Bringing home the bok choi: how an oil spill in Mauritius led to a female revolution in farming

After a wrecked ship spewed oil into the pristine waters off Pointe d'Esny, destroying sea life and livelihoods, a group of women turned to the land to change their fortunesSandy Monrose never imagined herself as a farmer. Descended from generations of fishers on the breezy south-eastern tip of Mauritius, she has the Indian Ocean running through her veins. But when a merchant ship slammed into the coral reef, turning the sea inky black with toxic fuel and sinking the local economy, she and a group of local women turned to the land to feed their families.Five years after the Japanese-owned MV Wakashio ran aground off the white sands of Pointe d'Esny, her "model farm" in the nearby nature reserve of La Vallée de Ferney is flourishing. Sitting under a metal-roofed gazebo, she surveys the formerly tired plot she secured from landowner Ferney Ltd, now a joyous riot of greens, bursting with papaya and banana trees, and patches of onions, potatoes, taros, manioc, bok choi, winged beans and lots more besides. Continue reading...