Projects Circular Economy
3 min.
Back in 2021, when our Future Islands platform had just been launched, one of our first articles was on Jim Garza and his unrelenting efforts to get the Gezondheid Farms hydroponics farm at Rendez-Vous on Saba up and running. Now, less than half a year later, we are excited to report that the farm is working as planned, to such an extent that it led to the tiny island of Saba receiving special attention from national and international experts during this year’s World Water Day.
Saba showing potential
“On March 22nd, we celebrated World Water Day on Saba in unison with the world”, said Rolando Wilson, Commissioner of Agriculture for Saba, recently. “We are practicing good water resource management practices at the Gezondheid Farms indoor hydroponic farm operation, which is in full swing”. The farm at Rendez-Vous, on the southern side of the island, requires a lot less water to grow fresh produce than a conventional farm. For example, a conventional farm needs about 27,000 gallons of water for the irrigation of one acre of farmland, but the facility in Saba requires just 20% of that amount.
On top of that, the Gezondheid Farms hydroponic farm on Saba also recycles no less than half of the water used for indoor processes. They then use this water as a food supplement for outdoor plants, like the planned mushroom farm enclosure. This means that, in reality, the farm actually uses just 10% of the water a conventional farm uses. No wonder the project attracted attention during this year’s World Water Day.
World Water Day
World Water Day is an initiative aimed at advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources around the world. Since 1993, it takes place every year on March 22nd and is organized by UN-Water, the United Nation’s interagency mechanism tasked with the coordination of the efforts of the UN and other international organizations working on water and sanitation. The idea behind World Water Day is to inspire people to think and learn more about water-related issues, and to encourage them to take concrete action to make a difference.
Besides coordinating worldwide water-related initiatives and efforts, and mobilizing people and organizations to action, UN-Water also decides the specific theme of each world Water Day. In 2020, for example, the theme was “Water and Climate Change”, while a year later, the focus was on “Valuing Water”, which included a campaign that invited people to take to social media and tell the world their personal stories about water. The theme for this year is “Groundwater, Making the Invisible Visible”, to shift the spotlight to our planet’s largest (but shockingly often overlooked) source of freshwater.
The basis for this article was originally published on www.saba-news.com in April 2022.
