"Adopt a Farmer" Program

closed

This project supports private sector development, which is identified as a priority in the Bank's current Country Strategy Paper for Trinidad and Tobago. The objective of the project is to expand a pilot program initiated by the Tobago Travel Foundation in 2004 in which an association of 8 small farmers participated in a project to match crop production with projected demand from the Tobago Hilton. This pilot program resulted in an increase in farmers income levels and greater local sourcing of fresh fruit and produce by the hotel, thereby increasing the local content of visitors' experience and increasing greater economic participation in the tourism sector by small farmers. The Tobago Travel Foundation now wishes to expand this pilot to include an additional association of small farmers and 2-3 new hotels to replicate and build on the benefits accruing to both farmers and the hospitality sector in the pilot program. Based on recommendations presented in an evaluation of the pilot program, the expansion will focus on formalizing supply contracts, building systems for quality assurance, implementing systematic data collection and analysis to evaluate the quantitative benefits of the program to both farmers and hoteliers and establishing mechanisms and partnerships to ensure sustainability of the program beyond the period of MIF financing. On conclusion of the project contracting arrangements between farmers associations and participating hotels are expected to be sustainable and will provide a model for further expansion of the program by interested participants and stakeholders