Africa-Press – Mauritius. A booklet, published in English and Creole, and a video on the theme Climate Smart Agriculture for Vegetable Planters were launched, this afternoon, by the Attorney General, Minister of Agro-Industry and Food Security, Mr Maneesh Gobin, at Long Beach Hotel, one of the hotels of Sun Resorts in Belle- Mare.
The booklet is accompanied by a video in Creole, whereby planters can actually observe and study the various Climate Smart Agriculture techniques recommended in the booklet.
The video and the booklets were prepared by a team of experts from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Mauritius (UOM), together with members of the Mauritius Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Federation.
These were developed as part of the project “Transformation of Belle Mare village for climate resilience, food security and poverty alleviation of its farmers”, funded by the European Union (EU) and the Australian Government.
The launching ceremony was held in presence of the Minister of Information Technology, Communication and Innovation, Mr Darsanand Balgobin, and the Minister of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries and Shipping, Mr Sudheer Maudhoo.
Other eminent personalities, including the High Commissioner of Australia to the Republic of Mauritius, Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy, and the Ambassador and the Head of the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Mauritius, Mr Vincent Degert, were present on the occasion.
During the ceremony, some 20 planters, representing the Belle Mare planting community, were given a Starter Pack for Climate Smart Agriculture, comprising a bottle of bio-fertiliser, a bottle of biopesticide, a bag of compost, two yellow sticky insect traps, and two packets of seeds of a melliferous plant and a vegetable.
In his address, Minister Gobin dwelt on two main challenges facing farmers, namely the consequences of climate change that were impacting agricultural production, and catering to the demands of sophisticated consumers who requested quality products.
He emphasised that the solution to these challenges resided in a shift to Smart Agriculture techniques that would enable farmers to use the available resources sustainably and provide products that were not laden with chemical products like fertilisers and pesticides.
The Minister stressed that the farming community would benefit from the support of the UOM where the necessary knowledge and training would be imparted to them to ensure their transition to Climate Smart Agriculture.
On that note, he put forward the support of the EU and Australia in backing up this project. Speaking about agricultural leases of State lands, the Minister of Agro-Industry underlined that the beneficiaries would be required to follow a training on Climate Smart Agriculture techniques.
Mr Maneesh Gobin also reiterated Government’s unflinching support to the farming community, and announced Government’s intent to grant them more subsidies.
As for Minister Balgobin, he highlighted that the implementation of this project would be beneficial not only for the farming community, but also for the progress of the country, the environment and the world.
The small contribution through this project will have long-term positive impacts, he said. Minister Maudhoo spoke of the necessity to act promptly as regards consolidating food security.
Lauding the participation of Sun Resorts in the initiative, he stated that it would create a mutually benefiting partnership between the farming community and Sun Resorts.
The EU Ambassador, for his part, stated that it was crucial to take urgent measures, such as adopting sustainable practices, to protect and preserve the environment for future generations. By spearheading this project, Mauritius is showing its engagement and intent to act to protect the environment, he said.
He recalled that the EU was funding 80% of the project, amounting to some Rs 12 million, and pointed out that the objective was essentially to promote research in Climate Smart Agriculture techniques for a shift to green and clean farming.
Mr Vincent Degert stated that Belle-Mare was a strategic region as it was dominated by two key sectors, namely agriculture and tourism. In this project, both sectors are working in harmony as climate smart agriculture practices will not only enhance the production of farmers, but also reduce pollution in the region, he added.
He commended the fifteen farmers who agreed to testing new farming techniques on their agricultural lands on a pilot basis. As for the Australian High Commissioner, she expressed her enthusiasm in partnering with Mauritius and said that she welcomed the opportunity to work with the Government in this meaningful initiative.
She recalled that Australia was contributing up to 20% in the project, amounting to some Rs 3 million. She also spoke of her Office’s collaboration with the EU, which she emphasised, indicated its openness to undertake valuable partnership.
Dr Kate O’Shaughnessy stressed that the most important component of the project was the farming community, as farmers were actually the ones leading the initiative.
Moreover, the Chief Finance Officer of Sun Resorts, Mr Tommy Wong, affirmed that sustainable development was the motto of the Hotel Group where emphasis was laid on environmental and social sustainably, which guided all their actions.
Speaking about the project, he underlined the need to start by creating the right ecosystem, and work with the right partners, with a common vision to succeed. The project, he added, in line with the agreed conditions, will provide a guaranteed market and guaranteed prices for fresh and healthy products.
Also present on the occasion, the Vice-Chancellor of UOM, Professor Dhanjay Jhurry, encouraged the participants of the project to sensitise other farmers on Climate Smart Agriculture techniques.
According to him, farmers played a key role as producers, since their products impacted the health of consumers. Highlighting the spike in cancers, he urged farmers to abstain from the excessive use of chemical products in their farming practices and to instead shift to green and clean farming methods.
The project
The overall aim of this farmer-participative project, funded by the EU under its GCCA+ Flagship Initiative “Supporting Climate Smart Agriculture for smallholders in the Republic of Mauritius”, in collaboration with the Australian Government, is to provide support to smallholders in the region of Belle Mare in order to help them transform their present-day conventional agriculture into Climate Smart Agriculture, namely one that provides them with a sustainable livelihood, contributes to national food security, is productive and climate resilient, while being environment-friendly, and producing lower levels of greenhouse gas emissions.
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