ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Building Resilience in Aruba’s Food Security During the Pandemic and Beyond is a World Bank rapid assessment developed for the Government of Aruba (GoA) to support its policy response post-COVID to bolster food security. This report is the output of rich dialogue and exchange through long distance digital technology with a number of institutions and individuals in Aruba.

This work is part of the Technical Assistance Program for Disaster Risk Financing and Insurance (DRFI TA) in Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) to enhance long term financial resilience to disasters in Caribbean OCTs, to the benefit of the most vulnerable. The DRFI TA in Caribbean OCTs is a partnership between the European Union (EU), the World Bank Group, and the Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery (GFDRR). The program is part of the EU-funded Caribbean OCTs Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity Program (RESEMBID), implemented by Expertise France, the World Bank Group and GFDRR.

A World Bank team carried out this work in cooperation with Aruba’s Department of Economic Affairs, Commerce and Industry (DEACI), Department of Agriculture, Livestock and Fishery (Santa Rosa), Ministry of Finance, Economic Affairs and Culture (MFEAC) and the Ministry of General Affairs, Integrity, Government Org., Innovation & Energy (MGAIGIE).

The World Bank team would like to thank in particular, Mrs. Maria Dijkhoff-Pita and Mrs. Nathalie Maduro and their dedicated teams for their support in data collection and technical guidance.

The World Bank team appreciates the inputs provided by World Bank peer reviewers Oscar Ishizawa, Diego Arias and Marlon Rawlins. The report also greatly benefited from the input of key stakeholders, that have collaborated or assisted the WB team.

ORGANIZATIONS

AIB-Bank N.V. Aruba Hotel and Tourism Association (AHATA) Aruba Aloe Balm N.V. Aruba Banking Association Aruba Gastronomic Association Aruba Tourism Authority (ATA) Aruba Trade and Industry Association (ATIA) CEDE Aruba Central Bureau ofStatistics Centrale Bankvan Aruba Aruba ChamberofCommerce and Industry Cooperative Agricula Aruba Department forInfrastucture and Planning Directorate ofNature and Environment ElmarN.V. FASTcollection & delivery services N.V FRASA international trading N.V. Futura foundation Giannis Group Goshen Sustainable DevelopmentVBA Guardian Group Insurance Association ofAruba Metabolic Foundation Office ofthe MinisterPlenipotentiary forAruba (Washington) Office ofthe MinisterofEducation, Science and Sustainable Development Petite Greens Aruba Stichting Qredits Microfinanciering Aruba SDG Aruba Social Economic Council (SER) Steering committee Recovery & innovation Stichting Chanita ta di Fiesta (i.o) Stichting Rancho Task force Food security United Farmers Aruba University ofAruba Utilities N.V. Vertegenwoordiging van Nederland in Oranjestad WEB NV World Food Programme Caribbean

The analysis undertaken in the preparation ofthis strategy document has been based upon the data available as of the onset of the COVID pandemic and shutdown in Aruba in March 2020. No additional field data was collected other than the interviews conducted by telephone or web-conferencing, complementing the data already available inside and outside of the country. As the very limited existing agricultural production and processing activities in Aruba do not yet constitute a full-fledged agricultural sector in any conventional sense, representing a fraction of a percentage of GDP, the official statistics that would typically be collected for an analysis of this sort do not yet apply. Throughout the document we identify specific tasks to proceed with the identification of project design and scaling, should the Government choose to proceed with this initiative. Furthermore, one of the core elements of the proposed initiative is the establishment of an “Observatory” that will serve as the initial collection mechanism and repository of data regarding production technologies and agronomic, risk-related, financial and economic data generated by producers and other relevant stakeholders in Aruba should the initiative proceed.