We get all sorts of fresh vegetables available in Mauritius, all year round. Our summers are oozing with yellow squashes and pumpkins, succulent cucumbers while our winters ensure the provision of crops like lettuce, radish, leek, beetroot and cabbages. Since we live within a tropical climate zone where temperatures are normally within the range of 15-30°C, we are lucky to be able to produce both summer and winter crops throughout the year, with a slight delay in crop cycles and crop maturity, but the same freshness and quality is ensured.
We often take for granted the salad bowl or the vegetable sauté that end up on out tables, barely aware of the “farm to fork” process. Small vegetable growers are scattered around the island and are the secret little helpers that are busy working in the background. To tend a plant for commercial production, they need to prepare the land, grow the seeds, water the plants daily and undertake all cultural practices such as weeding out, applying farmyard manure/compost, fertilizers and so on. It takes a lot of patience and hard work to grow crops on a commercial basis, especially in times when dry weather sweeps in or in the rainy days when vegetables could be damaged. Approximately 40,000 small planters are registered under the Small Planters Welfare Fund (SPWF) scheme currently, but there could be more that engage in back-yard production for hobby or family provision.
Small planters could be said to form part of 2.5% of our actual population, catering for the vegetable requirements of our country. Yet, they are not given much recognition for the efforts that they do; Agriculture is often viewed as a marginal activity (tedious job requiring hard work in sun, low salary). Agriculture has however evolved and our small growers have developed mastery in growing crops; this can be viewed in the large fields after Union Park or in the borders of Solferino and Carreau Laliane. Less and less youth are concerned or engage themselves in agricultural studies. Local job opportunities in the field of Agriculture are limited; the Government focus has long been on other sectors such as IT, Infrastructure and Tourism for job creation and expansion. White collared jobs are basically the ones who are constantly thrust over the spot-light. We are in an era where we need to be diversifying our economy and it is good that other industries are progressing. But has anyone thought over the simple realities of life? Where do we stand if despite everything, we ignore the hard work of those who give us our plate of food? Who will cater for our future food requirements when our present middle-aged farming community retires?
From history, wise leaders and old American Indians have praised and respected Agriculture as a noble activity. Where would we be indeed, without our food?
I will end with one famous quote:
"I know of no pursuit in which more real and important services can be rendered to any country than by improving its agriculture, its breed of useful animals, and other branches of a husbandman's cares."- George Washington
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