AGRIBUSINESS FORUM:
LINKING THE AGRIFOOD SECTOR TO THE TOURISM-RELATED MARKETS
Denarau Island, Fiji, 1-3 July 2015
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This Forum is linked to the Brussels Briefings organized by CTA, the European Commission, the ACP Group and Concord on key issues related to ARD in ACP countries. It will also bring some experiences from the Caribbean through the Intra ACP Agricultural Policy Programme. The Forum is organised by CTA, PIPSO and SPC and will be held at the Hotel Sofitel Denarau Island, Fiji, 1-3 July 2015.
Linking agriculture to tourism markets in Pacific
While highly diversified, Pacific Island Countries (PICs) share common challenges that impede their efforts to achieve balanced economic growth and sustainable food security. Major constraints comprise small size, geographic dispersion, vulnerability to natural hazards and vulnerability to external economic conditions. The Pacific Region is facing many region-wide challenges, including the impact of climate change, a pressing need to generate livelihoods and populations that are more and more consuming imported, highly refined foods, accompanied by decreased local food production and consumption. The consequences are an imminent public health crisis and risks for environmental collapse. (FAO, 2009).
The two productive sectors agriculture and tourism seem to offer the best opportunities for inclusive economic growth in several Pacific Island Countries and therefore the promotion of linkages between tourism and agriculture should help create economic opportunities; build resilience in rural communities; and improve sustainable development in both sectors. In spite of the fact that agriculture remains for most countries in the region the main source of livelihood for the majority of the population, its contribution to economic value added has generally declined over the last decade, whereas the tourism sector has seen significant growth. It has become the “life blood” for several of the small island fragile economies.
The agribusiness forum in Fiji will highlight successes in strengthening links between agriculture and tourism industries in the Pacific region.
About the Pacific Agribusiness Forum
The Agribusiness Forum is an annual initiative launched at the UN SIDS Conference held in Samoa in September 2014 by CTA and the Pacific Private Sector Organisation (PIPSO). The first 2015 edition is organized with the Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC) within the inaugural Pacific Community Agritourism Week. The Intra-ACP Policy Agricultural programme is funding 13 experts from the Caribbean and the Indian Ocean.
New ! articles on agribusiness in the Pacific
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Pacific Agribusiness Forum News & Newsletter
1st Pacific Agribusiness Conference Outcomes
Additional materials:
BB. 37 Reader – Building resilience of SIDS through agricultural trade and agribusiness development
Capacity4Dev: Blog – Building Resilience of Small Island Economies
Interviews:
– Ena Harvey, IICA
– Howard Aru, DG for Agriculture, Vanuatu
Additional media coverage: dailypost.vu ; dailypost.vu ; reliefweb.int ; agriculture.caitservicespng ; loopfiji.com ; asia.ifad.org ; noodls.com ; looppng.com ; fijitone.tv ; abc.net ; spot.org ; eturbonews.com ; pina.com ; devex.com ; tawakilagi.com ; thejetnewspaper.com ; paepard.blogspot.be ; marketdevelopmentfacility.org
Wednesday 1st July 2015
Chair: Mereia Volavola, Chief Executive Officer , PIPSO
Opening remarks: Chris Addison, Senior Expert on Knowledge Management, CTA [Opening remarks]; Inoke Ratukalou, Director of the Land Resources Division, SPC; Renato Mele, Head of Operations, Delegation of the European Union for the Pacific; Klaus Stunzner, Chairman of PIPSO
Formal opening: Honourable Inia Seruiratu, Minister for Agriculture, Rural and Maritime Development & National Disaster Management, Ministry of Agriculture
Special guest:
What role for the agrifood private sector in the ACP-EU relations and 11th EDF?
H.E. Roy Mickey Joy, Chairman of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors and Ambassador of Vanuatu to the EU
Session 1 : Opportunities for the Pacific agrifood sector in tourism-related markets
This session will give an overview of the major trends in regional trade and the main tourism-related markets through the various perspectives of research, industry, government, finance
Panelists:
– Developing tourism-market opportunities for Pacific products and promoting trade
Michael Wong, CEO, Fiji Hotel and Tourism Association (FIHTA)
– MSG trade policy: opportunities for private sector and agribusiness development
Henry Sanday, Private sector development adviser, MSG Secretariat
– Linking policies on agriculture and tourism: the case of Vanuatu
Adela Aru, Principal Product Development Officer, Manager of Vanuatu Tourism, Ambassador Programme, Ministry of Tourism & Commerce, Vanuatu
– Product development to better reach new markets
Cate Pleass, Maketing Director, Pleass Global Limited
– Branding and labeling: key strategies for SIDS. The experience of the Caribbean.
Escipión Oliveira, Deputy Executive Director, CEDA [Presentation]
– Going organic: a comparative advantage for the Pacific agritourism sector
Karen Mapusua, POETCom Coordinator
– Main drivers of agritourism in the Caribbean
Ena Harvey, Agritourism Specialist, IICA; Isolina Boto, CTA; Kevon Rhiney, Expert agritourism
Session 2: Linking agriculture and tourism: Learning from successes
This session will look at various models of linkages between the agrifood and tourism sectors which serve tourism-related markets.
