1. Agritourism Potential in the Caribbean
Ena Harvey
Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA)
Kevon Rhiney
University of the West Indies (UWI)
Denarau Island, Fiji, 1-3 July 2015

2. About IICA (www.iica.int)
• Mandate under the IABA for agriculture and Rural
Life - Towards a sustainable, inclusive,
competitive inter-American agriculture
• Unique Network of 34 offices in LAC
• State-of-the-art knowledge and expertise on key
issues affecting the agri-food and rural sectors in LAC
– 72 years
• 12+ years focussing on Agrotourism
• New MTP focussing on Natural Resources , Resilience and Climate Smart
Agriculture

3. Publications

4. Introduction
Destination 2010 Destination 2010
Commonwealth
Caribbean
6,310.8 Other
Commonwealth
5,005.6
OECS Countries 1,305.3 Bahamas 1,510.2**
Anguilla 54.0 Barbados 531.2**
Antigua & Barbuda 245.8** Belize 220.6**
BVI 304.5** Bermuda 256.6**
Dominica 80.1 Cayman Islands 259.9**
Grenada 133.9 Guyana 100.9
Montserrat 10.1 Jamaica 1,414.8**
SKN 91.8 Trinidad & Tobago 442.6**
St. Lucia 298.4** Suriname 137.8
SVG 86.7 Other Caribbean 15,504.5
Table: Tourist Arrivals in the Caribbean by Destination (thousands)

5. Introduction
What is Agritourism?
 There is no clear definition for the term ‘agritourism’
 Broadly speaking, agritourism can be understood as constituting a
form of niche tourism that involves touring agricultural areas to see
farms and participate in farm activities
However…
 the term can also be taken to involve the production, marketing and
sale of farm-based products for tourist consumption

6.  IICA has identified six different types of linkages between agriculture
and tourism in the Caribbean (Harvey, 2011):
 agribusiness deals with the hotel and restaurant sector to supply them
with produce and processed foods;
 health and wellness;
 Heritage – agricultural museums, craft, visits to old plantations;
 local food festivals and culinary traditions;
 farm-based activities such as rural bed & breakfasts and farm tours; and
 community-based initiatives e.g. village fairs, rum shop tours and
community markets.

7. Why Agritourism?
 Caribbean agriculture has been struggling to remain competitive
 High levels of food imports
 Natural hazards
 Tourism is the life-blood of many Caribbean economies
 Agritourism presents a promising avenue for diversification and trade
growth for the agriculture sector in many Caribbean states

8. Background and Scope
 Aim: document eleven successful cases of trade linkages in the Caribbean
between agribusinesses and buyers in the tourism sector that can be up-
scaled and/or replicated.

9.  Specific objectives include:
 Identification of cases of linked agribusiness and tourism actors in five
selected Caribbean countries, analyzing key drivers of success and key
limitations
 Identification of good practices and the key innovations in building win-
win market relationships amongst farmers, processors and entrepreneurs
with the hotel/restaurant/food service sector at the national and regional
levels
 Suggesting key institutional and policy bottlenecks that need to be
addressed in order to up-scale benefits for agribusiness and tourism
sectors

10. Jamaica

11. Jamaica – Woodford Market Garden
 small organic farm situated in the heart of the Blue Mountains,
Jamaica; established in 1994
 packages and distributes salad mixes, under the Woodford Market
Garden label, primarily to hotels, and restaurants and a few
supermarkets around Kingston.
 The business generally employs between 10 and 12 persons on a full
and part-time basis. Around 80 percent of staff hail from the
community of Woodford.

12. Product Differentiation
 Aim to offer a product that is delivered fresh from farm to table in
the shortest possible time, beautifully presented with a variety of
colors, textures and flavors, and grown with as minimum harm to the
environment
 Products are introduced to
clients in order to ensure
that they know how to use
the different varieties on
offer. They even provide
advice on how to store and
prepare their produce

13.  Ironically, the product that was a difficult sell at first – the offer of a
unique range of salad mixes – is now the very thing that has set the
business apart from its competitors
A salad dish made entirely
from the Woodford Market
Garden’s Super Greens Salad
Blend
 What has remained a key selling point for the business is the fact that it
continues to offer a unique range of certified organic products.

14. Marketing and Branding
 Aside from presenting customers with samples of new products, the business
also provides product information and recipe sheets to its clientele
 use of social media to promote products
 also partnered with another agribusiness firm in the area, Belcour Preserves,
which has been producing value-added products targeted at both the domestic
and export markets
 Belcour’s products
are sold locally to
cafes, specialty food
stores and tourist gift
shops across the
island.

