YoBloCo Awards: The beginning of a journey...

Photo Courtesy: CTA

On the occasion of the 3rd IAALD Africa Chapter conference, the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) organised a series of activities in the framework of the ARDYIS project. These included the prize giving ceremony of the YoBloCo Awards and a consultative workshop under the theme "Using ICTs to strengthen youth opportunities in agriculture and rural areas". 

Winners and some best participants of the YoBloCo Awards were invited to attend the Conference and participate in the ARDYIS activities from 20th to 23rd May 2012 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Highlights of these activities can be read HERE.

As one of the winners of the competition, I attended and participated in these events and had a very enriching experience..

As soon as I arrived in Johannesburg, I recognised some of the young participants at the airport and it was really nice  to actually meet the people I was communicating with on Facebook and Twitter in person. This meeting enabled youth from different countries and regions, who had the same vision and passion for agriculture and ICTs to network, interact, know each other and exchange experiences. According to me, the cultural exchange as well was a very important aspect since interacting with individuals from different regions and background enables us to have a global mindset and accept each other.

During the consultative workshop, I was glad to share my passion for blogging with others through a presentation, in which some additional information on my blog and my blogging activities were provided. Together with 2 other bloggers who also made a presentation on their institutional blogs, we got some questions on our blogs from the workshop participants. While some questions were direct to the point, others really made us reflect on our blogging activities, the interactions and feedbacks from the audience, and the impact on the farming community. In other sessions, we got an over-view on the initiatives being undertaken by different organizations in the ACP region to involve youth in agriculture through ICTs. Regarding youth involvement in the YoBloCo Awards, it was observed that there was a lack of participation from the Pacific, Caribbean, Southern and Central African region. Among the suggestions that were given by the workshop participants to increase participation from youth in these regions, I believe that most effective way of doing it is to have youth as focal points in different regions, by building a network and disseminate the information through them. Furthermore, the existing participants should be involved in doing so by encouraging other youth around them to participate and get involved. In general, the workshop was an exhaustive and fruitful one as a lot of information and ideas were shared, and every participant got the opportunity to give his/her input regarding the YoBloCo Awards, projects on agriculture/youth/ICTs, and on the different presentations.

The 3rd IAALD Africa Chapter Conference was a good exposure for the youth to have an over-view of how ICTs are being applied in Agriculture in different context and countries. There were exhibits (CTA, CABI, Emerald Publishing, FARA) showcasing e-agriculture initiatives, where free publications were given to participants and there were lucky draws as well, where some participants got some gifts. From the different presentations during the conference we saw examples of ICT aplications in agriculture (radio, mobile phones, social media etc.). Some of the youth also had the chance to share their experience and challenges faced in their e-Agriculture activities. It was also a good opportunity for youth to interact and network with professionals working on e-agriculture to exchange ideas or simply socialise. 

As for the Award ceremony, it was a special one for me because it was the first time I won a 1st prize in a contest and that moment will remain memorable for me; The gala dinner, the people, the food, the music, the dance.. I liked all of them. The competition was tough, but it was totally worth it! :)

For me ARDYIS is not only a project but a family connecting ACP Youth in Agriculture together and giving them opportunities. But it is up to us to grab these opportunities and this will depend on the objectives of the person about what he/she wants to do and how these opportunities may help him/her getting there.

I have got a lot of opportunities for the past year through the ARDYIS project and YoBloCo Awards, and now that the competition is over, for me it is a new journey which is going to begin. Like many youth who are involved in Agriculture, I was also confused about what to do after my studies and what's next etc. But through these experiences, I have shared and also learnt a lot from others. In this process, I have found what I really want to do in life. Now I am building on these experiences to start my career and achieve my goals! 

The ARDYIS project must have something special in it for I have been involved in the project for almost 2 years now. If you are also a youth interested in Agriculture and ICTs, then you should join the ARDYIS mailing lists and the Facebook Page to be updated on the project's activities and on issues related to Agriculture, Youth and ICTs. 

