RESPECT – Research & Empowerment for Social Progress, the Environment & Crop Technology
RESPECT (Research & Empowerment for Social Progress, the Environment & Crop Technology) is an NGO located in Mare Tabac, Mauritius, with the mission of finding practical and sustainable solutions to the challenges facing our national food security, particularly through sustainable farming, research, innovation and community empowerment.
Among the objectives of RESPECT:
(1) Training, Empowerment & Social Enterprise
RESPECT offers training to youngsters, women and vulnerable groups in greenhouse farming, including vegetable production, fish breeding and agro-processing, with a strong emphasis on sustainable organic methods and agroecology.
It also empowers its beneficiary communities through social enterprise projects in food processing, helping transform agricultural skills and local resources into opportunities for income generation and greater self-reliance.
(2) Research, Recycling & Sustainable Food Production
RESPECT has an R&D team dedicated to research and innovation, including the recycling of industrial waste materials into fish-breeding systems, and the transformation of brown and green waste into organic vegetable-growing systems.
The objective is to contribute towards making our country less dependent on imported chemical fertilizers and pesticides, while producing more food locally—particularly at a time when international supply chains can be disrupted by wars, pandemics and other global crises.
(3) Innovation & Technology for Local Fishermen
RESPECT's team of engineers and academics also strives to find solutions for our local fishermen, who risk their lives at sea to provide food for the population.
This includes research into the production of low-cost, improved fishing vessels and the use of technology to minimise risky human operations at sea, making fishing safer, more efficient and more sustainable.
(4) Education, Awareness & Inspiring the Next Generation of Farmers
RESPECT educates the population about agriculture and agroecology through:
(a) workshops and the production and broadcasting of awareness videos on social media; and
(b) receiving school children and NGO beneficiaries on excursions at its greenhouse complex, where they are exposed to modern vegetable-growing techniques, sustainable farming and aquaponics.
Through these activities, RESPECT aims to generate interest in farming among younger generations, encouraging them to take over the legacy of our retiring farmers and contribute to the future of food production in Mauritius.
(5) African & International Collaboration for Food Security
RESPECT networks and collaborates with universities, academics, farmers and students in African countries to exchange knowledge, conduct research and develop practical solutions to the food-security challenges that affect not only Mauritius, but our region and the world.
Through training, research, technology, agroecology and collaboration, RESPECT seeks to demonstrate that stronger food security can be built locally—by empowering people, making better use of our resources, reducing waste and developing sustainable ways of producing more of the food we need.
Contacts:
Address:
RESPECT (Mauritius)
Parbhudoyal Lane, Mare Tabac - Mauritius
Tel No.: 57430909 (R&D Manager)
Email: respectsecretary@gmail.com
Website: sites.google.com/view/respectweb