Going Organic: a comparative advantage for the Pacific agritourism

1. Going organic:
a comparative advantage for the
Pacific agritourism sector

2. organic tourism
• Grew from the environmental
movement & the food tourism
movement
• Italy is the leader – over 1200
organic tourism experiences
• Includes: farms; homestays;
food tasting; farm experiences

3. organic tourism
• Activities based on organic farming
• Activities managed in accordance to
principles of eco tourism
• Emphasis on environmental protection
& conservation
• Respect & promotion of traditional Culture
• Use of natural/traditional building material
& architecture.
• Certified by a recognised body
• A tool for sustainable development

4. sustainable development
food & nutritional security
• Increasing and stabilizing yields, particularly in marginal lands
• Improving resistance to pests and diseases
• Decreasing erosion and improving
water uptake and retention
• Maintaining the genetic crop diversity
• Building on local management skills
and resources and so enabling local communities to be food self
sufficient and combat poverty.

5. sustainable development-
climate change
Mitigation:
 Minimizes energy consumption by 30-70% per unit of land.
 Reduces greenhouse gases.
 Stores carbon in soil and plant
biomass.
Adaptation:
 Prevents nutrient and water loss.
 Preserves seed and crop diversity.
 Stable agro-ecosystems provide stable yields, and lower risks

6. Organic Market Opportunities
 Globally Organic sales grew from– 59 Billion USD 2010 to 72 Billion
in 2013
 India and Chinese markets have
both quadrupled in the last 5 years
 Organics Brazil reports 40%
annual growth
 Analysts predict organic sales in Asia
will grow by 20% annually over the next 3 years
Within the Pacific Islands there is anecdotal evidence that
opportunities are opening in the tourism and hospitality markets

7. the challenges
 Cost of certification & complexity of maintaining
certification
 Unsubstantiated claims of organic
 Lack of coordination
 Menus not suiting ingredients that
grow well locally
 Small supply base

8. providing a customer guarantee
Pacific Organic Guarantee System
 Development of Pacific Organic Standard
 Partner Certification Bodies
 Local Auditors
 Participatory Guarantee Systems
 Organic Pasifika Marks
 Organic Tourism Standard

9. examples
• Wakaya Island- Island certified organic
• Homestay Loyalty Islands New Caledonia –
B&B on organic farms, all meals prepared with
home grown produce
• Iririki Resort Vanuatu – Market tours followed
by “Real Pasifki” tasting dinner
• Women in Business Development Inc Farm to Table
• Aviva Farms – organic farm tours and
horseback riding
• Abaiang organic beach
resort

10. Organic tourism?
It represents our Values and the values of our people
It represents our Identity
Creates a market
for our Products
It facilitates sustainable development
It tells our Story

11. Organics and ethical trade:
the key contributor to sustaining our cultures and
communities; improving farmer livelihoods, people’s
health and the environment in the Pacific.