Agriculture at Green Cottage Chamarel
The land is steep and covered with trees found only at this altitude.
Pesticides and herbicides are not used on the land around Green Cottage and non-labour intensive plants that contribute to the eco-system have been chosen.
The long-term plan would be to have the permaculture zoning approach:
Zone 1: Frequently visited area next to the Cottage i.e.: Kitchen garden.
Zone 2: Semi-intensely cultivated i.e.: market crops, food production.
Zone 3: Occasionally visited i.e.: large fruits & pasture
Zone 4: Minimal Care i.e.: wild food gathering
Zone 5: Wilderness area
The land around the cottage was not cultivated previously. Baie Rose, Eucalyptus, Palm trees and coconut trees were planted on the slopes at a reasonable distance from the cottage.
A beehive was installed to promote pollination.
Natural compost is made on site.
There are plans for keeping hens and ducks in the near future.
The contribution of agriculture to the Mauritian economy was only of 6% in 2000 – Sugarcane constitutes the bulk of this share with 53% food – crop accounts for 17%, livestock 12%, while flowers, fruits and forestry account for the remaining 4% of the share of agriculture in the GDP.