Tourism-Linked Farming Expert
Technical Focus
The consultant will provide technical leadership, quality assurance and advisory support for the design, implementation, documentation and development of roadmap for scale-up of tourism-linked agrifood systems models in Cook Islands and Fiji, with particular focus on market diagnostics, buyer–seller linkages, farmer readiness, value addition, food safety, quality compliance, aggregation, logistics and inclusive participation of women and youth.
Tasks And Responsibilities
Review the project document, national agriculture and tourism strategies, previous FAO work, market studies, supplier databases, agritourism initiatives and relevant private sector information to establish the baseline and identify priority information gaps.
In discussion with the LTO, develop and agree on a time lined activity and travel plan to Fiji and Cook Islands to plan and implement the activities during the assignment.
Conduct an inception meeting with FAO, government counterparts, national experts and service providers to confirm the assignment scope, workplan, methodology, roles and responsibilities, reporting arrangements, travel schedule and coordination mechanisms.
Review relevant project, policy, strategy and market information and discuss with the LTO and ministry colleagues to establish the baseline and identify priority information gaps to help refine the activity plan.
Lead the development and subsequent management of Letters of Agreement in Cook Islands and Fiji with appropriate service providers supporting in-country implementation.
Design or refine practical tools for rapid market diagnostics, including stakeholder interview guides, buyer demand assessment formats, farmer and aggregator profiling tools, value chain selection criteria and templates for documenting market linkage opportunities.
Provide technical guidance to national experts and service providers to conduct consultations with ministries, hotels, resorts, restaurants, wholesalers, processors, farmer organizations, women and youth groups and other value chain actors.
Lead the analysis of tourism-linked market demand, local supply capacity, product quality and food safety requirements, aggregation and logistics constraints, pricing issues, gender and youth participation gaps, import substitution opportunities and value addition potential.
Develop commercially viable tourism-linked agrifood systems pilot models for Cook Islands and Fiji, including priority commodities, buyer–seller arrangements, aggregation and logistics options, quality standards, capacity development needs, digital linkage opportunities and implementation steps.
Support implementation of the Cook Islands and Fiji pilots, including technical advice on farmer readiness, buyer engagement, value addition, food safety, quality compliance, institutional buyer linkages and documentation of lessons learned.
Facilitate or contribute to national validation workshops and technical consultations to review diagnostic findings, validate pilot models, assess implementation progress and agree on practical measures for improving farmer access to tourism and institutional markets.
Integrate the Cook Islands Food Innovation Center plan and Fiji agribusiness incubator support into pilot planning, and compare lessons learned during implementation to inform a long-term strategy.
Develop country strategy papers and 3–5-year action plans for tourism-linked agrifood systems in Cook Islands and Fiji, incorporating lessons from diagnostics and pilots, priority commodities, partnership mechanisms, investment opportunities, capacity development needs, enabling policy measures and scale-up pathways.
Prepare technical notes, guidance materials and presentations to support market linkage facilitation, farmer readiness, buyer engagement, value addition, food safety, quality compliance and replication of successful models.
Organize a regional workshop to share lessons learned and strengthen tourism–agrifood systems linkages across countries in the Pacific region.
Submit final deliverables to FAO, incorporating comments from government counterparts and relevant stakeholders, and provide technical inputs for project reporting, knowledge sharing and replication across other Pacific Island countries.