Click on the following links to join:

 ARDYIS English mailing list |  ARDYIS French mailing list |  ARDYIS Facebook Page

Highlights: 3rd IAALD Africa Chapter Conference and YoBloCo Awards - 20-23 May, Johannesburg, South Africa

The 3rd IAALD (International Association of Agricultural Information Specialists) Africa Chapter Conference was held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 21st-23rd May 2012. The theme of the conference was "e-Agriculture for Improved Livelihoods and Food Security in Africa". Delegates present were professionals and experts involved in the application on Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in the rural Domain with a primary focus on  agriculture (e-Agriculture), from Africa and other Regions (Europe, America, Asia, Caribbean and Pacific etc.). 

The conference activities comprised an exhibition showcasing e-agriculture initiatives and activities, pre-conference workshops, seminars and training.


Pre-conference events included the ARDYIS (Agriculture, Rural Development and Youth in the Information Society) Project Consultation Meeting on "Youth, ICT and Agriculture", organized by the Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA). In this context, youth were invited to participate in the ARDYIS activities and attend the IAALD Conference. 

This blog post highlights the Pre-Conference Events and the Main Conference from 20th-23rd May 2012.

Pre-Conference Events: 20th May 2012

ARDYIS Consultation Meeting on "Youth, ICT and Agriculture"

Participants of the Workshop
Photo Courtesy: CTA

On the occasion of the second anniversary of the ARDYIS project and of the organization of the Prize Giving Ceremony of its YoBloCo Awards, a full day consultative Workshop was organized on ARDYIS activities on the 20th May 2012. About 30 participants from more than 15 countries took part in the workshop. More information HERE.

The objectives of the consultative workshop were to:

• Exchange on the organization, results and perspectives and the YoBloCo Awards
• Share experiences on strengthening youth opportunities in Agriculture and ICTs
• Identify collaboration opportunities with the ARDYIS project and on issues relating to youth involvement in ICT and Agriculture

The workshop was comprised of 5 sessions which took place from 09:00 to 17:30. 

Introduction of Participants and Opening Remarks
The workshop started with an ice-breaker, facilitated by P.Ballantyne of ILRI (who is also one of the Judges of the YoBloCo). Participants had to introduce themselves according to their geographical location on the World Map.

The Opening Remarks were made by K.Lohento, ICT4D Programme Coordinator at CTA, who highlighted the objectives of the workshop. This was followed by a presentation from S. Chakeredza of ANAFE (African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education), which is one of the partners of the ARDYIS project.

Session 1 - YoBloCo Awards: presentation of selected blogs
3 Bloggers who participated in the YoBloCo Awards were invited to make a presentation on their blogs. Each presentation was focused on the following points:

• Objectives of the blog
• Motivations to maintain/update the blog
• Perspective as institutional/individual blogger
• Challenges faced while developing and updating the blog
• Impact of the blog on bloggers' agricultural related activities
• Feedbacks from the audience

The first presentation was made by K.Bascombe on his Institutional blog "Technology4agri - An extension of the Agribusiness Society of the University of West Indies". In his presentation, he mentioned that the main challenges faced was the difficulty to operate with Wordpress and the blog had few subscribers/followers.

The next presentation was on the blog "Nawsheen's World" by N.Hosenally. The presentation can be viewed below:

The third presentation for session 1 was on the institutional blog "Riziculteurs du Mono et du Couffo" by E.Codjo. The objective of this blog was to provide information on rice across the value-chain in order to develop people's capacity on rice production, marketing etc. The main challenges faced were spams (mainly through comments on the blog), which were well managed by the administrator. 

After these presentations, participants were asked to group themselves in groups of 3 people to address their questions to the bloggers. Some of the questions asked to the bloggers are as follows:

• How to manage the requests from the audience regarding specific information they are looking for?
• If blogger was employed, how would his/her employer view his/her blogging activity?
• Why do viewers prefer to comment via Facebook/e-mail but not through the blog itself?
• How best can be blogs be marketed?
• How best can the information contained in blogs be made available to farmers who cannot use blogs?
• How can the farming community benefit from the content/information on the blogs?

The event was covered live and the answers to these questions can be viewed HERE.

Session 2 - YoBloCo Awards: organization and perspectives

A presentation was made on the organization of the YoBloCo Awards by G.Bellinzas of CTA. The presentation revealed some figures regarding the YoBloCo Awards: The competition was officially launched on 23rd July 2011 and submission was closed on 31st October 2011. 91 entries were obtained, from 24 ACP countries. 69 blogs were from the individual category, while  22 were institutional blogs.

