Vanuatu’s Minister responsible for Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry & Biosecurity (MALFB), the Honourable Ian Wilson urges regional and international delegates to the Regenerative Agritourism and Gastronomy roundtable discussion in Port Vila today, to give the benefit to farmers as the core producers who will supply and create products beneficial to tourism.
While presenting the Regenerative Agritourism & Gastronomy Policy this morning, Minister Wilson said, “It is an honour to be here today presenting Vanuatu Vanuatu’s Regenerative Agritourism and Gastronomy Policy in the Chief’s Nakamal. The location of this policy workshop, the placement of attendees seated on custom mats along with the Regenerative Vanua Collective entrepreneurs serving us local coffee and kaikai signifies a lot about how our decisions in Government can make significant impact on our people, our traditions and culture. How many meetings do we as Government attend in Western styled foreign owned settings, eating imported food while trying to address how to improve the livelihoods of our people and improve our local economies. I commend the team here and all involved for facilitating this roundtable in this way. The partnership that my Ministry has established with the Global Agritourism Network and Regenerative Vanua through the Council of Ministers Decision is a real example of a public/private sector partnership that practices what they preach not just ‘talk nomo’.”
It has been a long journey, but I have witnessed first-hand how Agritourism was first introduced to Vanuatu. In 2015, the Pacific Tourism Organisation and SPC supported awareness of the concept however they allowed the resorts and hotels to hijack its potential making it tourism focused not farmer focused with the aim to keep visitors in resorts and hotels.
But now as the Minister of Agriculture and on behalf of the Vanuatu Government I’m happy to announce that the work we are doing with the Global Agritourism Network Pacific Region Secretariat and Regenerative Vanua is seeing Vanuatu push back against benefit of our rural farmers and not tourism. I have seen first-hand the impact that this partnership is having as I’ve witnessed more young people within my constituency taking up farming and asking our elders for technical support in traditional gardening practices. If only this partnership started 30 years ago, however I believe it’s never too late.
If you’re talking about impact at the Vanua level, this is a great example of a bottom-up approach supported by real public/private partnership. If you all take a moment today, and look up on your phones what’s happening in the space of regenerative agritourism and gastronomy, you will note that Vanuatu, through the partnership with the Global Agritourism Network Pacific Committee and Regenerative Vanua, is leading in this space globally and on behalf of the Vanuatu Government I ask you all to support to continue this momentum and make this be our standout point of difference.
Through a regenerative approach I can see a future where our traditional agricultural systems and way of lives in our Vanua’s are shared with high value visitors and farmers from over the world. Where these regenerative agritourism and gastronomy improving their livelihoods wellbeing. Where our agricultural products are branded and known for their high quality and nutritional value due to being regeneratively grown. Where Vanuatu is seen as the place to learn the knowledge of resilience that so many people globally have lost or have never learnt, and where our young people are passed down this knowledge to enable them to be custodians of the land as our ancestors were.
I’m proud to present the Regenerative Agritourism and Gastronomy policy here today that is an outcome of the Council of Ministers decision to partner with the Global Agritourism Network Pacific Committee and Regenerative Vanua to set a clear pathway for Regenerative Vanua to set a clear pathway for Regenerative Agrotourism in Vanuatu. I encourage you all to use the next 3 days to provide any feedback that you may have before we finalise the policy and endorse it through the Council of Ministers, launch it and commence the implementation plan.
Finally, I would like to take this time to thank the Australian Government particularly the Australian Centre for International Agriculture Research for supporting Regenerative Vanua and the Global Agritourism Network to develop a supporting policy, framework, and programs that have enabled Vanuatu to be known as the global leader in regenerative agritourism and the first Pacific country to be nominated for the 2027 gastronomy region awards and first in the world to be recognized as regenerative gastronomy region through the Regenerative Verification Program.
I urge all stakeholders that are here this week, including development partners to actively participate and familiarise yourself with this policy and see how you can support Vanuatu in its implementation.
Again, I thank you all and look forward to this week’s policy outcomes document, which will form the bases for my updates to the Council of Ministers before launching this important policy.
I now officially launch this week’s Regenerative Pathway and Policy Roundtable.