Facilitator: Vili Caniogo, SPC
– Organic Farm to Table: creating a sustainable supply chain
Alberta Vitale, Associate Director and Kalais Stanley, Programme Manager, Women in Business Development Inc (WIBDI), Samoa
– Joe’s Farm: Providing vegetables & salads to the tourism- markets in Fiji
Michael Joe, Managing Director, Joe’s Farm [Presentation]
– Vanuatu Direct Ltd Essential and central supplier of fresh and value added food through a certified system to Vanuatu hospitality sector
Cornelia Wyllie, Vanuatu Direct
– Heilala Vanilla: branding and expanding markets
Jennifer Boggiss, CEO, Director, and Co Founder [Presentation]
– Tanna Coffee serves local and regional markets
Terry Adlington, Managing Director, Tanna Coffee, Vanuatu [Presentation]
Thursday 2nd July 2015
Session 2: Linking agriculture and tourism (cont.)
– Sustainable Denis Island : A Vertical Integration Success Story of Agriculture and a Five Star Holiday Resort, Seychelles
Guy Morel, Management and Marketing Expert; Gilbert Port-Louis, Seychelles Agricultural Agency
-Linking Agrifood sector to Tourism related markets – experiences from the Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers
Carmen Nurse, Novella Payne, Caribbean Network of Rural Women Producers (CANROP)
Session 3: Linking fisheries to the tourism-related markets
Organiser and facilitator: Erik Rotsaert, Fisheries Expert [Presentation]
This session will show various models of linkages between the fisheries and tourism sectors in niche products (certified, ecolabelling…), aquaculture, and ranching sectors.
– What partnership between the tourist industry and the fisheries sector?
Georges Ringeisen, Executive Chef, The Grand Pacific Hotel *****, Fiji
– The Crab Company, Fiji
Dr Colin Shelley, Co-founder and Executive Director, The Crab Company of (Fiji) Ltd
-Supplies locally caught seafood to Fiji Island customers
Ronnie Hyer, FIJIFRESH Seafood
-Agribusiness Forum: Linking the Agrifood Sector to the Tourism-Related Markets
Reshika Kumar, Business Adviser, Market Development Facility
Session 4: The Chefs: the link between sustainable tourism, agriculture and cuisine
Organiser and facilitator: Chef Robert Oliver.
This session focuses on the need to upgrade farmers supply chains to larger hotels and resorts, stimulate demand of local products and its use by chefs who can promote ways to more creatively utilize local produce by the hospitality sector. It will illustrate how local food and local cuisine can be promoted in the tourism industry.
Robert Oliver, Chef, author and television presenter of Real Pasifik, Pacific
Shailesh Naidu, President, Fiji Chefs Association, Executive Chef, Outrigger
Chef Dane Saddler, Executive Chef, Caribbean Villa Chefs, Barbados
Ena Harvey, IICA agritourism expert
Session 5: Agrifinance: new opportunities for the agribusiness sector/ Partnerships and PPPs for entrepreneurship in Agritourism
Organiser and facilitator: Lamon Rutten, Manager, Policies, value chains and ICTs, CTA
– Tevita Madigibuli, General Manager Relationship & Sales, Fiji Development Bank
–Ashleigh Matheson, Chief Risk Officer, Bank of the South Pacific
– Aseri Manulevu; Manager Business Finance, HFC Bank, Fiji
-Sashi Kiran, Founder and Director of FRIEND, Fiji
-Eugene Williams, Local Business Banking Manager, Westpac Bank
Just create the anchor
Session 6: Addressing the data gaps for Agribusiness/Agritourism
Organiser and facilitator: Chris Addison, Sr Coordinator Knowledge Management, CTA
This session will share the work on agribusiness platforms being developed with CABA and PIPSO and the need to strengthen key business information and data for the SMEs and partners involved in the agribusiness sector. Some insights on the use of new technologies (i.e. drones) to build data will be shared as well as mapping farms with GPS and l inking to mobile app to build data.
– What data for agribusiness/agritourism?
Chris Addison, CTA and Stephane Boyera, ICT expert, Mereia Volavola, PIPSO and Vassel Stewart, CABA [Presentation]
Anna Fink, SPC Expert, Agricultural Statistics
– What tools and applications to collect, manage and use data locally?
Amiaifolau Afamasaga Luatua, Samoa Tourism Authority [Presentation]
– Use of Drones in the Agritourism sector
Kevin Rotsaert, Skyward Industries Ltd, Fiji [Presentation]
– GIS & integrated data for sound business decisions
Faumuina F. Tafunai, WIBDI
Tracking Demand Dynamics of Agricultural Produce in the Seychelles: A Prerequisite for Strategy Formulation, Guy Morel, Management and Marketing Expert; Gilbert Port-Louis, Seychelles Agricultural Agency
– Wrap up and closure
Mereira Volavola, PIPSO; Chris Addison, CTA
-Closing remarks
H.E. Roy Mickey Joy, Chairman of the ACP Committee of Ambassadors and Ambassador of Vanuatu to the EU [Closing remarks]
Visit to Joe’s Farm in Nadi.
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