Biointensive Approach to Organic Farming

Diversification of the Mauritian economy spurred economic growth, but inadvertently engendered environmental degradation and subsequently the depletion of natural resources. The proposed project aims to decouple economic growth from environmental degradation, increase resource efficiency and promote a shift towards sustainable agricultural practices through innovative agricultural technologies. According to the FAO, some 795 million people still suffer from hunger, and more than two billion from micronutrient deficiencies or forms of over nourishment. In addition, global food security could be in jeopardy, due to mounting pressures on natural resources and to climate change, both of which threaten the sustainability of food systems at large. Transformative change in agriculture and food systems are required worldwide. Biologically intensive farming shows great prospect in making agricultural systems sustainable and if scaled globally could help increase the efficiency of food systems.

The Republic of Mauritius experienced a loss of available agricultural land by 30% over the last three decades.A land analysis report predicts that this trend will lead to a land area of 55,000 hectares available for agriculture by 2030 compared to 80,674 hectares in 2005.An analysis of land use by type also shows that the area under temporary crops occupied only 13% of the agricultural land which is mainly dominated by the household sector.The latter is dominated by small scale farming on relatively small plots of lands by an ageing farming community.Farmers of the household sector aged 40-69 years old account for more than 75% of the farming community. Another cause for concern is the high number of hormone related cancers amongst the Mauritian population.Extensive data highlights the role pesticides exposures are suspected to play in several cancers.Cancer has become the third major health threat after diabetes and cardiovascular diseases in Mauritius.Organic food production,through its restriction of synthetic chemical inputs,is conducive to better human nutrition and by means of efficient resource management and sustainable development,prevent further environmental disruption.'Terra Core Company' wishes to promote sustainable agricultural practices using innovative agricultural technologies and younger populace to grow globally certified organic produce.

Biologically intensive farming refers to a horticultural system that seeks to maximize crop yields from a minimum area of land while aiming to encourage biological activity in the soil to sustain its fertility. It is a method of food-growing that attends to the long-term sustainability of farmland by building soil, using a smaller area to produce higher yields than conventional methods while minimizing water, organic fertilizer, and biological pesticide use. High productivity on a small plot of land is achieved through intensive methods of production and gardening techniques such as deep soil preparation, minimum tillage, crop rotation, intensive planting, fertilizing organically, green manures and cover crops.

The project will benefit the general population by providing them with safer and more nutritious food through sustainable production restricting synthetic pesticides or chemical fertilizers. Organic food production, through its restriction of synthetic chemical inputs, is conducive to better human nutrition and by means of efficient resource management and sustainable development, prevent further environmental disruption, unduly affecting the environmental balance.  

Based on a demographic segmentation, the target market will be the population falling in the age group of 15-59 years which will be further divided into subgroups for an effective development of promotional strategies as customers vary greatly by age, education level, income or taste and often have varying views of the offered product.

 According to the household budget survey conducted by Statistics Mauritius, the average monthly household consumption expenditure was Rs 28, 820 with 'Food and Alcoholic Beverages' accounting for the largest share of 25%. Breaking down the 'Food and Alcoholic Beverages' division into further subgroups shows that the average household spending on fruits and vegetables amount to Rs1500 monthly. The average household disposable income in addition to other key factors will be considered when setting pricing objectives to make our product accessible to the general population. 

The expansion of the energy industry exacerbated the environmental stress as the economy diversified. Efficient resource management and sustainable development is consequently essential to prevent further environmental disruption. Mauritius' transition to an upper middle income economy lead to  gradual changes in lifestyle and eating habits of its population which has brought in its wake a shift in the disease pattern. While the correlation between the use of pesticides and the incidence of cancer is still a debate, there is the urgency to adopt sustainable agricultural development and promote low-impact, diverse and nutritious diets conducive to safer and better human nutrition.      

Biologically intensive farming produces greater yields than conventional agriculture while using less land and water. Our competitors, conventional farmers, practice a resource-intensive farming requiring high inputs that results in soil depletion, water scarcity, loss of biodiversity, resistance of pests and diseases and high levels of green house gas emissions. Bio intensive farming make use of a deep soil cultivation to build the soil structure, creating rich, loose, fertile soil which facilitates roots penetration and encourages the crop roots to spread downwards rather than sideways. This in turn makes it possible to plants crops closer together without them running into each other at the root level. Planting crops much closer together, with their leaves hardly touching one another, creates a favorable microclimate as a result of the living mulch over the soil. This dense foliage reduces weed growth, retains moisture within the soil and protect the plants from water and wind exposure that can lead to soil erosion. Closely spacing the crops, in addition to allowing high yields per square meter, cuts down on the amount of weeding required and renders day-to-day gardening tasks more efficient. Farmers in Mauritius have been encouraged to react to individual symptoms instead of focusing their attention on general soil health management. This new approach helps develop farming practices that take advantage of the inherent strengths of natural systems. In this way, we can prevent the many symptoms of unhealthy soils from developing, instead of reacting after they develop.