After the presentation, the floor was opened for discussion regarding the competition and suggestions/proposals for the next edition of the YoBloCo Awards. Some issues that were raised are as follows:

• How to increase participation from the Pacific, Caribbean, Southern and Central Africa? What strategies should be adopted?
• Should we have the next edition of the competition?

Regarding increase in participation, several strategies were proposed:

• If the news are brought to the target group through newsletter, magazines etc, participation can increase in these specific regions
• There should me more motivation in the prize packages (more winners in both categories)
• Continue with training on Web 2.0 and ensure that follow-ups are done since many participants of these trainings do not use the skills being delivered 
• Encourage youth to register on the CTA ARDYIS D-group to enhance their information access
• Increase promotion of the competition through focal points
• Although some regions are unaware of the competitions, those who know about it can be involved in posting, sharing and tweeting the news
• Certificates for participation can be given to participants
• There is a need to call key influencers to make comments to influence others to participate
• For more audience involvement, more engaging content should be generated
• Existing bloggers can encourage others to participate (friends, relatives etc.)
• More brainstorming needed to see the impact on the farming community
• The initiative should be further developed to utilize the various ideas presented in the blogs
• Hence, best articles from best blogs can be published (in print) by CTA to reach the farming community
• Feedbacks on how the farming community has benefited from the blog post(s) could be brought forward to show the impact

Session 2 was very interactive and full of ideas. By the end of the session, it was concluded that the YoBloCo actually targeted the individuals that represent farmers and institutions that work with farmers or those, whose work is directed towards developing the capacity of the farmer. Therefore, we should continue with the next edition of the YoBloCo Awards.

Session 3 - Presentation of ARDYIS Project's activities (2010-2012)

2 presentations were made during this session. The first one was by K.Lohento (CTA), who highlighted the ARDYIS project's activities since 2010, followed by S. Ouedraogo (Yam-Pukri) who gave some details regarding the contribution of the Advisory Committee to the ARDYIS Project. There was an open discussion after the presentations.

Session 4 - Partners' Experiences relating to youth involvement in ICTand Agriculture

M. de Gale of SANGONeT did a presentation on the Kenyan dairy Mobile project that involves youth. Examples of some mobile applications and how youth are being involved were given. From the presentation, we could gather that the development of the Agricultural Sector will be very much propelled if the youth are actively involved in the agriculture value-chain.

The next persentation was from A.Mangal of SPC/PAFPNet on "Youth, ICT and Agriculture in the Pacific". In her presentation, different initiatives to engage Pacific youth in Agriculture through ICTs were highlighted.  

The last presentation was from the Organization of African Youth (South-Africa), in which the experiences of the NGO in motivating youth to get into Agriculture were shared.

There was another discussion session after these presentations, for the participants to share their views.

Session 5: Group Discussions

The Last session of the workshop involved group work and discussions on 2 topics:

1) Improving opportunities for youth in agriculture with ICT (2 groups)

2) Improving livelihoods and opportunities for youth in rural areas with ICT (2 groups)

After 1 hour discussion, each group had classified their ideas and presented them in the format shown in the figure below:

After presentation of the different ideas and projects, the closing remarks were made my K.Lohento (CTA).

Main Conference: 21st-23rd May 2012

The Main conference was held from 21st-23rd May 2012, comprising of 10 sessions. The conference Programme can be accessed HERE.

The following are the presentations for each session of the 3-day conference, with links to the full papers.

Day 1: Monday 21st May 2012

Session 1: Welcome and Opening
The conference started with the welcome Remarks by the Conference Chairperson, IAALD Representative and the IAALD Africa Chapter President. 

Keynote Address: Transparency in Food from Farm to Fork: The Global IT Challenge by Prof. Dr. G. Schiefer

Session 2: Mobile Phone, Internet-Based Technologies and Agriculture
Presentation: Case Studyof a Mobile Agro-advisory Project in India between CABI and IFFCO Kisan Sanchar Limited (IKSL) by S.Banerjee

Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Reaching Out and Listening to Farmers: the Case of NAIS Internet Based SMS Platform by D.Kahilu
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: The Potential of Virtual mMarkets for Reducing Transactions Costs and Bridging the Economic Divide in Dualistic Agriculture by Dr. J.Armour
Click here to read full paper

