Evaluating tourism-agriculture linkages for inclusive growth in Zambia

Abstract

ABSTRACT Tourism-agriculture linkages are considered to be a pro-poor tourism strategy with potential to maximise the developmental impact of tourism through supply-chain linkages with the agriculture sector. Strong and sustainable tourism-agriculture linkages have the potential to create opportunities for local smallholder farmers to participate and benefit from a growing tourism economy through the supply of food products to the accommodation sub-sector. However, although tourism-agriculture linkages are possible, they are also challenging. Within the theoretical context of pro-poor tourism and inclusive tourism growth, the purpose of this study was to evaluate whether market linkages between the accommodation sub-sector and smallholder farmers in Livingstone, Zambia, contribute to inclusive growth and how the market linkage can be strengthened to foster inclusive growth. Using a mixed methods approach, qualitative and quantitative data were collected and analysed using content analysis and Wilcoxon signed- rank test respectively. The study found that the tourism-agriculture linkage in Livingstone represents a pro-poor relationship in as far as local procurement is more dominant and inclusive of smallholder farmers. However, the extent and strength of the integration of smallholder producers into the tourism value chain is constrained by supply, demand and marketing challenges resulting in low inclusive growth outcomes. The role of the government is vital in creating policies that foster pro-poor sourcing and in attending to practices, dynamics and challenges that form and shape the quality of market linkages. The state ought to strengthen localised strategic partnerships, engagement and collaboration between existing tourism organisations and farmer cooperatives in implementing and monitoring policy and practical strategies for optimal tourism-led inclusive growth impact. The study highlights the importance of identifying enablers and barriers to strong tourismagriculture linkages from a perspective of the accommodation sub-sector and smallholder farmers with the advantage of a holistic representation of converging or conflicting experiences in the market linkage. The study adds to wider debates in Sub-Saharan Africa on tourism-agriculture linkages as a pro-poor tourism strategy and contributes to emerging theorisation of inclusive growth in the global tourism development context.