President Louis Mussington signs the agreement with FNSAFER Acting Director Muriel Gozal (left) as Territorial Councillors Valerie Fonrose (partly hidden) and Daniel Arnel (right) look on.
MARIGOT--President Louis Mussington visited the recently concluded Agriculture Fair in Paris where he signed an assistance agreement with Fédération Nationale des Sociétés d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Établissement Rural (FNSAFER). This partnership will enable the Collectivité to support its strategy to revive the sustainable agricultural economy. The Chamber of Commerce CCISM had a stand at the show.
This agreement signed between President Louis Mussington and Acting Director of FNSAFER Muriel Gozal will enable technical support to be put in place, firstly to launch a diagnosis of the agricultural land in St. Martin, and then to refine the revival strategy.
The zoning of Plan Occupation de Sol (POS) of St. Martin indicates that the areas classified as agricultural zones cover 305.85 hectares, which represents 5.75% of the area of the French part of the island. St. Martin also has a Territorial Plan for Sustainable Agriculture, published by Prefectoral decree in October 2021. This plan sets the priorities for public action in favour of developing the agricultural sector in the short and medium term.
The Collectivité is working in four major areas: encouraging and promoting quality local agriculture; strengthening and facilitating technical, educational and financial support; developing exchanges and innovation, and ensuring access to and preservation of natural resources.
In the context of examination of subsidy applications under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD), many applications are rejected because the land is not freely available (no title). The number of applications for agricultural subsidies also decreases from year to year, due to undivided ownership, uninsured inheritance, disputes related to multiple ownership, lack of deeds of ownership and non-compliant leases.
The aim of the agreement is to enable the Collectivité to mobilise FNSAFER and Sociétés d'Aménagement Foncier et d'Établissement Rural (SAFER) in Guadeloupe to set up a diagnosis of the territory's agricultural land. This diagnosis will then be used in the framework of the Territorial Plan for Sustainable Agriculture of Saint-Martin and the Saint-Martin Planning and Development Plan (PADSM).
It will present the land issues and will be completed by an exhaustive overview of action to be taken and the legal and technical possibilities, which could give rise to a multi-year partnership with the Safer de Guadeloupe.
In parallel with this agricultural mission, the preservation of the environment is a major issue. SAFER Guadeloupe also carries out studies for third parties, not only in relation to land development, but also in relation to the development of agriculture, nature and landscapes.
Through this partnership initiative, the Collectivité is pursuing its project to revive the agricultural economy of St. Martin while respecting local and environmental issues.
