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World Food Day 2026: Minister Connor called for food security and growing food at home
Marking World Food Day, VSA Minister Claret Connor urged residents to cut food waste, buy local and grow food at home, and said his ministry is looking into distributing breadfruit trees, according to the government.
By SXM Daily ยท
Statement released Thursday 15 October 2026.
Claret Connor, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), marked World Food Day on 16 October by asking Sint Maarten residents to think about food security, healthy eating and more sustainable ways of feeding the community, according to a statement released by the government.
The 2026 World Food Day theme was "Innovate Today. Nourish Tomorrow." In the statement, the minister said: "Food is a basic human necessity and an essential part of human dignity." He added that the community must keep looking at how to make nutritious food "more accessible and affordable," while helping people take a bigger part in producing what they eat.
Thanks to food-distribution groups
Connor thanked the organisations, foundations, businesses, community groups and individuals who run food distribution and feeding programmes around Sint Maarten for families facing financial hardship. "Your work makes a meaningful difference in the lives of our people, and we encourage these acts of compassion and community solidarity to continue," he said.
Breadfruit trees under consideration
The government said that, alongside immediate food assistance, the minister wants longer-term options that make households more resilient and less dependent on imported food. To that end, the Ministry of VSA is "currently looking into" an initiative to introduce and distribute breadfruit trees across Sint Maarten, to be followed by other fruit-bearing trees and plants. This is a proposal: the statement did not give a start date, a budget or details of how trees would be handed out.
"We have a rich Caribbean heritage of growing, sharing, and making use of what the land provides," Connor said. "We want to build on that knowledge and encourage a renewed culture of growing food at home, sharing resources, and supporting one another."
Parliament President backs the idea
Parliament President Sarah Wescot-Williams endorsed the breadfruit-tree plan in a letter to the minister, as reported by SMN News and Soualiga Newsday, which carried her statement. She suggested adding banana, coconut, avocado, mango and tamarind trees, quick-harvest vegetables, and short how-to videos on planting.
She also said she will again raise the problem of vervet monkeys destroying crops. She said Parliament passed her 2021 budget amendment setting aside NAf 100,000 for the Nature Foundation's Monkey Management Project. The ministry has not said whether the tree initiative will go ahead; it remains under review.
What residents were asked to do
The statement listed practical steps residents can take: cutting food waste, choosing healthier food where possible, buying from local farmers and producers, and growing fruit, vegetables and other crops at home or in their communities. The ministry asked everyone to consider one practical step toward a healthier, more food-secure Sint Maarten. The same statement was also carried by 721news.
Sources
- Government of Sint Maarten: Minister Connor Marks World Food Day by Calling for Sustainable Food Security and Community Self-Reliance
- 721news: Minister Connor Marks World Food Day by Calling for Sustainable Food Security and Community Self-Reliance
- SMN News: Wescot-Williams statement on the breadfruit initiative
- Soualiga Newsday: Wescot-Williams statement on the breadfruit initiative