Agriculture institute and district farmers team up to share expertise |20 April 2023

Mr Morin and Ms Marie sign the MoU

The Seychelles Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (SIAH) and the Grand Anse Mahé Farmers Association (GAMFA) yesterday signed a medium-term contractual agreement to coordinate activities related to water use and water management as part of the institute’s training programme.

The signing took place at the SIAH Grand Anse Mahé primary school campus between the chairperson of GAMFA, Daniel Morin, and the director of SIAH, Maryanne Marie.

The memorandum of understanding (MoU) serves as an innovative collaboration that will allow exchange of expertise between the two parties, therefore ensuring that the training programme of the institute meets the sectoral demands and addresses climate change issues related to water use and water management.

Mr Morin said he was very happy they could finally put pen to paper as the MoU has been under consideration for a while now.

“Our intention is to train and educate the young. Farmers begin with the youth and if we do not attend to the youth today then there will be nothing to show for tomorrow,” he said.

He also stated that learning does not occur only in classroom, and that more efficient learning occurs in the field while you are actually doing what is being taught, the opportunity GAMFA is giving to the students of SIAH.

What they are aiming to teach the students are how to collect, store and use water effectively as it is one of the biggest issues within the farming industry as well as farmers in Grand Anse Mahé themselves.

For her part the director of SIAH, Ms Marie, said the MoU serves as the first step towards future co-operation with the farmers of Grand Anse Mahé.

“They will be assisting us with usage of water, water conservation and management as it is a very important aspect in the world of agriculture. We found ourselves in need of this ever since we moved to Grand Anse, where we found ourselves having to redo our irrigation system, which the school does not have the funds or budget for,” she said.

In addition to the signing of the MoU, which is valid for three years, GAMFA also donated a solar pump, which would help with the cost of utilities as well as against climate change.

Text & photos by Diane Larame