Articles

Santa Rosa

In 1976 the Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery, better known as Santa Rosa, was established as an experimental governmental project.

During its 37 years of existence the Department has seen many ups and downs, however with the care and attention of the current Minister of Tourism, Transportation and Labour, Mr. Otmar Oduber, the Department has once more developed into an essential part of the islands culture.

The goal of Santa Rosa has been reestablished to better suit the island and its populations needs, this being to improve the service given to its clients with extra attention added to the agricultural, livestock and fishery fields. With this newly acquired goal, Santa Rosa’s vision has also been changed into one that strives to better itself on the field of information, investigation and innovation.

It is fair to say that Santa Rosa has undergone dramatical changes during these past years thanks to the vision of Minister Oduber and the complete collaboration of its faithful employees and new director.

One of the most valued improvement is the monthly farmers markets organized by Santa Rosa. These monthly events are massively visited and not only gives the public the opportunity to buy fresh locally grown fruits, vegetables and meats, but also gives support to the local farmers. Besides giving support to the local farmers and helping with their and the islands economy, Santa Rosa is keeping Aruba’s history and culture alive and introducing the younger population to the beauty and importance of home grown products.

Thanks to Santa Rosa’s awareness campaign many restaurants and hotels are using locally grown products in their dishes, which has landed Aruba on several renowned travel websites for its innovation in cuisine.

Another big achievement for Santa Rosa has been the “10 thousand plant” project, where a total of 10 thousand fruit trees has been planted in neighborhoods around the island with the goal to provide the habitants with locally grown fruits.

The mission of Santa Rosa for these coming years is to keep on improving its service and to further bring awareness on the importance of locally produced products to the extend that one day in the future the importation of fruits and vegetables will no longer be needed as the island will depend solely on its local farmers.