Session 3: ICT Adoption and Information Delivery
Presentation: Determinants of Use and Intensity of Use of Mobile Phone-based Money Transfer Services in Smallholder agriculture: Case of Kenya by O.Kirui
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: The Adoption and Use of ICT by Small Scale Farmers in Gezira State, Sudan by N.Musa
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Linking Farmers' Access to Rural Radio, Gender and Livelihoods: Case Study of Rice Processors in Benin by E.Zossou
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: The Use of Radio in the Dissemination of Agricultural Information to Farmer: The Ghana Agricultural Information Network System (GAINS) Experience by J.Sam
Click here to read full paper

Day 2: Tuesday 22nd May 2012

Keynote Address: Beyond access: the impact of Africa's Agricultural Research output by Dr. A.Kaniki 

Session 4: ICT supported Information Systems
Presentation: Mobile and Wireless Applications in e-Agriculture for improved livelihoods and food security: Assessing the Requirements for Electronically linking farmers with Markets by Dr. K.Mar Cho and Dr. D.Tobias
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Linking Mini, Small and Medium Forest Enterprises to Market and Service: Case of Tree AID's Market Information System in Tominian Northern Region of Mali by E.Tangem
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: The implementation of Information and Communications  Technology in Agriculture and Rural Development in South Africa by Dr. de Villiers

Session 5: Improving Access to Information (the Results of Agricultural Research)
Presentation: Researcher Attitudes and Behaviour Towards the 'Openness' of Research Outputs in Agriculture and Related Fields by Dr. S. Rudgard
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Building a Continental online platform for Agricultural Information and Knowledge Sharing in Africa by D.Demby
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Agricultural Information Networks in Zambia (ZAR4DIN) and Ghana (GAINS) by D.Simumba
Click here to read full paper

Session 6: Social Media, Agriculture and Rural Development
Presentation: Using Social Media to improve the lives of poorer communities by E.Karamagi
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: The use of ICTs to facilitate collaboration in a Multi-Stakeholder Partnership: A case study of the Mauritius Breadfruit Sector Consortium by N.Hosenally
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Blogging to enhance Agriculture and Youth Interest: Findings of the Youth in Agriculture Blog Competition (YoBloCo Awards) by K.Lohento and G.Bellinzas
Click here to read full paper

Gala Dinner and ARDYIS YoBloCo Awards

The Prize Giving Ceremony of the YoBloCo Awards was took place during the Gala Dinner on 22nd May 2012. There were 3 winners for the Individual Category and 3 winners for the Institutional Category. More details on the prizes HERE.

The winners of the YoBloCo Awards
Photo Courtesy: CTA

Day 3: 23rd May 2012

Keynote Address: ICT in Agriculture: Lessons learned in Asia by Prof. S. Ninomiya

Session 7: Capacity Development Initiatives
Presentation: ASARECA Region Experiences in Capacity Building for Agricultural Information and Communication Management by N.Dhlamini
Click here to read full paper

Presentation: Use of an 'Information Needs Assessment Matrix' as a Participatory Method to Determine Information Needs of Stakeholders of a System by C.Sembhoo
Click here to read full paper

Session 8: Panel Discussion on e-Agriculture in Africa: Prospects, Challenges and lessons learned
This session was facilitated by Dr. J.Chisenga (FAO) and the panel was composed of the following people:

• E. Karamangi, Executive Director, BROSDI, Uganda
• K.Lohento, ICT4D Programme Coordinator, CTA, The Netherlands
• M.Davies, CEO, Esoko, Ghana
• S.Banerjee, CABI South Asia, India

This session was covered live and all discussions in this panel can be viewed HERE.

Session 9: Africa Network for Information Technology for Agriculture (ANITA)

Panellists of this session discussed on the Africa Network for Information Technology for Agriculture (ANITA).

Networks for Information Technology and Agriculture

Session 10: Closing Session
The Closing address was made by Mr. G. Chimwaza (Chairperson of the conference) and Ms. A.Canca (Executive Director of the Technological Transfer, Agricultural Research Council - South Africa).


After the closing lunch, there was the post conference parallel Events:

• Event 1: Stakeholder Consultations on Africa Network for Information Technology and Agriculture (ANITA) - organised by FARA
• Event 2: Second Meeting of the Advisory Committee of the ARDYIS Project - organised by CTA

ICTs along the Agriculture value-chain

Over the past years, a lot of emphasis have been placed on the Agriculture Value Chain while dealing with issues in Agricultural sector. The question that some of us may ask ourselves is what does the term "Agriculture value-chain" means?


