Project overview
Biodiversity is essential for our planet's ecosystems, influencing the crops we cultivate, their availability, and the vitality of their supporting environments. Understanding this crucial link between biodiversity and our food systems, we at Rogers Group, in collaboration with the House of Digital Arts (HODA), conducted an interactive workshop series titled "La biodiversité dans nos assiettes" from July to August 2024.
This flagship initiative, part of a two-year biodiversity programme, is funded through the "Fonds Business-Biodiversité Océan Indien" grant, awarded to Rogers Group. It is part of the Varuna Programme, implemented by Expertise France and funded by the French Development Agency (AFD).
‘La biodiversité dans nos assiettes’ : raising awareness on biodiversity through art and interactive game
From July to August 2024, we organised 15 interactive sessions of the "La biodiversité dans nos assiettes" workshop at the House of Digital Arts (HODA) in Port-Louis. These workshops engaged nearly 300 collaborators from various subsidiaries and utilised digital art to create a compelling and educational experience.
The workshop kicked off with a visit to the "Toutes les îles sont des arbres" exhibition, designed to reconnect attendees with biodiversity through art. This engaging method illustrated the tangible aspects of biodiversity and its critical impact on food availability and choice. Participants were prompted to reconsider their dietary choices in the face of real-world and climate crises, such as floods or water contamination, and to create new recipes using often-ignored ingredients.
A discussion followed on how these times of uncertainty pose threats to biodiversity and food access, leading to a brainstorming session on potential resilience measures. This visual and interactive format enhanced understanding of complex topics like biodiversity, making the message more impactful, meaningful, and engaging.
Reinforcing the workshop's themes, women from ROC (Resilient Organic Community), backed by the NGO Eco-Sud, prepared a lunch featuring local produced. This meal used ingredients from agroecological farms, underscoring the sustainable practices discussed during the sessions.
Fanny Rengasamy, Coffee Experience Officer at Agrïa, reflected on her experience: "The integration of technology to facilitate discussions on biodiversity was particularly impactful. It's an excellent method to make such complex subjects accessible and relevant."
Our strategy
These workshops are a cornerstone of our broader two-year project funded by the Varuna biodiversity programme. It is designed to elevate biodiversity awareness and embedding it strategically at the core of our operations comprises four focused components:
- Awareness: We aim to educate our collaborators and the public and transform them into informed advocates and agents of change for biodiversity. "La biodiversité dans nos assiettes" workshop forms a crucial part of this component.
- Expertise and studies: We will collaborate with experts to perform detailed assessments of how our business operations impact biodiversity and depend on it.
- Multi-stakeholder dialogue: This initiative establishes a collaborative platform for dialogue and co-creation, engaging diverse local and international stakeholders.
- Technical projects in Bel Ombre: In partnership with the Mauritius Chamber of Agriculture and NGO Reef Conservation, we will work on the preservation and restoration projects that significantly contribute to the conservation of biodiversity system.
This programme aligns with the Group's Sustainability and Inclusive Development (S&ID) strategy, highlighting biodiversity as a fundamental pillar in addressing environmental challenges. These sessions aim to raise awareness and empower our employees to become advocates and agents of biodiversity change, deepening their understanding of its critical impact on food security and sustainability.
Looking ahead
We plan to extend this initiative to the public with upcoming workshops, continuing our commitment to raising awareness about biodiversity and its significance in daily life. Through these efforts, we are promoting environmental responsibility and fostering a deeper understanding of how our choices impact the world around us.
