THE BOTTOM – On Sunday, members of the Dutch Caribbean Agriculture Livestock and Fisheries Alliance (DCALFA) visited Saba to learn more about the various projects and initiatives in these sectors that contribute to local food production and help stimulate the local economy. 

In June 2023, all 6 Dutch Caribbean islands signed a memorandum of understanding to promote cooperation amongst the islands in the agriculture, livestock and fisheries sectors as a step toward ensuring food security. An aim of the MoU is for the islands to share with each other information, (local) knowledge, know-how and best practices, so that each island can also benefit from the other’s successes and lessons learned.

The trip to Saba came as part of the program of the DCALFA conference taking place in St. Eustatius this week. The delegation consisted of policy advisors, department heads and other stakeholders who work in agriculture, fisheries and livestock on the islands of St. Eustatius, Aruba and Bonaire. St. Eustatius Commissioner Arlene Spanner-Schmidt – whose portfolio includes agriculture, nature and fisheries – and Aruba Minister Ursell Arends – whose portfolio includes transport, integrity, nature and elderly affairs – were also in attendance.

Site visits

The delegation visited -among others- Saba Reach Foundation, the Hydroponics farm and the Goat farm of the Simmons Family,

The tour ended with a presentation given to the delegation by local fisherman Ryan Hassell, who talked about what it means to be a commercial fisherman on Saba.