Lisa Singh, who is the UN Resident Coordinator in Mauritius and Seychelles, spoke first at the UN Food Systems Summit +2 which took place in Italy from 24 to 26 July.
“It is a very exciting time to be the Resident Coordinator for a small island state like Mauritius. Since I arrived here in 2022, I have experienced examples of extreme weather conditions such as flooding and storms on the one hand and water scarcity on the other.
This visible impact of climate change combined with our geographical remoteness, small scale economy, and high import costs have serious consequences for the food security of our island. It has gained greater momentum since the COVID-19 pandemic and Ukraine’s war-related supply and commodity shocks, raising strong concerns about food security as a key to a sustainable economic transformation agenda..
Food systems have emerged not only as an agricultural challenge but as a game-changer to catalyze the outcomes of many SDGs. The upcoming event in Italy provides an opportunity for both countries to focus on the way forward to accelerate the transformative power of food systems.
Food production must be looked at as a whole sector and not in isolation. Water and energy are direct inputs at all stages of the food value chain, while natural resources, ecosystems, and their services support the security of these inputs. Agriculture accounts for 30 percent of water use in Mauritius alone. Globally, one third of the world’s available energy is used in the food production value chain.
Take the holisitic approach
Addressing water scarcity and investing in renewable energy is important to food security. Mauritius imports three quarters of its energy with renewable energy, accounting for 24 percent of the current energy mix. It imports more than 77 percent of its food needs with households under pressure as food prices of staple goods such as bread, black lentils, powdered milk, and cooking oil continue to rise. Our reliance on imports such as seeds, fertilizers, pesticides, technology, and equipment makes it vulnerable to global commodity and supply disruptions.
Changing food systems can play an important role in countries’ climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies. For example, in line with nationally determined contributions, Mauritius has also reaffirmed its commitments to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from the agricultural sector. The country has also identified agriculture as a priority sector for climate change adaptation with much focus on efficient irrigation techniques and climate-smart agriculture.
It is clear for the UN team, supporting a holistic systems approach to address the interlinkages between food, climate, water, energy, and gender is critical.
Power of association
We took a dual focus. There is institutional engagement to inform the strategies, policies, and budgets needed to transform food systems as well as influence budget allocations.
We also seek to strengthen the strength of the community, exploiting the power of partnership, digital platforms, private-public modality, and data, with the inclusion of women and youth at the center.
For countries like Mauritius, where tourism is an important source of GDP income, the impact of climate change poses a sustainability risk due to its unique but fragile natural ecosystem.
The lives and livelihoods of communities are directly affected, especially in coastal areas. Coral bleaching and human pollution are putting pressure on the lagoon’s ecosystem affecting our artisanal fishermen like Nazma and her family.
She has been an artisanal fisherman for over 30 years with her husband and some of her children. This is a sustainable way of fishing, as only lines are used unlike commercial fishing. Furthermore, most of the fish they catch is for consumption in Mauritius as opposed to export.
Nazma says she likes everything about fishing. It was a passion that he turned into a job. However, he emphasized that life is expensive, fuel is expensive, and there are few fish in the lagoon.
The UN, in partnership with the European Union through the Ecofish project, is using technological innovations to empower artisanal fishermen to move out of over-exploited lagoons.
Fostering ‘smart’ agriculture
By improving the economic stability of these traditional fishing communities, food security will be strengthened through better management of ocean resources.
In Rodrigues, which is part of the Mauritius archipelago, we work with eight women who form the Rodrigues Turmeric Producers Association to grow and process turmeric into powder for sale.
Speaking of energy inputs to agriculture, one of the members of the association, Marie-Anne, said that with financial support from the Small Grants Program (SGP) of the UN-supported Global Environment Facility (GEF), she and her peers were able to buy a solar dryer to replace an electric one that consumes a lot of energy and costs a lot of money.
Her partner and friend, Perrine, explains how the business allows women to free themselves. It also enables their grandchildren to continue this work because turmeric is always available.
There are other innovative sustainable food system solutions being piloted by UN agencies in Mauritius. The UN Development Program (UNDP), together with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and UN Women under the Joint SDG Fund, promotes low-cost biofertilizers produced locally from seaweed.
Initiatives to nurture smart agriculture are supported by FAO, UNDP, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), and UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
With only seven years left to deliver the 2030 Agenda our UN Country Team in Mauritius will continue its efforts to support economic diversification, strengthen the circular economy, and invest in human capital to prevent supply shocks.
Working in partnership to further climate action and develop sustainable pathways is key to protecting the future of Mauritius for our people, planet, prosperity, and peace.
UN Resident Coordinator
- The UN Resident Coordinator, sometimes called the RC, is the highest-ranking representative of the UN development system at the country level.
- In this occasional series, UN news invites RCs to blog on issues of importance to the UN and the country in which they serve.
- Learn more about the UN’s work in Mauritius here.
- Find out more about the UN Development Coordination Office here.