Linking agriculture to tourism markets in Pacific - New CTA Briefing, Fiji, 1-3 July 2015

The agribusiness forum in Fiji will highlight successes in strengthening links between agriculture and tourism industries in the Pacific region. 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.

http://brusselsbriefings.net/past-briefings/building-resilience-of-sids…