[{"bbox": [97, 153, 1134, 286], "category": "Text", "text": "Since the current situation of the agricultural sector on the island is largely characterised by very small scale informal, subsistence oriented farming (weak sector infrastructure, lack of agricultural extension services, hardly any commercial use of the sector to generate income and unregulated with many farmers who are neither registered nor officially employed), there is the need to strengthen the regulatory framework, the governance, resilience, productivity and infrastructure of the sector."}, {"bbox": [97, 301, 447, 327], "category": "Text", "text": "The Action will mostly be directed to:"}, {"bbox": [97, 329, 503, 355], "category": "Text", "text": "1. Strengthen agriculture sector governance;"}, {"bbox": [97, 356, 666, 382], "category": "Text", "text": "2. Create a conducive environment for sustainable agriculture."}, {"bbox": [97, 407, 1134, 620], "category": "Text", "text": "This Action will contribute to achieving the EU priorities, namely the Green Deal⁵, but also its international commitments to support actions aligned with the Paris Agreement on Climate Change⁶ and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030. In addition, this Action will contribute to the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, mainly to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 2 'End hunger: Achieve food security, end hunger and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture'; 14 'Conserve and sustainably use the oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development'; and 15 'Protect, restore and promote sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems, sustainably manage forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation and halt biodiversity loss'."}, {"bbox": [97, 647, 1134, 780], "category": "Text", "text": "The complementary support will notably be used to strengthen the agriculture sector governance, in particular by supporting the development of a 'Strategic Action Plan for Sustainable Agriculture'. With a horizon of 2030, the document will set clear targets for increasing production and productivity of food crops, animal husbandry and fisheries, and prioritised infrastructure needs (upgrade/new) through a community based and gender sensitive process."}, {"bbox": [85, 807, 322, 839], "category": "Section-header", "text": "# 2 RATIONALE"}, {"bbox": [85, 870, 234, 897], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.1 Context"}, {"bbox": [85, 916, 308, 940], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### 2.1.1 General context"}, {"bbox": [85, 957, 1143, 1069], "category": "Text", "text": "Sint Eustatius is a public entity/special municipality of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, having gained this status upon the dissolution of the Dutch Antilles in October 2010. Together with the public entities of Saba and Bonaire, it forms the Caribbean Netherlands. They are supported by Dutch line ministries, coming together through the *Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland* (RCN)."}, {"bbox": [85, 1088, 1143, 1201], "category": "Text", "text": "EU cooperation with the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCT) is framed by Part IV of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) and the Decision on the Overseas Association including Greenland (DOAG). OCTs are constitutionally linked to a Member State, in the case of Sint Eustatius to the Netherlands, but are not part of the EU territory, and therefore are not bound by the EU *acquis*."}, {"bbox": [85, 1220, 1143, 1390], "category": "Text", "text": "Sustainable Agriculture, as part of the island's resilience, was jointly identified by Sint Eustatius and the European Commission as the priority area of Sint Eustatius' Multiannual Indicative Programme (MIP) 2021-2027⁷ adopted in December 2021. This MIP will be implemented through one single Action. Given the small size of the population and the relatively small size of agricultural production, Sint Eustatius aims to produce enough for its own population to ensure food security of this currently largely food import dependent OCT. Nonetheless, there is a potential to develop small-scale exports to neighbouring islands as income generating activity."}, {"bbox": [85, 1523, 1143, 1572], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁵ Communication from the Commission to the European Parliament, the European Council, the Council, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions, The European Green Deal, COM(2019)640 final."}, {"bbox": [85, 1572, 1143, 1621], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁶ Dutch OCTs, including Sint Eustatius, did not sign up to the Paris Agreement. However, its objectives and role are very relevant in the broader framework of international action on climate change."}, {"bbox": [85, 1621, 1134, 1646], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁷ https://international-partnerships.ec.europa.eu/system/files/2021-12/mip-2021-c2021-9164-oct-annex-8-st-eustatius_en.pdf"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1657, 1143, 1681], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 5 of 24"}]