Opportunities for enhancing markets for organic products via tourism sectors to be explored at the East African Organic Policy Forum

​As part of the activities of the UN trade cluster on Trade and Productive capacity in the United Republic of Tanzania, UNCTAD is co-sponsoring the organization of the East-African Organic Policy Forum (EAOPF), which will bring local and regional stakeholders to discuss barriers and opportunities to the further development of organic agriculture in east Africa.

Numerous Tanzanian stakeholders will attend, including beneficiaries from UNCTAD’s EMPRETEC training project (Tanga Fresh); key contributors to the study on linkages between tourism and organic agriculture prepared in 2015; as well as leading focal points and officials from organic agriculture, tourism, catering and hotel sectors. The forum will be an important opportunity to mobilize policy makers, at the East African Community and those from national level on the importance of organic agriculture (OA) and the various barriers and opportunities that affect the sector, including potential linkages with local and regional tourism hubs. At the event, UNCTAD will also present its latest study on financing of organic farming in Africa.

While governments are slowly, but increasingly recognizing the benefits of organic agriculture, comprehensive government policies to support the sector have not been fully realized, and much remains to be done in linking the sector to service areas such as tourism. If organic agriculture and its associated positive effects are to be scaled up, an enabling policy environment is crucial. The event will thus discuss coordination among market players and regional governments, as well as support for the sector’s stakeholders and linkages to other sectors.

The event will consist of a partnership of institutions, namely the Organic Trade and Value Chain East Africa (OTEA), One Stop Shop Organic East Africa (OSOSEA) projects and UNCTAD, representing the UN Trade Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity. The event is being organized by the African Organic Network (AfrONet) and the Tanzania Organic Agriculture Movement (TOAM), with financial support from the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA), the Trademark East Africa Challenge Fund (TRAC) and the Government of Switzerland (SECO).

UNCTAD produced a study on linkages between sustainable agriculture and tourism in Tanzania, which identified areas for pro-poor tourism development in the country, highlighting the positive impacts of developing in tandem.
The UN Trade Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity is sponsored by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).