Agriculture Value ChainsAccording to FAO (2005), a 'value chain' in Agriculture identifies the set of actors and activities that bring a basic agricultural product from production in the field, to final consumption, where at each stage value is added to the product. A value chain can be a vertical linking or a network between various independent business organizations and can involve processing, packaging, storage, transport and distribution. The terms "value chain" are often used interchangeably.Traditional agricultural value chains are generally governed through spot market transactions involving a large number of small retailers and producers.Modern agricultural value chains are characterized by vertical coordination, consolidation of the supply base, agro-industrial processing and use of standards throughout the chain. ICTs in Agriculture (e-Agriculture) Agriculture is facing new and severe challenges, including the rise in food prices, that have pushed more than 10 million people over the world into poverty since 2010. Today, it is a fact that the application of ICTs in Agriculture (e-Agriculture) is becoming essential along the Agriculture value-chain for the sector to be more competitive in increasing food production (up to 70%) to feed a population of 9 billion by 2050, and at the same time building resilience against climate change and reducing greenhouse gas emission. Over the years, several ICT tools have been developed and implemented for various purposes along the agriculture value-chain. From the farm production level to marketing and final consumption, a lot of information is generated and needs to be exchanged among various stakeholders as this is crucial for decision making or management along the value-chain. Moreover, different ICTs being used in Agriculture have their own objectives, target group, advantages and disadvantages. In this context, the Global Broadband and Innovation Portal (GBi) has compiled a database  that offers over 125 ICT solutions (mobile applications and projects) mapped along the Agriculture Value chain. These have been categorized in 10 components of the value chain (Research & Development, Inputs, Production, Productivity/Marketing, Marketing/Productivity, Wholesale, Retail, Retail/Wholesale, Policy, Traceability), which can be viewed on this link or in the following document:

Other examples of ICTs being used in the Mauritian Agriculture are as follows:

• iPhone Application for marketing
• Wiki for collaboration in a multi-stakeholder partnership
• Blog to disseminate information on Agriculture
• Google Maps for crowd sourcing
• Use of Technology to control nutrient solution in hydroponics production
• Use of ICTs to manage a dairy farm
• Online marketing of agricultural produce
• The use of GPS in tractors for full mechanization
• ICTs in Agricultural Extension

From the above examples, we can see that there are several ICT tools that can be used in Agriculture for various purposes along the value-chain. Many of these have been beneficial to stakeholders in agriculture, and can even be replicated in other countries/regions. However, while choosing the ICT tool/application that would meet our needs in Agriculture, we should always know the objectives of the ICT tool/application and the advantage/benefit that it will bring about upon its implementation, since a tool/application that has been beneficial in one context may not be relevant in other contexts!

My thoughts on Sustainable Development...

In the context of the upcoming United Nation's Conference on Sustainable Development (also known as Rio+20), people over the world are sharing their thoughts and opinions on how they see their future, so that their voice is heard at the conference from 20-22 June 2012 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This is being done through various methods: essay contests, blogs, questionnaires, field hearings, videos, pictures etc. 

Well, here are my thoughts on sustainable development...

Sustainable Development - My understanding

Sustainability has various definitions for different people in different context. For me, sustainability deals with our activities to meet our present needs, which in the long-run have an impact socially, economically and environmentally on our society. Hence, sustainable development is the development taking place in different sectors (health, environment, gender, education, agriculture etc.) that meet our present needs without causing any kind of harm to our society in the long run through proper management of resources, so that we can leave the heritage we got from our ancestors to the future generations. 

Are we sustainable in our activities in Mauritius?
In terms of sustainability in our actions in Mauritius, we cannot say whether we are sustainable or not as this varies in different situations. Some who understand the concept of sustainability are implementing it, but those who are ignorant do not care much about it. At the National level, it can be said that we are gradually moving towards sustainability with the introduction of Maurice Ile Durable (which envisions to turn Mauritius into a Model Sustainable Island), and the inclusion of sustainability in our policies in different sectors (Green paper by the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development and sustainable agriculture in the one of the Agricultural Policy for example), and implementation of several projects based in sustainable development by NGOs. However, these initiatives are just a beginning. We have a very long way to go.

