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The Island Resilience Exchange Begins: My Journey to Taiwan
- Leeza Charles
- Sep 21
- 5 min read
In January 2025, Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te announced the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative - Diplomatic Allies Inbound Track. This new program supports young leaders from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies who are working on ideas to solve real challenges in their countries. I was recently selected to represent Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as part of this program.
My proposal, Island Resilience Exchange: Taiwan, focuses on learning from Taiwan’s approach to sustainable farming and cultural preservation. I will explore how Taiwan uses smart agriculture to build resilience. I hope to bring this knowledge back to support food systems and youth innovation in the Caribbean.
This is not just a study trip. It is part of a deeper journey that began at home.
From Community Gardens to International Learning
My connection with Taiwan started in early 2024 through the Zero Hunger Trust Fund. As a volunteer, I joined a hands-on training at the Taiwan Technical Mission farm in Orange Hill. We studied how to grow healthy vegetable seedlings and handle fresh crops after harvest.(Read more about that project here)
Soon after, I helped support a backyard farming project in South Leeward. This project gave families access to their own food sources and was supported by Taiwanese agricultural advisors, including Mr. Lee Chin Yu.(Read more about that here)
These projects helped me see how agriculture can do more than feed people. It can build independence, restore dignity, and strengthen our response to climate change.
Why Taiwan? Why Now?
Taiwan is showing strong leadership in climate-resilient agriculture. The country is using precision farming tools and developing new climate-ready crops to deal with limited land and extreme weather. Taiwan is also restoring ecosystems, increasing agrobiodiversity, and setting a clear goal to reach net-zero emissions in agriculture by 2050.
Their work is not just technical. It is also supported by clear government policies and international partnerships. This makes Taiwan an ideal place to learn how small countries like ours can build strong, self-reliant food systems.
In Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the need for this knowledge is urgent.
We are still recovering from the 2021 eruption of La Soufrière volcano. That disaster destroyed farmland, killed livestock, and displaced almost 20 percent of the population. It hit hardest in our most fertile farming zones.
Dr. Cheron Constance wrote about this in her article, High Time for Resilient Agriculture and Food Systems in St. Vincent and the Grenadines. She explains that the eruption forced our country to re-examine how little had been invested in agriculture. It showed how fragile our food system had become, especially when faced with overlapping crises like COVID-19, climate change, and disaster recovery.
As Dr. Constance writes, rebuilding requires more than relief. It demands long-term thinking, investment in local food policies, and a serious shift in how agriculture is valued by the public and by policy leaders.
That is why this exchange with Taiwan matters so much. It is a chance to see what is working elsewhere and bring home lessons that we urgently need.
A Bit About Me
I am a sustainability advocate from Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. My work focuses on agriculture, culture, and community design. I grew up between the farming valleys of Vermont and the island of Mustique. These places taught me to value both land and legacy.
Today, I am realizing Arubana, a startup that is creating a regenerative ecosystem rooted in food, culture, and land-based learning. At its core, Arubana is a retreat space in development, but the work already happening on the ground includes providing seedlings for micro farms, designing food systems for local businesses, and supporting agro-tourism initiatives. It is both a space and a platform for experimenting with sustainability in small island contexts.
I also co-founded YEARN, a youth group working in agriculture and climate adaptation. I help lead a new hydroponics education program soon, and I am a director of an educational foundation that supports 83, underprivilege students across the country.
In addition to my work on land, I am also a certified PADI Diver and coral reef gardener. I have helped restore marine ecosystems through hands-on conservation diving and underwater planting. This work connects directly to my interest in blue-green agriculture and coastal resilience.
I see this as a chance to listen, learn, and return with ideas that can support local action.
What Comes Next
In the coming weeks, I will travel to Taiwan to learn from farmers, researchers, and leaders in sustainable agriculture, community leadership and public policy. I will document my experience and share what I learn through Arubana and local partnerships.
My hope is to support future exchanges, build new collaborations, and help create food systems that work for our islands. I believe small islands can learn from each other and help lead the way in global resilience.
The future will not be built by chance. It will be built through care, creativity, and cooperation.
I am grateful for this opportunity. And I am ready to begin.
Thank You to the Embassy and Program Partners
I am deeply thankful to the Taiwanese Embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for recognizing my proposal and selecting me for this opportunity.
Special thanks to Ambassador Fiona Huei-Chun Fan for her leadership and support, and to Tom Chung, who kindly answered every question I had during the proposal process. Their guidance made this journey possible.
I also thank the Republic of China (Taiwan) for creating the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Program. This opportunity is a powerful step toward deeper connections between our islands and stronger pathways for sustainable development.
A Note of Thanks
As I get ready to travel to Taiwan, I want to say thank you to the student liaisons and cultural collaborators who helped me prepare my proposal. They are all students from Saint Vincent who are studying in Taiwan. Their support has made this project stronger and more grounded.
They have helped with research, feedback, and cultural guidance. I will also have the chance to meet with them in person and continue learning together during the trip.
Their support includes:
Translation and local support during workshops, visits, and community events
Cultural insight, especially on student life and how to connect with local people
Joining some activities to learn and reflect together as Vincentian students living in Taiwan
I want to thank:
Sarah Haniffa Haniella Stephens, who is studying tropical agriculture and brings strong knowledge about food systems and community
Yannick Ashley Derryh Bacchus, who is beginning graduate studies in agriculture and brings leadership and thoughtful perspective
Rolissa Aleanor Ballantyne, a PhD student in animal science with deep experience in sustainability and farming
Special Thanks to Ambassador Andrea Bowman
I also want to thank Ambassador Andrea Bowman, who has been an important mentor in my life. She was once my English teacher and helped shape my voice as a writer.
Her support, then and now, continues to inspire me. I am grateful for her presence in Taiwan and look forward to learning from her leadership throughout this program.
Each of them plays a key role in this exchange. I am proud to work alongside them and grateful for the chance to learn together.
—
Leeza Charles
Founder, Arubana
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