Where the oil killed the sea, they made the earth reborn: the incredible vegetable garden of the women of Mauritius

With the Indian Ocean that flows in the veins, descending from generations of fishermen of the south-eastern coast of Mauritius, the world of Sandy Monrose has always been the sea. But when a mercantile ship crashed on the coral reef, polluting the water and compromising the local economy, Sandy and a group of local women understood that their salvation would not come from the waves, but from the earth.

The oil disaster

Five years have passed since the MV Wakashio, a ship owned by Japanese, took the larch of the white sands of Pointa d’Esny on 25 July 2020. Twelve days later, the hull broke, pouring 1,000 tons of oil into the sea and triggering the largest ecological disaster in the history of the island. Mangrovie, marine meadows, fish and dozens of dolphins found dead on the beach were the first victims. Then he touched the economic ecosystem: fishermen, boats manufacturers, tour operators. All without work, in an area already weakened by the first Lockdown for Covid.

“Nu ti pe gayn laraz”, we were furious, told the Guardian Monrose in his Mauritian creolo. “Like seafarers, we knew what we had to do.” Sandy became a point of reference on the Mahébourg promenade. By drawing on childhood memories, when he cooked his father’s fishing nets, he showed volunteers how to rapidly assemble floating barriers with sugar cane leaves to contain the disaster.

The agricultural “revelation”

But the emergency gave way to the harsh reality of a life without income. Sandy’s husband, Skipper, struggled to find work. It was in those difficult months, while distributing food parcels with the local Eco-South NGO, that the idea of ​​a farm began to sprout. Together with other women in his own situation, he decided to act. He asked for an appointment with Ferney Ltd, a company that manages an “agri-hub” for agricultural entrepreneurs in the nearby nature reserve of La Vallée de Ferney.

“It was unimaginable,” he recalled. “We asked the earth and got it on the same day.” Thus, in 2021, the South-East Ladies Agro collective was born. The first few days were difficult. Tropical rains continually flooded the gardens. But they did not give up and the company has granted them a more suitable ground, on the highest slopes, once used for sugar cane and depleted soil.

That was the real turning point. Ferney Ltd organized for them a training in agroecology, permaculture and beekeeping. “It is then that things made themselves serious. The farm became very structured,” explained Monrose. Today, their “model farmhouse” is an explosion of life: a revitalized acro acro where papaie, bananas, onions, potatoes, taro, cassoca, bok choi and winged beans grow. They learned to position the cumulation of compost at the top, so that the nutrients scroll downstream, and to plan the rotation of the crops. This year, the team of 10 women produced a ton of organic fruit and vegetables, with which they nourish their families and sell surpluses, creating a cycle of self -sufficiency.

For Florisse Latouche, one of the founders, the farm has meant a new autonomy. Extra money was a godsend after her husband lost her second job as a fisherman. Bringing the food home, says, made it “feel stronger”.

The earth has not only become a source of food, but also a place of healing and mutual support. Marie Claire Robinson, 41 years old, joined the group on the brink of Burnout. Social assistant with stressful job and a 22 -year -old son with cerebral paralysis, he left everything to devote himself to the fields. For her, the farm is above all synonymous with female solidarity. “As we work, we chat, we talk about what happens at home, we share our emotions. Sometimes there are tears,” he confided.

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