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Archive -Fishing and Agriculture

Val d’Andorre Hydroponics Farm |08 June 2018

Modern-day cropping set to begin improving our food security

 

In 2017, the International Sales and Promotion Company (ISPC) Seychelles Ltd, under the directive of Alfred Fourcroy, the chief executive, began developing a hydroponic vegetable system at Val d’Andorre, Baie Lazare.

 

Mr Fourcroy, founder of the ISPC branch in Seychelles, has said that the hydroponics system is now 90% complete, and while the works on the system will be completed in a few months, sales of produce from the farm is expected to begin as from next month.

The main aim of this project is to contribute towards a sufficient and regular production of fruits, vegetables and herbs, and to reduce importation costs, as well as the ecological impacts of importation.

Hydroponics is the art of growing plants without soil, and is a subset of hydro-culture where plants grow in an aquatic-based environment that has all the mineral nutrients needed as their feed.

Growing vegetables in the protected environment of sealed, sophisticated greenhouses and on hydroponic tables, allows minimum use of pesticides and other chemicals which may eventually be needed to keep bugs and viruses away.

 

Currently, installation of the hydroponics system is almost complete, with 7 greenhouses installed, covering 6000 square metres. Some of the greenhouses are fully set up and crops have begun to grow.

The system also includes a climate control system, water management & ventilation cooling system linked in one application, and a meteorological system.

Each greenhouse is ventilated by opening its roof, activating fans and active mists of water which help with cooling the air down.

“The principle of modern agriculture is controlling the environment in which crops grow as various environmental factors, such as drought and sunlight, can affect crops. If crops are not protected at any time, one will lose one’s yield,” says Mr Fourcroy.

He adds that in order to build a viable business plan, one needs to produce all year round and to achieve this, bearing in mind that our environment is aggressive, it is necessary to invest in greenhouses, to filter the water, and grow crops using a hydroponics system.

A sealed environment means that crops are protected from open air and are isolated from the soil where there are bugs. He notes however, that the initial cost of such a set-up is a barrier for many farmers. 

A nursery has also been set up on the farm where crops are initially planted and grown in an environment with specific conditions.This ensures that the plants are resilient enough before they are transferred to a greenhouse.

The nursery plants seem to be very comfortable and the environment seems to be suiting them well. In turn, this has meant that cropping in the nursery is moving much faster than initially expected.

The nursery currently has a variety of herbs, fruits and vegetables, including basil, mint, parsley, coriander, thyme, rocket and 14 varieties of tomato; last week saw the addition of melon, courgette and cucumber, and this month, green peppers will also be planted here.

 

Herbs and vegetables growing at the farm

Some of the nursery plants, for instance basil, mint, parsley, coriander, thyme and rocket, are expected to start being transferred to greenhouses for harvesting, starting this month.

On the additional land surrounding the greenhouses, coconut trees have also been planted and the plan is to also try and cultivate grapes and dragon fruit in the future.

All packaging equipment for the farm’s produce have arrived, and in the continuity of growing in a ‘clean’ way, and reducing our carbon footprint, all packaging material will be fully bio-degradable. 

Val d’Andorre farm has been collaborating with a Belgian university which has shown great interest in the farm’s activities. Some of the university’s diploma students have been sent to conduct their practical modules, assessments and memoirs on the farm.

One such student is currently running a test by planting and growing various crops such as watermelon, chilli, red radish and carrots under a net. 

Mr Fourcroy says that the project has not moved forward without issues, citing that the main challenges they faced were in terms of administration and logistics.

He recalls, for example, that it was impossible to bring 20-foot containers to the farm. All the content of the containers had to be transferred into trucks for delivery. Workers at the farm had to carry many parts of the greenhouses themselves, and at times these were as long as 9 metres.

The hydroponics system is expected to be fully completed with all greenhouses in full capacity at the end of September, towards mid-October. The greenhouses are slowly being finalised in phases so as to ensure that the market is not over saturated with produce. This will make for a more continuous supply of produce each week. 

Sales of the farm’s produce is expected to begin in the next few weeks, and these will be made available for purchase by members of the public at the main market in Victoria, the Seychelles Trading Company (STC) outlets, as well as ISPC outlets.

Due to the high yields produced by the farm, prices of produce are expected to be lower than current market prices.

Mr Fourcroy takes the opportunity to invite any interested person who would like to join the farm and experience modern-day farming, to contact: Julien Dufrasne: jdufrasne@farmvaldendorre.sc

For further updates, visit, ‘Val d’Endorre Farm’ on Facebook.

 

Photo sources: Val d’Andorre Farm

 

 

 

 

 

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