St. Eustatius has one of the strongest food buffers in the Dutch Caribbean, but supply disruptions would still become visible within days

ORANJESTAD – St. Eustatius has the highest level of food self-sufficiency in the Dutch Caribbean, giving the island a stronger food buffer than neighboring islands such as Saba and St. Maarten. But a new baseline study on food security warns that even the island would begin feeling the effects of supply chain disruptions within only a few days if imports were interrupted.

The study, commissioned by the Dutch Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, identifies Statia as the best-performing island in terms of local food production. The island reaches a self-sufficiency level of 13.88 percent, the highest among Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba and St. Maarten.

That relatively high percentage does not mean Statia is close to food independence. More than 86 percent of food still comes from imports. But compared with the rest of the Dutch Caribbean, the island has a broader agricultural base and more physical capacity to produce food locally.

Days of supply

The report’s most important finding is how quickly food security becomes visible when looking at “days of supply”, the number of days supermarkets and retailers can continue supplying food if imports stop temporarily.

Across the Dutch Caribbean, imported food stocks average only about 3.4 days. Local production slightly extends that buffer. On Statia, the stronger agricultural sector provides a somewhat larger cushion than on neighboring Saba, particularly for fresh produce and livestock-related products.

According to the study, Statia’s advantage comes mainly from geography. Unlike Saba’s steep volcanic terrain, St. Eustatius has significantly more usable flat land suitable for agriculture and livestock farming. That physical difference shapes the island’s entire food system.

The report describes Statia as one of the few islands in the region where meaningful expansion of local agriculture remains physically possible. Local production includes vegetables, livestock, eggs and small-scale farming activities that contribute directly to daily food availability.

Supply chains

Even so, St. Eustatius remains deeply connected to regional supply chains.

Like Saba, the island depends heavily on imports routed through St. Maarten and regional shipping networks. Imported products arrive in relatively small but frequent shipments. According to the researchers, the island’s supermarkets and retailers therefore operate with limited storage buffers.

That means disruptions in regional shipping, weather conditions or transport logistics can still become visible quickly in stores and restaurants.

The study notes that Statia’s retail network is small and concentrated, with only a limited number of supermarkets and import channels serving the island population. While that is typical for small Caribbean islands, it reduces flexibility when supply chains are interrupted.

Fresh products remain particularly vulnerable because they depend on rapid replenishment cycles.

Informal farming

One of the report’s more striking conclusions is that Statia likely produces more food than official statistics currently capture. Informal farming, backyard agriculture and small-scale fishing remain partly outside formal registration systems. The researchers therefore believe actual local food availability may be somewhat higher than measured in the baseline.

Still, the study warns against overly optimistic expectations about food sovereignty.

The researchers conclude that full food self-sufficiency is unrealistic even for St. Eustatius. Water availability, energy use, labor limitations and market scale remain major constraints. Expanding local production further would also require investment in irrigation, infrastructure, logistics and agricultural support systems.

Balancing act

The report also highlights the balancing act between agriculture, housing, tourism and environmental protection. Although Statia has more agricultural potential than neighboring islands, land remains limited and development choices directly affect food production possibilities.

According to the researchers, the island’s greatest opportunity lies not in replacing imports entirely, but in strategically strengthening local production to improve resilience during temporary disruptions.

That could include expanding vegetable production, improving livestock systems, strengthening storage facilities and supporting local producers with infrastructure and market access.

The broader conclusion of the study is that St. Eustatius demonstrates what is physically possible in the Caribbean when islands have relatively more usable land. But it also shows the limits of small-island food systems.

Even the strongest-performing island in the Dutch Caribbean still depends heavily on ships, planes and regional supply chains.

And when those systems fail, food security quickly becomes a matter of days rather than weeks.