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Mountains and islands are among the most vulnerable areas of our planet. They are highly impacted by climate change and natural disasters, with high exposure to economic shocks and pronounced geographical, economic and political marginalization. Heavy dependence on food imports makes these ecosystems particularly susceptible to price volatility and supply chain disruptions. Limited livelihood opportunities, particularly for young people, are accelerating rural outmigration and threatening the continuity of traditional knowledge and cultural heritage.
Yet these regions are also home to high levels of biodiversity and endemism, attract high rates of tourism and are places of significant cultural value.
Significant opportunities exist for building resilience in these regions. By developing climate-smart agriculture, strengthening local value chains and promoting sustainable agrifood systems, mountains and islands can safeguard food security and local livelihoods, while exploring untapped opportunities in agrifood and agrotourism as complementary sources of income.
By creating stronger links between tourism markets and local producers, the programme promotes demand for traditional foods and locally sourced products while encouraging environmentally responsible practices. Through partnerships among governments, local authorities, tourism operators, producer organizations and development agencies, it supports cooperatives and small-scale enterprises to improve market access, enhance product quality and diversify income through community-based tourism. Particular attention is given to women and youth, whose knowledge and stewardship are essential to resilient food systems.
Key facts
- 30 percent of earth's surface area is made up of mountains and islands
- 23 percent of earth’s population lives in mountains or on islands
- 25 percent of earth’s terrestrial biodiversity is in mountains
- 50 percent of earth’s marine biodiversity is found near islands
- Tourism accounts for over 40 percent of all export value in half of the SIDS
- Mountains host 15–20 percent of the world’s tourism
Implemented projects
The project “Empowering women in the Pacific SIDS through the integration of women producers’ traditional agricultural practices with the sustainable tourism industry” has involved seven Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS): the Cook Islands, Fiji, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Palau, Tonga and Vanuatu.
In these SIDS, the programme created short sustainable tourism itineraries focused on local gastronomy and sustainable agriculture.
The project has been implemented in collaboration with UN Tourism and the Pacific Tourism Organisation (SPTO) and has involved the Samoa Tourism Authority, Ministry of Tourism and Civil Aviation in Fiji, the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of the Solomon Islands, Department of Tourism of Vanuatu and the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation.
The itineraries created in these islands open up alternative sources of income for small-scale producers in the selected countries while raising awareness of the challenges faced by organic smallholder farmers and their role in safeguarding fragile ecosystems and cultural landscapes.
Under this project, authenticity and locally rooted connections drove implementation, with each experience and itinerary designed to:
- Connect visitors directly with local producers, traditional knowledge and cultural practices, fostering global interest in Pacific products and gastronomy;
- Highlight the environmental and biodiversity assets that shape agrifood systems in the Pacific and serve as distinctive drivers for gastronomy and tourism;
- Empower producers and develop market-ready tourism products and itineraries that strengthen community livelihoods while promoting local experiences and products to wider markets.
- Building on shared learning and regional collaboration, the Pacific SIDS can position themselves as leaders in sustainable gastronomy tourism. In doing so, gastronomy tourism can become not only a source of tourism diversification and attraction but a strategic tool for inclusion, empowerment and sustainability.
Key facts
69 different producer organizations have received capacity building on touristic offer and agroecology practices.
19 co-created gastronomy tourism experiences ready for the market.
8 itineraries offering half-day or full-day tours in each country.
6 practical resources developed to support gastronomy tourism experience design and strategy planning.
Press
FAO and BOA kick-start Palau Agritourism Project
Regional Pacific Workshop Strengthens Link Between Agriculture and Tourism
The "Food and Tourism for Mountain Development" project in the Philippines, implemented with the Philippine Department of Tourism (DoT) and Slow Food, connected small-scale producers with tourism providers to promote high-quality mountain products.
Key activities included:
Two products—Itogon Arabica Coffee and Kalinga Ulikan Red Rice of Pasil—were launched with Mountain Partnership Product narrative labels at the WOFEX Manila Forum.
The " Palau Sustainable Tourism Value Chain Program" supported the government of Palau in increasing sustainable tourism through the "Carbon Neutral Destination Program" and the "Km0 Food Initiative".
Implemented in collaboration with Palau's Ministry of Tourism, Slow Food and Sustainable Travel International (STI), the project mapped Palau’s tourism value chain, including flows, stakeholders, suppliers and food systems. It also studied Palau's agricultural and gastronomic biodiversity, connecting tourism providers with local women’s producer groups. These groups received training in technical, entrepreneurial and marketing skills to help promote and sell their products through tourism channels.
The project also estimated the tourism industry’s carbon footprint and developed a Carbon Calculator for the Palau Bureau of Tourism, paving the way for Palau to become the world’s first Carbon Neutral Tourism Destination.
Watch the video to learn more.
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Voices from the Regional Workshop on Sustainable Gastronomy Tourism in the Pacific - Fiji (June 2025)
The CoFE is a global alliance of vulnerable communities in fragile ecosystems, founded in 2017 by the Global Island Partnership (GLISPA) and the Mountain Partnership.
Visit the official GLISPA website
