile on hi5 or Facebook (which were the 2 popular social media network when I was in high school in 2006-2007). For a year or two, I was using social media only for networking, but then one day, one of my lecturers at university told us about the benefits of web 2.0 and how we can use it for educational purposes. I created a group on Facebook for our class and it was a platform for us to interact, share ideas, organise events, participate in discussions etc. It was certainly more effective than communicating through emails as it was more casual and effective as everyone was really contributing. Gradually, I started blogging, creating accounts on other social networks and I understood that web 2.0 is much more than networking and information sharing. It can be used for business, project management, team management, organising meetings, marketing and sales, human resource management, educational purposes etc. 

The video below is an introduction about what web 2.0 is about:

Some practical examples of how I have been using these tools

Facebook
The primary use of facebook for me was for networking and keep in touch with people I have known as friends and colleagues. Then I started to use it as a platform for me to share my ideas and information on agriculture and other works in which I am involved or interested about. By joining pages that are of interest to me (For example FAO, CTA, YPARD, e-agriculture, AIESEC etc.), I am updated about the work they are doing and get information which I use in my professional life. By creating a page for the department I was leading in AIESEC (ICX UoM), we were promoting the projects on which we were working (providing internships) and sharing our experiences. This page was also a means for me to make announcements and also motivate my members by sharing inspirational and motivational videos from youtube. The facebook page that I have used and was successful was for the first project for which I was the team leader. The name of the project was Red Ribbon Initiative (it was on HIV/AIDS), and we were promoting the project and its activities on the page. After each event, we were uploading pictures and videos to show our work and it was clear to all our stakeholders about what we were doing. We can also use facebook to do so much more: Creating polls (to know opinions of people on a specific subject), writing notes (to share your thoughts on something), Tagging people in photos, comments and status, Organise events and invite people, share pictures, videos, news and other links. 

Page on Facebook to promote project and events

Twitter
Following people, networks and organisations which have the same interests as me enables me to be updated about what is happening around me and I can contact them to share my opinions or ideas through tweets. One simple example is that I have written a blog post about environment and want to share it with organisations/people working on this subject, I will share the link along with their twitter name and they will know about what I have written and may share it with their network. What I like most about twitter is that you get all updated information about what you are interested about and keep learning new things everyday.

Blogger
A clear example of how I use blogger is this blog itself. I created my first blog in 2008, but started writing in 2010. At that time my blog just a private one and I was sharing my thoughts on it. Then after my training on web 2.0 tools in March 2011, I decided to make my blog public and be more specific about what I was writing about, since I wanted to share my experience in agriculture and youth leadership with others. Moreover, my blog was a way for me to track my activities, reflect on my experiences and see how I can improve in the future. Blogging has now become a part of my life and I feel like "suffocated" when I don't write for more than a week! Today I am glad that my blog is getting visits from at least 10 different countries in a day and I'm also getting emails from readers who appreciated what I have written about and some were asking for more information. The point is that there is no limit on where your post may reach or how it may be useful to someone living in another part of the world. It is free to use Blogger and some companies use it for promoting their products and marketing them. This can be applied to agriculture as well; Suppose someone is producing pickles, jams and wants to find a market to sell them. The company may put information about their products on their blog, along with information about the company etc. and they may receive orders online and establish a new relationship with their customers.

RSS feeds
There exist so many websites and blogs which we like to read and consult, but it takes a lot of time to go to each one of them and it is not really practical. Instead of going to search for information, today it is possible for information to reach you! This is done through RSS feeds. To get information to your website or your home, you simply have to import the RSS link and you will get the information updates on your websites. One example of RSS is the right side-bar of this blog where there are links to news from various websites (e-agriculture, CTA, FAO, WFP etc). 

The video below, gives a better idea about RSS feeds:


Drop Box
Very often, we need to send a heavy file and it is not possible to send them by emails (Pictures or a video for example). To solve this problem, I use Drop-box to share my files. This can be done by creating a folder (into the drop-box folder), put my file in the folder and share with the person I want. Drop-box can also be used for back-up of files. Whenever I'm travelling or going somewhere, my file is secured in my drop-box and there is no risk of virus affecting them as it may be the case when using flash disks.

My Drop-box folder

Skype 
When leading a team or working on a project, it is not easy to meet team members physically very often as some may live very far and it's time consuming. Skype enables me to be in touch with my colleagues and friends over the world. We may consult each other at any point in time and group conversations are also possible. In AIESEC, skype is a very important tool since interview of interns is done online and many team meetings are done in the evening on skype since most of the members are students and busy with lectures during the day. Skype is also a means for me to promote events, internships and other messages that I want to share on my status. From my personal experience, this method has proven to be very effective where promotion of event or internships are concerned. Skype also allows its users to share their screen (sharing a Power-Point presentation for instance) and send files to each other, which makes it easy to collaborate remotely.