The challenges faced in Mauritius, their causes and possible solutions
In terms of challenges, Mauritius is facing several of them with respect to sustainable development which can be classified under economic, environmental and social sectors as shown in the figure below:

Economic	Environmental	Social
·        Foreign Direct Investment ·         New Model of Economic Development ·         Tourism ·         Industry ·         Transport ·         Energy  ·         Agriculture ·         Fisheries ·         Corporate Social Responsibility ·         Construction ·         Public Infrastructure ·         Technology	·        Preservation of Natural Resources ·         Pollution ·         Waste ·         Water ·         Land	·        Social Cohesion ·         Leisure ·         Elderly ·         Youth ·         Women Disabled ·         Education ·         Poverty ·         Health ·         Security ·         Food Security ·         Culture ·         Family ·         Employees/workers ·         Democracy ·         Law and Order ·         NGOs

The following are few examples of what type of challenges we are  facing, their causes and possible solutions:

Agricultural production and Food security
Challenges: 
Mauritius is a net importing country with less than 30% of local food production and the country is not food secured. It is in our policy to increase local food production to attain self-sufficiency and in 2008, the government decided to invest in agriculture through the Food Security Fund (FSF), under which several programmes have been designed in each sub-sector (crop, livestock, horticulture etc.) to increase our local production. 

The challenges we are facing in Mauritian Agriculture are as follows:
(a) Lack of labour to work in the fields 
People prefer to do a less tiring job, and labour is a must in areas where the land is not appropriate for mechanization. In order to have a profitable business in agriculture (crop production), one needs to have at least 5 Arpent of land with 10 labourers (2 labourers/Arpent). With no labour, this becomes a challenge.

(b) High cost of production
The price of inputs (quality seeds, fertiliser, pesticides and other agricultural products/equipments) has increased drastically over the past years and these have been affecting mainly smallholders who are cultivating crops on less than 1 ha. Many have even abandoned their land and got into another more profitable business.

(c) Over-use of agro-chemicals 
Since the Green Revolution, farmers have started to use chemical fertilisers and pesticides in their fields, which have increased productivity, but over the years, the use of these products has increased. As a result, there are food safety issues (pesticide residues), leading to health problems and also the use of these products in agriculture is polluting ground waters, affecting the marine and human life. This practice is not sustainable and actions need to be taken on this issue. Other unsustainable issues related to agriculture are food wastage and improper food handling, leading to food contamination.

d) Ageing farming population and lack of youth interest in the sector
Today if we go in Agricultural fields in Mauritius, we will hardly see youth in them. This is because this sector is perceived as unattractive, which involves a lot of physical work. They prefer to get in other sectors like management, medical science, engineering or ICTs in order to get a "white-collar" job. The questions we should ask ourselves are that if we do not get our youth in agriculture now, who will produce our food in 10-20 years' time? Will we go towards sustainability if we increase our food imports and dependency on other countries?

e) Increase in number of pests and diseases
Unsustainable practices (linked to improper use of agro-chemicals), coupled with the effects of climate change have led to an increase in the number of pests and diseases in agriculture. In order to control them so that farm productivity is not affected, farmers have increased the use of agro-chemicals in their production system. 

f) Greenhouse gas emissions by the agricultural sector
Agriculture is a victim of climate change as productivity is being affected, but very often we do not realize that agriculture is one of the biggest contributor to global warming with the high rate of greenhouse gas emissions. 

Hence, the challenges in Agriculture are to increase productivity to be food-secured, while adopting sustainable practices to build resilience to climate change and reduce greenhouse emissions.

Possible Solutions:
While there is no perfect solution to all the above mentioned challenges, the following could be considered:
Sustainable practices need to be adopted (use of manure/compost instead of fertilizers and incorporate more environment friendly products in the farming system). We should be careful of not confusing sustainable agriculture with organic agriculture. For lands to remain productive, we cannot stop the use chemical fertilizers completely, but the amount to be applied should be calculated. Regarding the control of pests and diseases, the use of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) should be considered.

