What a great start of the year it's been for the Domaine de Gros Cailloux! Indeed, as of 2023, a selection of vegetables produced by the company has been awarded the prestigious MauriGAP label. This award confirms that the team's mission to provide healthy and ethically grown vegetables to the public, is well on the right track.
Le Domaine de Gros Cailloux: advocates for better health
Le Domaine de Gros Cailloux's agricultural team has been working towards a MauriGAP certification since June 2022! And their efforts have paid off. Now, the potatoes, onions, and pumpkins produced on their grounds meet the criteria for certification. "It's been a real team effort!" Says Kareen Theodore-Cotry, Gros Cailloux Agricultural Manager.
MauriGAP, she explains, is a Mauritian standard that sets the requirements for sustainable agricultural production. It focuses on good agricultural practices for food safety, environmental stewardship, and the welfare of farmers and other employees.
This is the preferred production method for Le Domaine de Gros Cailloux due to its ability to preserve the soil and provide healthy produce to consumers. “Human well-being and safety are at the heart of this project,” says Theodore-Cotry. Next step? Getting the carrot cultivation certified.
A farming method that benefits all
Only horticultural farms which meet specific criteria are awarded the MauriGAP certification. These include, among others: efficient use of resources, protection of biodiversity, improved health and safety conditions for workers, recycling of agricultural waste, and more.
Farmers must ensure to apply these sustainable practices before, during, and after the harvest. “This applies to open field cultivation, protected cultivation, or hydroponics”, specifies Kareen.
This farming technique confers many benefits including safeguarding the health of farmers, improved profitability, animal welfare, and better control of production costs. As for consumers, not only do they have a guarantee of the quality of a product, but they also have full traceability of the food which ends up on their plates.
Unlike organic farming, sustainable farming can, as a last resort, use chemical products, but the quantity of chemical inputs is strictly limited. “One of our biggest challenges is restoring soil fertility and managing weeds,” explains Kareen. Fortunately, we have the help of the Chamber of Agriculture of Mauritius to solve this problem through the Smart Agriculture project”.