Doodle
When I want to organise a team meeting or training, the best way to choose a date and time is by using Doodle scheduling. It is finalised when most members are free together and depending on the attendance, two sessions on different days are organised so that all members are able to attend.

Google Docs

Google Docs is the tool that I use most frequently (I would say everyday). It makes my work more productive and I am able to meet deadlines because when sharing google documents/ spreadsheets/ power-point presentations with people in my team, the work is transparent, everyone may contribute at the same time and the data may be updated at any point in time. Google docs also enables me to plan and organise my work, track my team, and using forms, I may take feedback from my teams, which help me get better each time I am working on something.

My Google Documents

Pbwiki

When working on a project in which many stakeholders are involved, the best way for me to manage it is to create a wiki, which allows each stakeholder to contribute, know who is doing what, and discuss on any point related to the project. The wiki may contain many pages and each page my be related to the description of the project, role of each member, to do list with deadlines, Details of meetings etc. The last wiki that I created is for the PAEPARD project, which can be viewed by clicking HERE.

The most recent wiki I created

Picasa

Photography is one of my passion and I like to share them. Picasa enables me to share my albums, make videos with them, edit them, or get the embed for slideshow which I usually add to my blogs (instead of uploading individual pictures).

Youtube

There is not a single day when I do not log on to youtube. Youtube videos are very informative and may be shared on other social media networks. I recall that I was revising biotechnology (when I was at University) by watching videos on each chapter, which helped me to understand the biological processes better and score good marks! :P

My YouTube Channel

Delicious

Delicious is very effective when it comes to bookmarking. While browsing on the web, we come across many interesting links/websites which we bookmark and by the end of the day, the list becomes so long that it becomes difficult to manage. Delicious makes this task easy since the links can be bookmarked in different categories and it is easy to manage and find them.

Slideshare

We all make Power-Point presentations that contain interesting information. One way of sharing Power-Point presentations is on slideshare. The presentation can be embedded through slideshare and shared on our personal blog or page.

LinkedIn

LinkedIn is the world's Largest professional Network where one can build and engage with his/her professional network. It allows us to get in touch with people in the same field as us or have the same area of interest. It is a fact that many top companies in Mauritius consult the LinkedIn profile of the candidate while recruiting staffs. 

Linking web 2.0 tools together

One very interesting fact about web 2.0 tools are that they may be linked together and save time. The most common and effective example is that when I write a blog post, it goes on my twitter and from my twitter account, it goes directly to my facebook account and I don't have to post the link on each profile that I have. Another way of posting on all social media profiles that we have is to use http://ping.fm/.

Ping.fm Dashboard

The above are few tools that I use frequently, but there are many more that can be explored. Personally, web 2.0 tools are part of my life through which I have learnt (and still learning) a lot.  I have also got some of the very best opportunities and had great experiences by being active on social media networks. One example is that I found about AIESEC on Facebook as a friend was part of it and convinced me to apply and join this great organisation. After passing the rather tough selection processes, I became a member and got the opportunity to lead teams and work with international people and put into practice the knowledge I had on web 2.0 to achieve the objectives I had set for myself and my department. Today the world is changing so fast and we need to innovate and work in a more effective way. The use of web 2.0 is the solution to many problems we are facing and can certainly be applied in any context, including Agri-business (marketing of produce, share and obtain information, keep in touch with stakeholders in the business, engage in discussion forums related to your business, manage  work and respect deadlines etc.). Social media and web 2.0 tools are free to use and here to stay. It all depends on how we decide to use it; only for networking or apply it in our daily activities?

The video below gives an over-view on the social media revolution:

Thanks for reading this post till the end. Are you also using these tools? Or, do you have better ones that you are using? Share your experience! :)

10 Steps to launch your own business in Mauritius

Today, youths are advised to consider entrepreneurship for their career instead of looking for a job, but many of us do not know what are the steps to be taken to start a business. The Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA) is a parastatal body under the aegis of the Ministry of Business Enterprises and Cooperatives, which promote and develop entrepreneurship in Mauritius.

Below are 10 steps identified by SMEDA to launch your own business in Mauritius:

Step 1: Conception of project/Business idea

Project profiles are available at the SMEDA Documentation centre

Step 2: Preparation of business plan

Format of business plan is available at SMEDA

Step 3: Deciding on form of business

Sole trader/ Partnership/ Company/ Co-operative Society

Step 4: Choosing the right location

Home based business/ Rent/ Purchase/ land lease

Step 5: Registering the business

The business should be registered with:

Registrar of Businesses

c/o Registrar of Company

One Cathedral Square Building

Jules Koenig Street, Port-Louis

Tel: 211-4460   Fax: 208-7263

Email: rocd@intnet.mu

Step 6: Apply for Registration with SMEDA

Small Enterprise Certificate: Enterprise having an annual Turnover not exceeding Rs 10 M

Medium Enterprise Certificate: Enterprise having an annual Turnover of more than Rs 10 M but less than Rs 50 M.

