Eight thousand pallets and three thousand tyers were the building blocks of the Oasis Farm in Pos Chiquito, which Ruthself Emer built around his home in an effort to prove we can grow our own food and become sustainable.
Things were going well, the papaya trees were growing, tourists were stopping by for a garden experience on their way to Baby Beach, school children came for lessons in growing and planting, the ducks, peacocks and chicken, laid and hatched eggs, shared the ponds and watched the bananas grow.
Then almost-storm Bonnie, knocked on our door and DOW decided to run and bulldozer through the property, despite the fact that nothing was planted directly in dirt, the entire garden was suspended, allowing room for the water to flow underneath!
The damage of the bulldozer was substantial, and the farm now have a Go Fund Me page, and this is what it says:
The Oasis Farm & Community Learning Center Needs Your Help
One of Aruba’s newest farms is located in the neighborhood of Pos Chiquito in Savaneta. The Oasis Farm is a plantation-style farm, growing mostly tropical fruits in a nearly 100% sustainable operation.
Operations are passionately overseen by Aruban and San Nicolas native Rutsel “Georgie” Emer, who after living in the tropical environment of Brazil, was inspired upon his return to Aruba to create a natural oasis around the corner home he was renting.
The farm focuses mainly on tropical fruit crops including papaya, mangoes, passionfruit, dragon fruit, and bananas. The Oasis Farm is slowly adding vegetables into the mix, including yuca, cassava, pumpkins, squash, sweet potatoes, bell peppers, tomatoes, and a variety of herbs. Georgie’s operation is fully organic, and constructed with recycled, upcycled, and repurposed materials like pallet wood and used tires.
Georgie is eager to share his passion for island farming with Aruba’s next generation, and welcomes students to spend time on the farm, learning about sustainable growing. Over the past two years, hundreds of Aruba’s youth have enjoyed the enriching experience provided by Oasis Farm, while guests touring the farm experience the organic fresh juices, smoothies, salads, and more.
Currently, The Oasis Farm & Community Learning Center is partially located on government land. The farm was given temporary permission to utilize the land for farming, however because of the potential for this area to flood during times of extreme rain events, a large portion of the farm was broken down recently in anticipation of Tropical Storm Bonnie. With less than a day’s notice and on the eve of the storm’s arrival, the government decided that parts of the land needed to be dredged to help the water pass through the area, however in the process the farm lost the majority of its nearly 750 papaya trees, the main crop of Oasis Farm.
The Oasis Farm is reaching out to the community to help raise funds to assist the farm in continuing with this sustainable farming concept and sharing the passion and knowledge for local farming with the island’s youth. Funds will be earmarked to either build the current location back up, pending an agreement with the government to continue using the current location, while also assisting with infrastructure to help navigate the flooding potential in this area, or relocating the farm to another part of the island.
The Oasis Farm & Community Learning Center is appreciative of any financial assistance to help bring the farm back to its former glory and introducing Aruba’s next generation to sustainable farming and living.
The Oasis Farm has a great plant nursery, lots of plants for sale, at reasonable prices.
