Regenerative Vanua Collective starts a new era in Agritourism

October 6, 2024 9:49 pm | Posted in Business News | Share now TwitterFacebook

Minister for the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, Fisheries and Biosecurity (MALFFB), Member of Parliament (MP) Xavier Harry, and the Australian High Commissioner to Vanuatu, Max Willis, officially launched the Regenerative Vanua Collective on Tuesday, 1st of October 2024, at Nambatri.

The event was witnessed by the Director General (DG) of MALFFB, Timothy Tumukon, and invited guests.

The Regenerative Vanua Collective is a collaborative and practical model aimed at supporting programmes and initiatives that encourage regenerative living and improve the health and wellbeing of Ni-Vanuatu. The Regenerative Vanua Collective houses the Pacific Administration for the Not-for-Profit Regenerative Vanua; the Pacific Administration for the Global Agritourism Network; Kai Vanua, a local cuisine restaurant supporting local farmers and value adders supplying organic and regeneratively grown produce; Kava Vanua, a traditional nakamal serving only Noble variety kava made with filtered water sourced from Vanuatu Waters Ltd; an outdoor cinema that will be used for showing educational films about regenerative living; and the ‘Farmacy’, which will sell highly nutritional crops and traditional medicinals.

The Manager of Kai Vanua, local cuisine restaurant and winner of the Pacific Island Food Revolution, Leonid Vusilai, stated: “Kai Vanua is more than just a restaurant; it’s an educational experience to increase pride in our Indigenous food culture and return to eating healthy, organic, and regeneratively grown local produce. This is why I have set up at the Regenerative Vanua Collective, because Kai Vanua aligns with the principles and values of Regenerative Vanua.”

Jerry Spooner elaborated on the Kava Vanua Nakamal: “Kava Vanua is about respect for our kava traditions. We only serve kava from coconut shells, use filtered water to ensure people can drink kava safely, and only use Noble variety kava. At Kava Vanua, we believe in enjoying kava that is good quality, safe to drink, and sourced from farmers that are caring for the soil and environment.”

MALFFB Minister Harry expressed his support for Regenerative Vanua and the Regenerative Vanua Collective, stating in his opening speech, “The Vanuatu Government sees immense value in what Regenerative Vanua is doing; hence the commitment through the Council of Ministers declaring financial support for the administration here in Vanuatu. This ongoing support from the Government will help Vanuatu become the Regenerative Agritourism hub for the Pacific, attracting agritourism events, training, and workshops in Vanuatu.”

Minister Harry said his Ministry will work with Regenerative Vanua to establish a cooperative public/private sector partnership for the development of supportive policy and governance in agritourism and to assist in rolling out Regenerative Vanua’s programmes and activities both nationally and regionally.

Australian High Commissioner Willis congratulated the Regenerative Vanua team and stated in his opening speech, “Australia is proud to have been one of the partners in getting this important initiative to where it is today. The Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR) has been integral in funding the research that underpins all of this effort, but the success of the Regenerative Vanua Collective so far is due to the leadership, hard work, and personal commitment of all the people I have had the pleasure to meet this afternoon. I want to extend my congratulations to the Regenerative Vanua Collective, and I look forward to hearing more about its continued success in communities throughout Vanuatu and the Pacific.”

Votausi Mackenzie-Reur, Chair of Regenerative Vanua, made an emotional plea to the delegation, stating the importance of the work that Regenerative Vanua is doing in collaboration with the Government and partners such as the Pacific Island Food Revolution. “There has been enough time for talking and planning to address the health crises we have been facing for decades; now is the time to act, and we need fearless people within our Government to support real action,” she said.

The Operations Manager for Regenerative Vanua, Laurana Rakau-Tokatakee, gave the delegation an information tour of the Regenerative Vanua office. “Regenerative Vanua’s programmes and standards have been developed based on the Stewardship of Vanua Framework. Our approach is reframing tourism not as the priority or something to become dependent on,” she stated.

“Instead, it’s an opportunity to strengthen and share culture and community through regenerative agritourism experiences that showcase educational and immersive experiences within each vanua, delving into their unique food culture and farming systems. It’s a different approach to the mass industrial tourism model, which focuses on putting tourists’ needs first and has cut off access for Indigenous peoples, negatively impacting many Vanuas throughout the Pacific.

“We don’t see our Vanuas as tourism destinations, and our focus isn’t and shouldn’t be about keeping our Vanuas beautiful for tourists. Our focus is on the stewardship of Vanuas for our own wellbeing and future generations.

“The purpose of regenerative agritourism is to share this stewardship and inspire positive behavioural change by inviting visitors as guests to enter our Vanuas on our terms for the benefit of everyone within the vanua.”