For Herman Agathe, a young entrepreneur running an integrated farm in Roche Bon Dieu, Rodrigues Island, Switch Africa Green could not have come at a better time. Through the project, Herman was trained at the Centre de Formation Agricole Frère Remy, in sustainable consumption and production practices in different aspects of farming straddling horticulture, agricultural practices and poultry farming, pig rearing and all related integrated farming activities among others.
“The programme supported me in my training in my business by giving me the right information, “Herman said. “This has now enabled me to be independent of my parents and get my project on its feet.”
Agathe has doubled his sales from around MUR15,000 (US$380) yearly in 2014 to MUR 30,000 (US$760) three years after his initial training. No longer dependent on his parents, he is focusing on acquiring a larger piece of land to grow his business.
Before the project, Herman sold between two to three units of pig and vegetables. After the project training, he expanded to 16 pigs for meat production and reproduction, 10 local ducks, 80 farm, and local chicken, 20 goats and a cow. He now maintains a farm where he cultivates vegetables by organic means for sale in the local region, restaurants and guest houses.
“One of the positive impacts from the Switch Africa Green Programme is job creation, “says Patrick Mwesigye, UNEP Africa Office Regional Coordinator on Resource Efficiency. “It is also important to note that 80 percent of the beneficiaries are youth and women groups. Indeed, our own survey shows that 64% of the entrepreneurs (MSMEs) had a positive impact on income generation and achieved an average cost savings of $ 7 million annually by improving efficiency –through eco - innovation, energy efficiency and water efficiency.”
Through the SWITCH Africa Green Programme, Herman improved his management skills, and marketing, raising the visibility of his products. He also got trained in bookkeeping which resulted in the improvement of his marketing skills and interpersonal skills.
The training also improved his skills in water management through more efficient rainwater harvesting which was essential for his start up.
Through sustainable waste management, Herman was now able to produce compost from green waste and animal waste which was useful in his farming and for sale within the community. He was able to re-use wastewater which came from vegetables and rice washing – containing no detergents from kitchen- for irrigation purposes. As for old metal, he was able to recycle it to improve his animal farm shelter.
Herman is now focused on increasing his expertise, national and global exposure in the farming and agricultural sector and continues to inspire and further develop his eco-farm by expanding and developing the farming and agricultural lands for more agricultural and animal rearing. He also plans to continue optimizing the use of water on his lands, rainwater harvesting system, transport activities for his farm to minimize pollution and practice sustainable transport his project. He is also on course to implement an efficient sustainable eco-labelling and marketing system for his produce while implementing an efficient budget management for his farm.
“My dream now is to get a bigger piece of land to develop my project and to make it bigger and employ more people to enable them better their lives.”
Herman has now trained his eye on biogas production which will aid him in the production of sustainable gas for cooking and integrate the use of renewable energy for lighting purposes in his farm.
While he continues to pursue his goal, Herman is now on placement in a public company in Rodrigues Island in the field of trading and marketing to gain more hands-on experience in this field.