Technology can be used to favor the chemical status of the soil by allowing us to more precisely manage nitrogen. Computer models and climate databases can be employed to adapt nitrogen recommendations by accounting for weather events and in-field soil variability. Without recognition of the effects of seasonal weather, particularly precipitation, high nitrogen losses can occur through leaching and denitrification following fertilization. Weather information from the Mauritius Meteorological services can be used to estimate the balance between natural rainfall and evapotranspiration. This data can be used for deficit irrigation-water irrigation that are less than 100% of evapotranspiration- to provide equal yields with reduced water consumption and promote greater reliance on stored soil water. Technology can also assist in monitoring the soil, the plant, or weather indicators to apply water only when needed. Soil sensors like tensiometers, moisture blocks, and TDR or capacitance probes can evaluate soil moisture conditions. When the soil moisture levels become critical, irrigation systems can be turned on and water applications can be made to meet the crop’s needs without excess. The crop itself can also be monitored, as water stress results in increased leaf temperatures that can be detected with thermal or near infrared imaging.

Infoterra is a  provider of geospatial products and services who successfully implemented this technology through FARMSTAR using multi sensor images with agronomic algorithms developed by agronomic experts. FARMSTAR is an agricultural decision-support tool that has supported farmers wanting to optimize yields and quality by managing their crops in an environmentally friendly and sustainable manner. The system combines all types of remote sensing images and agronomic expertise, to provide a comprehensive range of information and advice on the condition of plot-specific winter wheat, barley, rapeseed and triticale crops and to allow for the modulation of supplied inputs. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nation also stresses the importance of using the technological advances in agro meteorology to enhance climate change adaptation and reliance on the part of farmers in its handbook on climate information for farming communities.

Recognition is growing that support of small/local farm businesses may keep a greater share of money recirculating in the local economy and allow farmers to retain a greater share of consumer expenditures on food. Recent studies indicate that local businesses, including small and midscale farms that cater to local consumer markets, frequently spend a greater share of their revenue buying supplies from local companies and hiring local labour than their larger‐scale counterparts, enabling them to have a disproportionately positive influence on local economies in relation to their sales volume. 

The white paper, U.S. Organic Hotspots and their Benefit to Local Economies, based on three related research papers of Edward Jaenicke of Penn State University and co-authored by Julia Marasteanu finds that counties within “organic hotspots” have lower poverty rates and higher median annual household incomes. For the first time, the hotspots research links economic health at the county level to organic agriculture and shows that organic food and crop production—and the business activities accompanying organic agriculture—leads to meaningful regional economic improvements. It finds that, on average, county poverty rates drop by 1.3 percentage points, and median household income rises by over $2,000 in organic hotspots. Organic hotspots also were found to lower the unemployment rate at the county level by 0.22 percentage point and raise per capita income by $899.

The company will serve a small community of 150 people and this number is expected to increase to serve up to 750 poeple the following year. Subsequent expansion of the company with an increased amount of land under cultivation, the amount of people that we will be serving in five years is projected to increase to 2000.

The overall goals of the company will be to strengthen food security and increase resource efficiency. Two key indicators for tracking progress towards achieving those goals are identified as: (a) yield per bed (process indicator) and (b) soil health (outcome indicator). These key performance indicators will be monitored through the following process:

Process Indicator:

Yield per Bed 

Note the actual seeding, planting, and harvesting dates along with the yield produced. Keep records throughout the growing season, taking notes of what went wrong (miscalculation of the number of days spent in the fields, crop successions too far apart, etc.) or of what could have been planned more precisely.

Outcome Indicator:

 Soil Health

A fertile and healthy soil is the basis for healthy plants and soil organic matter is the very foundation for healthy and productive soils. Organic matter content will be used as the main indicator of soil health and will be monitored over the years. In addition to soil organic matter, soil health will be assessed through additional indicators mainly through observation as described below:

Does the soil: 

• allow water to infiltrate easily during a downpour and drain afterward to let air in?

• provide sufficient water to plants during dry spells?

• allow crops to fully develop healthy root systems?

• suppress root diseases and parasitic nematodes?

• have beneficial organisms like mycorrhizal fungi that promote healthy crops?

• supply nutrients from organic sources that reduce the need for fertilizer?

Financial Barriers

Financial problems may arise due to low sales reaction as a result of competitors offering similar products or lower prices of conventional produce.

Technical Barriers

Climatic risks that may affect the business include adverse weather conditions (temperature, rainfall, mean sunshine hours, etc.) and extreme weather events (flooding, droughts and cyclones)

Ecological risks include pollution risks (land and water contamination) and pests, diseases and weeds risks (viral diseases, bacterial diseases and fungal diseases). 

Post-harvest production risks include storage risks, processing risks and transport and distribution risks. 

Market Barriers

The product may not reach the target market efficiently due to the high costs of distribution added through transportation, labor, warehousing and several other factors. 