15. Opportunities for Diversification and Expansion
 The business will start offering Tour & Taste packages to the farm, where visitors will
be able to see and experience a small working organic farm and enjoy a meal of the
food that is grown on the farm.
 forms part of a recently introduced Blue Mountain culinary tour initiative, which is
done in association with other farm owners in the area.
Evening dinner setup at the family home

16. Risks and Challenges
 Challenges accessing financial assistance; over the years, the business
has benefited very little from grant funding
 general absence of good infrastructure in the area, especially with
regards to accessibility.
 recent fluxes in seasonal weather patterns pose a challenge to the
productivity of the farm.
 Recently, Woodford and surrounding communities have been impacted
by a spate of bush fires that have caused severe damage to farms in
the area; the coffee industry being the hardest hit.

17. Suriname

18. Suriname – Gopex International
 GOPEX International is a family-owned and operated agricultural
trading company located in the small rural farming district of
Saramacca, northern Suriname.
 The company has been in existence for more than thirty years.
 The first agri-firm to set
up a cold chain facility
in Suriname

19. Business Structure and Key Activities
 The company has two sections
 exports a range of fresh produce to Holland, including bitter gart, okra,
pepper, and African eggplant. Also grows a variety of herbs and spices
including celery, lentils, parsley, chives as well as fruits, such as mangoes.
 company does some processing on site (seems limited to peeling and
cutting assorted fruits). The company also does its own packaging and
labeling.
 directly employs a total of 17 person, inclusive of eight contract farm
workers from the Philippines, four packers and two supervisors/quality
managers
 Business has six out-growers who currently supply a range of fruits,
vegetables, herbs and spices. The company offers these out-growers a
fixed price for the year, and provides input – seeds, fertilizer, etc. – to
each of them as well.

20. Product Differentiation
 the first and only company in Suriname’s agricultural sector to have received
HACCP certification (attained in 2010) and ISO 2002 certification in 2014
 company is currently applying for Global GAP certification
Mr. Gopal showcasing field training manuals for the
Global GAP Certificate
In terms of the domestic market, the
company currently supplies a wide
range of fruits, vegetables and herbs
to KFC, Pizza Hut and a number of
other restaurants and hotels located
in Paramaribo.

21.  The company is still, however, a far way from being ready for Global GAP
certification:
 Separation of processing (e.g. peeling and cutting of fresh fruits and vegetables)
and packaging to avoid any possibility of cross-contamination
 The overall facility needs to be expanded to allow for the allocation of designated
areas for the different activities, for example, storage, washing, processing and
packaging
 In order to be Global GAP certified, all farming activities will have to take place on
property
 has already expanded the facility to include a post-harvest and food
processing facility.
 There are four greenhouses currently on the property, and there are plans in
place to add twelve more

22. Inside one of several greenhouses at GOPEX

23. Major Risks and Challenges
 the real benefits of these food standards investments will not materialize
right away; and in the case of the Global GAP certification, there will need to
be a tremendous amount of investment in infrastructure for the certification
to be granted.
 Access to financial services is a major challenge in doing business within the
agriculture sector in Suriname (prohibitively high interest rates)
 Labor market deficiencies also pose a challenge to the sector.

24. Key Drivers of Success
 Analysis of the case studies reveals several distinct drivers
of success:
 Adherence to quality standards and certification
 Maintaining strong market visibility and proactive promotion of
products
 Forging strategic business alliances
 Maintaining a high and consistent product quality
 Maintaining strong ties with clientele/trading partners
 Keeping abreast with market trends
 Effective supply chain management and value addition

25. Lessons Learned
 In the majority of cases, agribusinesses cannot rely on the tourism
sector solely.
 Local producers and agri-food production systems are increasingly
being subjected to global food safety and quality standards and
regulations.
 While there are many similarities among the various the case studies,
there are also unique differences that must be noted (e.g. Suriname
vs Jamaica)
 Scale is not a determining factor for success
 There are several threats affecting the agriculture sector that have
clear implications for the development and sustenance of agritourism
ventures throughout the Caribbean e.g. limited access to funding and
climatic shocks.

26. Key Recommendations
 Improved micro-financing models for farmer-owned enterprises
 Building technical capacity of farmers in meeting food safety and quality
standards; also incorporating more local cuisines or innovative cooking in
food and beverage practices (education and training)
 Promotion of alternative forms of tourism
 Nexus approach e.g. culture-food-health
 Engendering an enabling environment through policy, advocacy and
programmatic intervention
 Establishment of Tourism Linkage Hub in Jamaica
 Agrotourism Farmers Markets
 Development of the regional transportation system to stimulate intra-
regional trade
 creation of a label that recognizes and distinguishes hotels and
restaurants, which actively engage and sustain links with local farmers.

27. Agritourism Potential in the Caribbean
Thank you!!!!