In order for the agricultural sector to be sustainable, youth should be incorporated in the sector. But unfortunately youth in agriculture are most of the time unemployed, do not have a decent job and work in other sectors. In the end we have an ageing farming population and lack of young agricultural entrepreneurs in the country. There should be a political will for this to happen and have policies linking youth to agriculture and providing them with incentives and opportunities. Moreover, for the agricultural sector to be more productive and competitive, there is a serious need to increase the use of ICTs along the value-chain in Mauritius.

Social Issue: Violence and High rate of crime
Challenges:
This social unrest is very often linked to poverty, lack of education and unemployment. 

Possible Solutions:
If we want to tackle this problem we need to start at grass-root levels. That is, ensuring that ALL children are educated and have a DECENT JOB. Formulate the school curriculum in such a way that it inspires leadership at very young age and provide skills that are needed in the professional world. Eradicate poverty in poverty-hit areas through programmes that are tailor-made to address the specific problems faced by these people. Training and capacity building of women should also be considered.

Unemployment
Challenges: 
Mauritius is a country that is producing a lot of graduates, and when out of University, these degree-holders find it a challenge to find a good job. Most of the time, they have to take the first job that they are getting, which very often does not meet their qualifications or expertise. They are under-paid and exploited. This situation de-motivates them and in the end they are not reaching their full potential and not contributing to the social and economic development of the country.

Possible Solutions:

The training provided at the university/high school should be in line with what is required on the job market and pre-job training should be provided so that youth have enough experience to be eligible candidates for employment. Moreover, in the education system in Mauritius, there is a lack of leadership culture. Youth should be encouraged to get involved in extra-curricular activities to develop their leadership skills, which would enable them to have an "entrepreneurial" mindset. If Mauritian youth have the appropriate training, skills and leadership experience, solutions regarding employment would come on their own. They may start up their business and contribute to the economy and reaching their full potential.

Health

Challenges:

Mauritius is a country where a high percentage of the population is affected by diabetes, hypertension and coronary diseases. The situation is getting worse due to the fact that Mauritians have bad eating habits. From our culture itself, the food we eat is not considered as a balanced diet.

Possible Solutions:

We need to change our eating habits, which i believe is the only solution as prevention is better than cure! this could be achieved through education and massive sensitization campaigns across the country.

Conservation of the Environment and Natural resources

Challenges:

Very few Mauritians understand the need to conserve our biodiversity and environment. A simple example I would take is the fact that when there are some trash (dead leaves for instance) in the yard, people would burn it when they could very well have used it for composting and use it in their garden. In the same way, energy and water are wasted everyday.

Possible Solutions: 

In order to conserve the environment and natural resources, a lot of sensitization campaigns are required and it is crucial to involve youth in this process. They should be working on these issues to understand the concept and implementing sustainable activities. Sustainable measures should be adopted: Rainwater harvesting, use of solar energy etc. In short, these small actions would have a huge impact in the long run.

Climate Change

Challenges: 

Being a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), Mauritius is very vulnerable to the impacts of climate change and the effects have already started to be experienced (agriculture, fisheries, environment etc.).

Possible Solutions: 

Climate change is a reality and we should build resilience against it. Through small actions in each sector, this can be achieved (use of solar energy, reduce the use of chemicals in agriculture by practising climate-smart agriculture for example).

The future I see
If I think about the future I would like to see, it would be a World where there is peace and harmony. I see a picture where people are happy, children are playing around and the young and older generations have achieved their full potential by achieving their goals and contributing positively to their society. But in order to achieve this, all the challenges described above should be addressed in a sustainable manner and this would only happen when each and every individual makes sustainability become one of their values and and act sustainably in meeting our present needs, so that in the long run, our actions would not compromise the ability of our future generations to meet their needs. The time for action is NOW, and it starts with each one of US!

Breadfruit Festival in Mauritius, 25-27 April 2012

The Ministry of Agro-Industry and Food Security, in collaboration with the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU) organised a breadfruit festival ("La Fete du Fruit a pain") from 25-27 April 2012 at the Farmers' Training School, Wooton. 

On this occasion, several activities were proposed to the public, which included a culinary competition, demonstrations on breadfruit propagation techniques, breadfruit processing and value-addition, public lectures on several key topics on breadfruits, and there was also an exhibition on breadfruit by some of the organisations involved in the breadfruit sector in Mauritius. In-line with this event, breadfruit village was also inaugurated at Pamplemousses (a region in the north of Mauritius) on 24th April 2012.

