Mauritius: Island Bio- Food justice and poverty alleviation through a community garden.

Rising poverty, a Mauritius ranked as the African country with the highest rate of pesticide-related cancers, healthy products that seem to be reserved for an elite; all of the worrying factors that pushed Oliver, then 24, to climb the Island Bio project in 2015. Very quickly, he is joined by Cloé Chavry – 19 years old at the time – who submits his resignation from his post then, the day after the day she sees the documentary ‘Demain’ to join the cause of Island Bio

This project focuses on creating a community building space that aims to empower the locals to be self-dependent while supplying them with affordable organic vegetables.

The project aims at giving a second chance to those encountering difficulties in finding stable and decent employment in our country [ex-convicts, single moms who are struggling to find jobs that will enable them to raise their children and cope with their housekeeping activities at the same time] and empowering them to produce healthier vegetables for the citizens of Mauritius and re-branding the food producing career.

1. To bring happiness, social health and environmental justice to deprived communities in Mauritius.
2. To sustainably free direct beneficiaries of Island Bio from the culture of poverty and to free indirect beneficiaries from the vicious circle of health injustice.

Activities around this project includes:

1. Sales of products from the farm
2. On farm education
3. Community building space
4. Ecotourism via guided farm tour for tourists
5. Training of locals
6. Community café
7. Raising awareness on organic approach

In all, there are 250 beneficiaries, amongst which 129 are women and 121 men. The total budget amounts to RS 1,330,550

In terms of results, social evils are being reduced, beneficiaries are getting a chance of being able to make a living out of the project, the image of local farmers are being re branded.

Key tools for monitoring and evaluation include assessment by social scientists and technical scientific assessments.Key challenges have been financial and implementing training on site. To tackle with the challenges, Island Bio turned towards man power and volunteers.

Impacts:

1. Clients from both deprived and wealthy area have been able to benefit from on farm produces.
2. Jobs have been given to needy ones.

The project is easy to replicate because of the possibility of three years of ongoing training (Personal development and agro ecology)