(c) FAO, 2022

This Country Programming Framework (CPF) sets out three government priority areas to guide FAO partnership and support with the Government of the Republic of Mauritius bringing together innovative, international best practices and global standards with national and regional expertise during the next four years

1^st June 2022, Port-Louis – A signature ceremony is organized today at Caudan Art Centre between the Minister of Agro-Industry and food Security representing the Mauritius government and the FAO Representative covering Madagascar, Comoros, Mauritius and Seychelles, currently on duty travel in Mauritius.

The Republic of Mauritius had the 4^th largest COVID19 response representing 32% of its GDP. The main aim of the Government is to accelerate economic recovery, triggering revival and strengthening resilience. The food and agricultural sector need to reinvent itself following the pandemic based on the lessons learned. Furthermore, the effects of climate change and the occurrence of transboundary pests and diseases have uncovered priority areas which have to be re-engineered and strengthened. 

Following sector wide consultations, the general feeling has been the need to address food security and safety, fostering synergy among the key institutions comprising of the Ministries and Commissions of the Rodrigues Regional Assembly (RRA) dealing with the subjects of agriculture, livestock, fisheries, health, gender and cooperatives. Another major observation whilst consulting with stakeholders was that support from international organizations including the FAO to re-engineer the sector has to be immediate and in the short term i.e. within the next 5 years. It is important to note that support for capacity building, institutional and legislative reviews have to be cross cutting and multi sectoral in order to achieve the expected paradigm shift for a new socio-economic model of the sector whilst at the same time fostering environmental safety and maintain the commitments of the country towards the Sustainable Development Goals through the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF).

The CPF was prepared following consultation and agreement with the Government of Mauritius, specifically the Ministry of Agro Industry and Food Security (MAIFS); the Ministry of Blue Economy, Marine Resources, Fisheries, and Shipping (MOEMRFS); the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family Welfare (MGEFW); the Ministry of Health and Wellness (MHW); the Ministry of Industrial Development, SMEs and Cooperative (MIDSC) and the Rodrigues Regional Assembly (RRA).

Three main priorities to be addressed

The consultation has been carried with a focus on matching FAO objectives and its comparative advantage with the needs and requirements of the Government of Mauritius in terms of food security and nutritional safety, developing the agro-industrial sector where gender and climate smart strategies are mainstreamed.

Through the consultation process, government priorities that FAO will address have been set out as follows:

Priority 1: The enhancement of food security and safety by improving the levels of self-sufficiency.

Priority 2: Shifting towards climate-resilient agriculture to mitigate the effect of climate change.

Priority 3: Enabling conducive conditions for women empowerment.

These priorities are in line with the country priorities as well as the FAO’s mandate/strategic objectives and the SGD’s.

The Republic of Mauritius being a net food importer, has experienced threats linked to COVID19 pandemic, challenges in food supply and production due to international price fluctuations and logistics. The consolidation of local food production systems and increasing the levels and variety of production is perceived as an immediate priority.  Furthermore, it is necessary to prepare a multi-year food safety strategy that review, adopt, and enforce legal measures to ensure that safe food supplies are available to the entire population. The strategy includes a holistic approach towards addressing malnutrition and its associated health risks. The FAO will support the Republic of Mauritius in enhancing food (agriculture and fisheries) production through improved technologies, building capacity, encouraging youth and assisting in reviewing institutional and legal framework that will facilitate synergy among different institutions.

The agricultural sector continues to face backlash with the effects of climate change. Some initial climate smart agricultural practices have been adopted in the past few years. However, the effort towards sustainable forms of agriculture that are resilient, sound and robust should be relentless. Adoption of smart and improved production technologies must be imminent and impactful that should attract more youth and SMEs in the agricultural sector. FAO will facilitate the transition towards climate resilient agriculture and promote sustainability for improving food production, quality and safety. The major areas of intervention would entail capacity building, technology transfer, adoption of new technologies that are also less prone to pests and diseases.

Women comprise more than 50 % of the population of the Republic of Mauritius. Thus, it represents a potential that should be envisaged for a prosperous society. Women’s equal rights, access to and control over resources, services, technologies, institutions, economic opportunities and decision making, ensuring discriminatory laws and practices are eliminated through the implementation of gender responsive policies strategies programs and legal framework. This approach has the definite advantage to chisel a just and modern society in line with the vision of the Government of the Republic of Mauritius.

FAO and government joint efforts to mobilize partnerships and resources

The implementation of the CPF would require an investment of around 3 500 000 USD and identified sources of funding are typically through the FAO and South-South Cooperation. CPF will be pursued in partnerships as broad as possible and in alignment with the joint efforts of the Government of Mauritius and the development partners for enhanced coordination and aid effectiveness. The Government of the Republic of Mauritius and the FAO look forward to seeking collaboration and support from all concerned partners for the successful implementation of the CPF.

The projects laid down within the CPF will be monitored by a multi-stakeholder Project Steering Committee chaired by the Permanent Secretary or the Senior Chief Executive of the relevant Ministries and bring about appropriate recommendations as and when required with the aim to fully deliver the support project objectives. A monitoring and evaluation framework will be set up to provide relevant information and data for the Steering Committee and for the CPF results-based monitoring purposes.