By adopting sustainable agricultural practices, Herman Agathe has managed to increase his flock from 4 animals to 126 animals. He has pigs, goats, sheep, chicken, ducks and cows in his flock. Based in Roche Bon Dieu, Rodrigues Island, Herman is an exceptional 18-year old who has managed to reap benefits from his hard work.
Herman was first introduced to sustainable agriculture in 2015 when he attended a series of trainings organized by Centre de Formation Agricole Frere Remy, a SWITCH Africa Green grantee. There, he got an opportunity to interact with other farmers and experts and got to learn about various concepts on sustainable agriculture, book-keeping and business management.
Initially having poor records for his business, he worked hard and smart to apply the new ideas and innovative concepts he learnt to his farm. Herman has managed to grow the numbers of the animals he has, trading them for profit. For instance, he reaps good profit when he sells his goats, whose price rang- es from MUR 4,000 – MUR 6,000 ($115 - $170).
Herman also sells the organic manure he gets from his animals, with a 50kg bag sells for MUR 50 ($1.50). The animals produce about 15 bags of organic manure per month. He has also started processing pig sausages from the pigs he rears for higher profit.
Notably, Herman has managed to build himself a house from the profits generated from his business. Herman has shared his experiences to show use of sustainable agricultural practices by youth at various forums including the Regional Networking Forum that took place in Uganda in May 2016, and most recently the Mauritius National Networking Forum that took place on Rodrigues in May 2017.
“I want to lease land to be able to embark on crop production,” he said of his plans to expand his farming activities. He is optimistic that with the training received he will be able to expand and successfully run a big farm. He lives with his grandmother (78), mother (58), Uncle (24, bother (16) and nephew. He also supports his family form the income he generates. Currently, he is looking for financing opportunities to expand his business.
