30-Year-Old Graduate Trades Desk Job for Shovels and Soil

Koshal Chummun, a graduate in Tourism and Management, has chosen a different path: working the land. Instead of a desk and computer, he prefers shovels, sickles, and rakes to grow organic vegetables. At 30 years old, in the village of Montagne-Longue in Valton, he is already dedicated to his passion—farming.

On a cool winter morning, under cloudy skies, Koshal is already tending his small garden. Despite the drizzle, he works diligently on the roughly 1.3-acre plot he rents from a local cultural organization.

His tools include a pickaxe, rake, and sickle, essential for cultivating vegetables and herbs.

Koshal speaks in Creole, mixing in technical English terms related to organic farming.

His mother, Jayantee, 53, helps him at their vegetable stand, which features a variety of fresh produce: carrots, cabbages, calabashes, manioc, lettuce, bananas for curry, chayote, white cucumbers, beets, yellow peppers, and even English cucumbers.

Their stand also offers herbs like mint, coriander, broccoli, thyme, and parsley—both curly and flat-leaf varieties.

Behind the stand, banana and papaya trees, sweet potatoes, taro, and manioc grow, with manioc renowned locally for its quality.

Despite operating for several years, their modest stand sits on just a small piece of land cultivated with love and discipline. Koshal explains his career shift from a tourism graduate to a small-scale farmer.

A UTM Graduate

After earning his degree from the University of Technology of Mauritius (UTM) in Petit-Raffray, Koshal worked briefly as a hotel room attendant and later as a coordinator overseeing room readiness.

However, he felt unfulfilled. “After six months, I decided to leave and reflect on my future,” he recalled.

His thesis at UTM focused on connecting agriculture and tourism. He argued that the relationship needed rethinking—specifically, that intermediaries or “auctioneers” buy produce cheaply from farmers and sell it at high prices to hotels, without farmers benefiting.

“Farmers struggle while middlemen profit,” he explained.

Koshal believes working the land is more than just farming; it’s about planting life.

He is passionate about agriculture, often covered in soil, with muddy jeans, hands, and sturdy boots.

“The earth is the humble’s gold. Some young people see farming as degrading, but I tell them planting is about harvesting life,” he affirmed.

Alongside vegetable farming, Koshal and his mother raise goats and sheep in their backyard.

Jayantee enjoys caring for the animals, emphasizing that caring for the land and livestock is a family tradition rooted in love and dignity.

His mother is his biggest supporter. She manages their farm when he’s away and helps with market days.

Koshal’s mother criticized the misconception that farming is degrading and notes that Koshal’s passion sets him apart from youth who avoid farming.

Every Thursday, they visit the Wooton Auction Market to buy vegetables they don’t grow and to sell their own produce.

Koshal has traveled regularly between Mauritius and England because his wife works as a director at PricewaterhouseCoopers in London.

His wife’s assignments required him to travel every six months, during which his mother looked after the farm. Recently, she returned to Mauritius, allowing Koshal to focus fully on his farming.

He fondly recalled his school days, from Mohabeer Fagooa Primary to Rabindranath Tagore SSS.

It was in Form II that he met his wife, Oushna, who supported him despite not being a gardener herself.

Interestingly, the first time she planted voeme seeds, Koshal had one of his best harvests—proof that love and care can be recognized by the earth.

Source: Defi Media