Financial Barriers

In order to be more cost effective, certain project components could be deferred upon the start up of the company. Excluding a green house component of the project could reduce the payback period and thus be only implemented as a second phase of the project.

Technical Barriers

Climatic risks could be minimized through the following approaches: 

• improve soil health/water retention capacity to better withstand drought

• minimize compaction through reduced tillage, cover crops and mulching to prevent run-off and flooding

• make use of water harvesting to reduce the effects of flooding by channeling water into tanks for recycling/periods of drought

Ecological risks could be minimized through the following approaches: 

• use crop rotation to reduce problems with insects, parasitic nematodes, weeds and diseases caused by plants pathogens

• encourage biodiversity to attract beneficial insects that minimize opportunities for pests to get out of control

• scouting to note how potential risks might be developing and detect any anomalies 

Post Harvest risks could be minimized through the following approaches: 

• Harvest each crop at the right stage of growth for a broader shelf life

• Cold room to store vegetables for extended periods and chill them to stay fresh during transport 

• Organize workflow and standardize working practices to minimize handling 

Market Barriers 

A selective distribution strategy will be adopted for the consumer market, reaching out to the target market in specific geographical locations to ensure quality of sales and service.

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Top management consist of the President, Mr. Dhellan Kistamah, holder of a bachelor degree in Mechanical engineering from the University of Nottingham and Vice President Miss Dayna Kistamah, holder of a bachelor degree in Food science and Business from the University of Reading.

Dhellan Kistamah (President & CEO), with his engineering background and knowledge, has scrupulously studied the agricultural policies, patterns and systems in Mauritius over recent years and has acquired good knowledge of the agricultural practices in the country. He is also very versatile with technological and engineering systems adopted in the agricultural sector.

Dayna Kistamah (Vice-President) is a Certification and Business Enhancement Lead Auditor and Trainer at SGS Mauritius, with 7 years of experience in the hospitality & the food industry. Dayna has audited several food industries & hotels in the Indian Ocean region.  She is now Lead Auditor for HACCP and has also carried out several audits for international tour operators in terms of food, water and building safety.

Naraindra Kistamah is Associate Professor at the Department of Applied Sustainability, Faculty of Engineering, University of Mauritius. He is an experienced academic who has extensive networks in engineering and technology, both nationally and internationally. He may provide sound advice in implementation of novel technology and on issues related to environmental sustainability.

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‘Terra Core Company’ wishes to promote sustainable agricultural practices using innovative agricultural technologies and younger populace to grow globally certified organic produce. Based on a demographic segmentation, the target market will be the population falling in the age group of 18-59 years. The target market will be further divided into subgroups of young athletic adults aged 18-25 and family members aged 26-59 for an effective development of promotional strategies as customers vary greatly by age, education level, income or taste and often have varying views of the offered product. Products and services that provide consumers with more value can thus be created and marketed in ways that consumers understand, motivating customers to purchase. A competition-based pricing strategy will be adopted in order to achieve the short-run objective of building a customer base. Loss leaders, products below competitors’ prices, will be advertised in order to capture a large part of the market. Packaging and branding along with other value enhancers such as price and advertising will be used to create product differentiation, creating a unique and attractive image. The long run objective of the company will be to achieve a target return on investment through customer relationship management to enhance customer satisfaction and stimulate customer loyalty. 

Bio-farming is a complex enterprise and its success depends on the interplay of many factors from soil science and management to climate change. For example, the science behind managing soil nutrients without fertilizer and tackling weeds and insects without herbicides and insecticides is intricate. We would need all the assistance necessary from reliable/professional sources to get the project started. We hope to be able to establish partnership with institutions to access bio-agricultural database and research findings. Organic farmers have very few tools at their disposal, such as improved crop varieties, and strategies for battling weeds or disease. Many agricultural offices or centers do not have organic specialists who may mentor and provide technical assistance. Through funding and technical support, we aim at acquiring the necessary expertise and tools to help us experiment with different cultivation strategies effectively, gain precious time and move forward rapidly. We would need to think about scaling production up gradually and progressively.

From bio-farm products to consumer, the supply chain is not very well established. Organic farmers need to tap into market structures that are very different from those of conventional farmers. We would need to understand the organic market needs and address the gap. Consumer demand for organic food is growing steadily and the expanding market represents an understanding and willingness by consumers to pay a premium for food because of the way it is grown. We need to understand this market mechanism in order to meet the needs of the consumer satisfactorily.

We are applying to Solve for funding support and technical expertise which are needed to put into place bio-agricultural farming practices that use organic or bio-farming methods. Our target is to achieve, as far as possible, carbon neutral agriculture. The technical support would help us in adopting the required management strategies for a successful bio-farming operation.

At the other end, we would also like to have an insight into consumers’ behavior towards organic products, the decision-making process, attitudes and values towards organic food. The aim is to provide consumers with more value organic food products and to be able to maintain satisfaction through a strategy of constantly adapting to changing market needs and demands. Adapting products to new markets and new competition is an ongoing process.