Towards sustainable agriculture in Saint-Martin

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The PTAD places agroecology at the heart of the orientations of agricultural production.

The members of the Territorial Council approved the Territorial Sustainable Agriculture Plan (PTDA) on July 1st. A deliberation intended to contribute to the diversification of the Saint-Martin economy by developing the agricultural potential of Saint-Martin.

This 39-page plan was drawn up thanks to a State / COM partnership, and involving the CCISM and COSDA (Strategic Orientation and Agricultural Development Committee). "Socio-professionals were therefore duly involved in the drafting of this document" underlined Daniel Gibbs during his presentation of the deliberation.

The PTAD is a planning document making it possible to set the main orientations of the agricultural, agrifood and agro-industrial policy in the territory. These guidelines take into account both the results of a diagnosis based on the specificities of the territory and on the economic, social and environmental issues: planning and sustainable development of the rural territory, protection and enhancement of agricultural land, preservation of the environment. traditional agriculture, natural resources, natural environments and biodiversity, development of production, processing and marketing sectors, etc.

“Formerly founded on the exploitation of the salt marshes and the cultivation of tobacco then on that of cotton and sugar cane, the economy of Saint-Martin is today resolutely turned towards tourism. Agriculture, breeding and fishing are only marginal activities and have a negligible impact on the economy of Saint-Martin ”introduces the document before making a detailed diagnosis of the state of the partly French agricultural sector. "45 farms counted on the territory at the last agricultural census (2010): mostly multi-active farmers, 90% are dedicated to breeding, and mostly cattle breeders: evaluation of 800 cattle in total, reared extensively on the farm. 'grass, including 300 suckler cows and 200 annual slaughterings (2011) or 7,5% of the island's consumption, a market garden farm selling directly ”.

According to INSEE, the agriculture sector represented 0,3% of employment in Saint-Martin in 2016 and had further decreased in 2018 according to data from the General Social Security Fund.

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