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Rural poverty in Mauritius

In the context of the African continent, Mauritius stands out as a social, economic and development success story. Over the decades since independence in 1968 it has become a middle-income country with a good governance system in place, a well-functioning infrastructure and good communications, health and education systems. Living standards have improved radically across much of the country.

Although severe poverty is rare in Mauritius as compared to other parts of Africa, there is a minority of very poor rural households in the country, most of which are located in rural areas. In the wake of the recent exposure to global competition, and the consequent decline in the production of sugar and textiles for export, rural poverty is on the rise across the country. Unemployment is increasing, and those who are already disadvantaged are sinking into deeper poverty. Overall, 10 per cent of Mauritians are estimated to be living in poverty, but the figure may be substantially higher.

In Mauritius the distinction between rural and urban households is not always clear-cut. On the main island population density is high and inland farms and textile factories are scattered over the countryside. Aside from the people residing in the area of Port Louis, the capital, most of the population lives in villages. People are engaged in part-time farming but also work in the manufacturing or service sectors. Rural households are not usually fully dependent on agriculture. In a typical family, father and sons cultivate sugar or work on a sugar plantation while mother and daughters work in a textile factory. 

Coastal communities on the islands are isolated from the main industries and tend to rely heavily on fishing for subsistence and cash income.

With the changing economic situation, there is a widening income gap between households that are engaged in the expanding sectors of the economy and those unable to do so for various reasons. Poor rural people are forced to fall back on farming and fishing. But environmental deterioration and declining yields are making it increasingly difficult to make a living from agriculture.

Who and where are the country’s rural poor people?

There are pockets of poverty in the northern and eastern parts of the island of Mauritius. As unemployment rises, other poor areas are emerging on the main island. The households that are most vulnerable to poverty are those which:

• depend on sugar production and processing or on employment in textile factories
• are landless or have only small plots of land
• have low levels of education and are poorly equipped to adapt to an economy that is undergoing modernization

Rodrigues Island is substantially poorer than Mauritius. About 40 per cent of the island’s population lives below the poverty level. There is no sugar cultivation, little export manufacturing and little significant tourism development. The few existing small-scale industries mainly supply the local market. Except in the main town, Port Mathurin, most households are rural and depend on subsistence agriculture, livestock rearing, small-scale fishing in the lagoon and microenterprises for food and income. Here people earn 30 to 50 per cent less than the average national per capita income, and the average landholding is less than 1 ha. School dropout and unemployment rates are high.

The decline in lagoon catch is a serious problem for the many coastal communities throughout the country that rely on marine resources for their livelihoods.

Women, especially poorly educated rural women, are severely affected by increasing unemployment. Households headed by single women are particularly vulnerable to poverty and are at greater risk of social exclusion.

Why are they poor?

The causes and nature of rural poverty in Mauritius are unlike those in other African countries. Here the rural poor are people who have been left behind by the industrialization process or who are becoming impoverished as the Mauritian economy undergoes transition. People who lack the education and skills needed to participate in the growing services and tourism sector are sinking into deeper poverty.

Rural poverty in Mauritius is frequently a scattered phenomenon, affecting isolated groups rather than whole communities. For this reason it is more difficult to focus poverty reduction measures.

One of the major causes of poverty among coastal fishing communities is the depletion of marine resources as subsistence, commercial and recreational fishers compete for resources. The lagoons are at risk of being over-fished. In particular, octopus stocks have declined sharply and are in danger of running out altogether. In addition, the octopus harvesting (fishing) practiced traditionally is gradually destroying the reef. To relieve pressure on resources, the government has introduced a range of regulations for fishers. Coastal communities and their livelihoods are also vulnerable to seasonal cyclones and rising sea levels.

Farmers, many of whom already cultivate plots of land that are too small to feed their families, are facing environmental problems such as soil erosion, overgrazing, frequent droughts and cyclones, which lead in turn to declining yields.

Source: IFAD