SWITCH Africa Green is being implemented in 6 countries: Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, South Africa and Uganda.

Total Cost (EUR): 19 500 000

EU contracted amount (EUR): 19 000 000

Duration: March 2014 - February 2018

6 actions implemented under Phase I (2015 - 2018):

• Greening the Mauritian Tourism Industry

Implementing partner: Association des Hôtels de Charme (Mauritius)

• A model for Sustainable Production and Consumption Practices and Eco-Entrepreneurship Development

Implementing partner: Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Rémi (Rodrigues)

• Increase Capacity Building of the fisher’s community of Rodrigues    (Bio cultivation of the Gombava Lime Plants and its chilli Paste)

Implementing partner: Commission for Fisheries, Rodrigues Regional Assembly       

• Promoting Sustainable Local Agriculture through Green Retail and Green Hospitality (SUS-AGRI)

Implementing partner: University of Mauritius

• National Energy Efficiency Program – PNEE

Implementing partner: Business Mauritius (previously the Joint Economic Council)

• Developing capacity amongst Rodriguans to adopt green businesses

Implementing partner: Commission of Environment, Rodrigues Regional Assembly

Implementing organisation: UNITED NATIONS ENVIRONMENT PROGRAMME

Funding Instrument: DCI - Environment and sustainable management of natural resources including energy, DCI - Global Public Goods and Challenges (GPGC)

Benefitting zone: Sub-Saharan Africa

STORY: A model for sustainable production and consumption practices and eco-entrepreneurship development

"We prepare our students to build a greener future, contribute in building a sustainable Rodrigues Island and allow us to provide a better education for our younger and future generations to come."

Marie Verlaine St Pierre, Director of the Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remy

CONTEXT

Since 1988, the Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remy has been empowering young people in the area of agriculture and farming. The project 'A model for sustainable production and consumption practices and eco-entrepreneurship development', which is being implemented under the SWITCH Africa Green, started in November 2015. The objective is to assist the Centre in achieving sustainable development by engaging in the transition towards an inclusive green economy, based on sustainable consumption and production patterns, while generating growth, creating decent jobs and reducing poverty.

OBJECTIVES

• To integrate green business development in the curriculum and assist beneficiaries in launching their own businesses.
• To improve the centre's service delivery by optimising the actual resources taking account of study results in the areas of water/waste and energy management.
• To train students, coaches and the community as a whole on sustainable consumption and production patterns and practices.
• To promote exchanges between Rodrigues and Mauritius Island in the areas of agriculture and farming.

RESULTS

• 64 students (boys and girls) have followed the courses on sustainable consumption and production practices.
• Exchange programme between beneficiaries in Rodrigues and stakeholders in Mauritius implemented in 2017.

TESTIMONY

Testimony of Miss Melany Anoushka Poorun, Project Coordinator - SWITCH Africa Project at Centre de Formation Agricole Frere Remy

After 2 years of implementation, approximately 64 youngsters (both girls and boys) aged between 12-18 years old and around 95 centre alumni regularly participate in the project. We have implemented several programmes in the field of sustainable consumption and production (SCP) practices to incorporate the concept of Micro, Small or Medium Enterprises start-ups among our beneficiaries.

Every day, a group of 6 coaches and several volunteers, are present at the centre to assist and equip beneficiaries with the tools and knowledge required to seize opportunities for green business development in the field of farming and agriculture. This is the most important aspect of the project: the empowerment of youngsters. We have implemented a programme named 'Ecole dans la Cour', whereby every 2-3months, all coaches from the centre visit beneficiaries at home to monitor their project start-ups. The visits carried out so far have shown that this is a strong encouragement for beneficiaries. This is an interesting aspect which the SWITCH Africa Green (SAG) project has allowed the centre to come forward with.

Moreover, we were able to invite beneficiaries' parents to come at the centre to follow the same SCP training practices as their children. This is an important side as we have witnessed the interest of parents in their children training. The activity 'Parents à l’école', which has been carried out during the second year of the project, has been a great success. Parents have requested additional sessions in the future. The participation of Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remy in the SAG Networking Forum in Kampala, Uganda in 2016, has allowed the centre to be recognised, and to network with other similar project grantees in Africa and some institutions that are now success stories in their own countries.

We were able to witness interesting results from similar SAG Projects. We are now aiming to set-up and complete a website for the centre and have an access to a more global platform so that our activities, even after the project continues to be visible to the public and SCP practices are adopted by all institutions in the farming and agricultural sector. To that end, on behalf of Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remy, we wish to thank the EU and the SAG project committee for the funding possibility, their assistance and monitoring during the whole period of the project implementation.

See Also

• SWITCH AFRICA GREEN
• Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Rémy