Opening Ceremony

The opening Ceremony was held at the Farmers' Training School at Wooton, Mauritius. The Chief guests present were the Director of the Agricultural Research and Extension Unit (AREU) and the Director General of the Food and Agricultural Research Council (FARC). Other guests included staffs of AREU and other stakeholders working on breadfruit in Mauritius (women organizations, farmer organizations, research, extension, processors, exporters etc.).

In his welcome address, the Director of AREU, Mr. J.P.Teeluck explained that the aim of the breadfruit festival was mainly to sensitize the population on the the crop. In the context of food security, breadfruit has been identified by the Government of Mauritius as a potential source of carbohydrates to substitute other commodities like potato, cassava, sweet potato, wheat flour etc. in times of crisis. He also mentioned the fact that breadfruit was introduced in Mauritius by the French in 1796, and since then, it been produced in backyards only. According to the Central Statistics Office of Mauritius (CSO), there are 3027 breadfruit trees in Mauritius. In order to be a carbohydrate substitute in the Mauritian diet, the number of breadfruit trees need to be doubled or even tripled by cultivating it on large scale (1 hectare = 100 trees and 1 Breadfruit tree = 200-300 fruits at Rs 20/Unit). AREU has been conducting research on breadfruit since 2009 after the food crisis and different aspects of the crops have been considered in the research process.

The Principal Research Scientist (Fruit Division) of AREU, Mrs. N.Ramburn, shared with the audience the different research that is being conducted by AREU on breadfruit, which are:

• Processing of breadfruit into breadfruit flour
• Minimal processing like breadfruit frozen cuts, French fries etc. as the season for breadfruit is from  November to May and the shelf-life of the fruit is of 2-3 days or 1 week if kept in the fridge
• Tree management (pruning), in order to keep the tree at a convenient height to facilitate harvest
• Propagation methods (root cutting, root sucker, air layering and grafting)

Moreover, AREU also has a Research Station at Pamplemousses, where research on breadfruit is being conducted and Mauritians who are interested in cultivating the crop are being offered the opportunity to get hands-on experience on different propagation methods, so that they can themselves propagate the crop after mastering the different techniques. In terms of pests and diseases, breadfruit is not much affected (except snails when the plant is young). However, the main constraint in growing the crop is that it can be affected (de-rooted) by cyclones.

Mr. J.Ramkissoon, the Director General of FARC highlighted that the food crisis in 2008 was a wake-up call for us to realise the fact that Mauritius is net importing country with more than 70% of its food requirement being imported, and there was a need to find substitute for our staples. According to him, breadfruit has a great potential that also supports the the long-term vision of the government. At the level of FARC, breadfruit plantlets are being propagated through Tissue culture (also known as mass/in-vitro propagation), but more research needs to be done when it comes to this specific method of propagation. He also informed the audience that in July 2011, FARC had submitted a concept note on breadfruit in the context of the PAEPARD project and this concept note was among the 10 selected ones. Since December 2011, FARC has been involved in the PAEPARD project, bringing other stakeholders working on breadfruit together (AREU, University of Mauritius, Conserverie Sarjua Ltee, MAMCF etc.) so that they discuss the challenges being faced in the breadfruit sector, where there are gaps and how research can contribute in bridging these gaps and address the challenges faced. PAEPARD is facilitating the multi-stakeholder partnership of the Mauritius Breadfruit Sector consortium and until now, 1 partnership inception workshop and several working sessions have been organised with the aim of developing project proposals on breadfruit and tap funding for research at National, Regional and International levels.

After the opening ceremony, prizes were given to the winners of the culinary competitions and all guests present moved to visit the different stands and culinary exhibition, followed by refreshments.

During the 3 days of the breadfruit festival, the public got the opportunity to have an over-view of the breadfruit sector along the value-chain, that is, from propagation methods to value-addition (from farm to fork). Through the exhibits, demonstrations and public lectures, it was a good way of promoting breadfruit among Mauritians and also a good learning and networking opportunity for diverse groups interested in the crop, whether it was entrepreneurs intending to start a business on breadfruit, students interested in learning about propagation methods, or simply others who simply wanted to have innovative recipes on breadfruit!

Some pictures taken at the breadfruit festival can be viewed in the following slide-show: