The Public Entity Saba (PES) will celebrate World Food Day on Saturday, November 25, 2023. The event will be held at the hydroponics farm in Rendezvous. At the event, there will be various fruit trees available to the public as part of the PES’s reforestation project.
Much of the food we eat, namely fruit, are grown from trees. However, most of the fruits consumed on Saba are grown in other countries around the world. In order to make Saba more self-sustainable, it is important that we start producing more of our own food. The PES aims to improve food security by increasing the amount of food produced on island and diversifying the way in which it is produced.
Earlier this year, the PES carried out a pilot project to promote backyard farming. Through this project, residents received financial assistance to help them set up their own backyard farming systems to be able to grow food for themselves and their families.
The distribution of these fruit is a continuation of the PES’s efforts to further increase local food production through the promotion of backyard farming, while helping to also reforest Saba. Some of the trees that will be available include grafted mango and avocado, guava, soursop, pomegranate, tamarind, coffee, custard apple, citrus and sapote.
At the event, attendees will be given a presentation about the PES’s reforestation project and information on the care these fruit trees need. While trees are relatively self-sufficient, they do require some care to ensure their survival and to mature and start producing fruit.
A maximum of 3 trees will be available per household. For persons who are unable to take their trees with them on the day of the event, the reforestation team will deliver the trees to their respective homes the following week. In the future, more fruit trees will be made available to the public through the reforestation project.
While the fruit trees are for the public, they will be registered in a database for the reforestation project. These trees will help make up the 5,000 trees that are to be planted through this project. In order to ensure the survival of the fruit trees, the reforestation team will periodically visit the homes of the persons who have planted the trees to monitor their health and provide supplementary care when needed.
Let's come together to foster a stronger, more resilient community, and take a step towards a self-sustaining Saba. We look forward to seeing you there. Your participation is key to the success of this initiative, and we can't wait to realize the goals of the reforestation project and self-reliance.