30/04/2021As a small island, Mauritius has faced environmental vulnerabilities and limited human and institutional capabilities as the economy has grown and diversified. Changes in consumption patterns have resulted in reliance on chemical inputs at the field level. Government is working with the FAO support to improve economic resilience by implementing the transition to a more sustainable form of agriculture, such as organic agriculture. In the framework of a FAO technical cooperation project (TCP) to support the national legislation and implementing regulations of organic farming in Mauritius, a series of workshops were held within public and private sectors stakeholders to train and reflect on the future of agriculture production in Mauritius. The project’s objective is to enhance food safety by optimizing safe and sustainable agricultural techniques. A government's decision on what to include in such national regulations on organic agriculture depends on the national legal system, national policies and national practice. Elements that can be addressed are about institutional issues, labelling and conformity assessment; requirements for organic production (rules on plant and animal production, rules on handling and processing and prohibitions of or restrictions on using certain substances or production methods); labelling, packaging and marketing; supervision and conformity assurance; import and export of organic products; violations and penalties; promotion of organic products ; etc. Through a series of consultative meetings, national legislation and implementing regulations on organic agriculture were drafted and sent to parliament for approval. In the meantime, the general public and the farming community should be sensitized about the new organic agriculture legislation.