As part of its Smart Agriculture project, the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture organized a half-day presentation on Wednesday July 6. The event took place within the framework of the restitution of the first results of the actions carried out to reduce the use of phytosanitary products among the beneficiary farmers.
The presentation was held in the presence of Mr. Massimiliano Messi, Chargé d’Affaires a.i., of the European Union delegation in Mauritius, Professor Theesan Bahorun, G.O.S. K, Executive Director of the Mauritius Research and Innovation Council (MRIC), Mrs. Micheline Seeneevassen Pillay, acting CEO of the Food and Agricultural Research and Extension Institute (FAREI), the Secretary General of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture, Mrs. Jacqueline Sauzier, C. S.K., Mr. Gregory Martin, representative of the Reunion Region in Mauritius, members of the Bureau of the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture, other members of the Chamber, senior officials and leaders of institutions working in the field of agriculture, farmers and beneficiaries of the Smart Agriculture project.
This report has two parts. The first details the results of a survey of 300 farmers conducted in 2021 and a comparison of this analysis with the results of a similar survey conducted in 2015. The second part consists of the results of a more specific follow-up of 13 Smart Agriculture project farmers over the period from 2017 to 2021 and the changes in their farming practices during this support period. Between 2017 and 2021, the Smart Agriculture project team accompanied the 13 beneficiaries in a change of posture to transition to a reasoned agriculture, by implementing the agroecological techniques prescribed by the project.
In general, the success of the integrated fruit fly management is seen in the decrease of the IFT on calabash. To fully validate its feasibility, the project team scientifically monitored a cucurbit fly control system established in La Laura, Plaine-Sophie, Mapou, Senneville and Bel-Ombre.
After the July 6 exercise, the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture is focusing on completing the Smart Agriculture project. The next logical step will be two major actions: one is the recognition of the products resulting from sound and reasoned practices through the establishment of an independent labeling program. And the other by the popularization of the actions undertaken here and the training of farmers through the establishment of a network of agricultural training and the establishment of an agricultural technical school.