Note: A registered enterprise with SMEDA may obtain a Building & Land Use permit (see in next step) with local authority within 3 Days after the "effective date" given to the application once the relevant officer is satisfied with all relevent documents (newspaper publications, certificate of notification, legal notice) have been submitted together with the application.

Step 7: Apply for Building and Land Use Permit (BLP) with local authority

Check with Planning Department of Municipality (urban area) or District Council (rural area) whether a Building and Land Use Permit (formerly Development permit & Building permit) is required to start your proposed business.

If YES, 

• Check which guidelines would be applicable
• What is the zoning and policies applicable to your site as per provisions of the outline scheme.

Step 8: Financing the project

• Banks (Development Bank of Mauritius Ltd- DBM, Commercial banks etc.) / Leasing companies
• Venture Capital (Quasi-Equity, SME Partnership Fund Ltd)

Step 9: Implementing the project

• Pay trade fee with local authority
• Recruit people/ purchase equipment, raw materials, accessories etc.
• Install machinery, equipment and furniture/ Verify systems in place to ensure safety

Step 10: Planning and Organising Business Activity

• Procurement/ stores/ Production
• Sales/ Advertising and Marketing
• Finance/ Human Resources
• Office and Administrative Work

For more information contact SMEDA

Source: Personal Contact with officer from SMEDA

Youth Unemployment in Mauritius

Youth unemployment is becoming an issue in many parts of the world. In some countries, youths are unemployed because they lack proper education, training and skills, while in other countries, their youths are unemployed because there are not enough jobs for graduates in the country. On 27th December 2011, the report on "Labour Force, employment and unemployment - Third Quarter 2011" has been made public by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and the first observation we can make in it is that the number of unemployed youth in Mauritius has increased.

Some figures from the report

This report is an indicator of the labour force, employment and unemployment in Mauritius from July to September 2011. In Mauritius, the working age is 16 years and over, and 984,800 persons fall under this category. Out of this, 583,700 (59.3%) are in the labour force, while 401,100 (40.7%) are not in the labour force. From those who are in the labour force, 537,800 (92.1%) are employed and 45,900 (7.9%) are unemployed.

Figure from the Report 

According to the report, the main characteristics of the unemployed as at third quarter 2011 were as follows:

• The 45,900 unemployed comprised 19,500 males (42%) and 26,400 females (58%).
• Around 17,600 (38%) of them were aged below 25 years (3 out of 5).
• About 52% (23,800) of the unemployed were single. Among males, the majority (75%) was single while among females, the majority (65%) was ever married.
• Some 8,400 or 18% had not reached the Certificate of Primary Education (CPE) level or equivalent and a further 18,400 (40%) did not have the Cambridge School Certificate (SC) or equivalent.
• Around 35,500 (77%) had been looking for work for up to one year and the remaining 10,400 (23%) for more than one year.
• About 30,500 (66%) had working experience and 15,400 (34%) were looking for a job for the first time.
• Around 19,000 (41%) were registered at the Employment Service.
• There were 8,600 (19%) young persons aged 16 to 24 years, not yet married and looking for a first job. Some 3,700 (43%) of them had not passed SC.
• Ever married (including widowed, divorced or separated) unemployed persons aged 25 to 44 years and having worked before numbered 11,800. Among them, about 9,100 (77%) had not passed SC.
• 4,800 or 10% of the unemployed were heads of households.
• 6,700 (15%) lived in households with no employed persons.

Some Government initiatives to fight youth unemployment

National budget 2012

In the National Budget 2012, the Minister of Finance and Economic Development, Hon. Xavier Luc Duval recognised that youth unemployment is a concern in the country and announced that with the collaboration of the Human Resource Development Council (HRDC), National Empowerment Foundation (NEF) and the Mauritius Institute of Training and Development (MITD), training programs would be designed and provided to the youths for them to have the required competencies to secure a job in the country. Also, the Minister also announced that a sponsored pre-job training initiative would be included in these training programs. Furthermore, it was mentioned that Mauritian youths should consider jobs in the tourism sector, medical sector and other innovative sectors.

Entrepreneurship

The Government of Mauritius has also been encouraging its youth to get into entrepreneurship for several years through different policies. From an agricultural perspective, it can be said that there are so many opportunities in this sector that are not being exploited by youths. It is a fact that traditional farming is not attractive to youths, but it can become attractive if practised in a different way; Agro-processing, use of new techniques and machineries, application of ICTs etc.

It is true that unemployment in general is a sensitive issue and there is no standard or perfect way to tackle it. However, we should always focus on innovation/entrepreneurship and youths should be geared towards it.