Major challenges

Lost paradise: land for food

Another critical issue is the displacement of indigenous communities in favour of business establishments, which has reduced or curtailed people’s access to land to grow their own food. In the Philippines, many areas of Mindanao used to be sacred ancestral land of the indigenous communities. Through the years, Lake Sebu, home to T’boli people known as the Dreamweavers of T’nalak, became a classic example of displacement. The sacred lake was turned into a commercial area with resorts, mostly owned by migrants and foreign investors. The local indigenous people were reduced to landless resort workers or entertainers. Local farmers lost their ancestral land which they had used for food production. This changed the whole lifestyle and community dynamics. They lost control over their own food production and sovereignty over their land. The strong communal system of sustainable food production has been defeated by self-serving private businesses at the expense of the indigenous community’s self determination and preservation.

Imported products and increasing food prices

Another downside of tourism is the commercialization of places, with associated rises in prices. Tourism has led to businesses dictating the prices of local food and fish catch. In many islands where there is an influx of tourists, local people can no longer enjoy local prices.

Small islands often experience shortages of locally produced food. The most common strategy is to import food from different sources, from other islands or from abroad, which costs more with the mark up on freight, transportation and labour. According to the USDA-Foreign Agricultural Service, the Caribbean Basin is the 7th largest export market for U.S. consumer-oriented foods. Being small islands with importation dependency on the USA means a very expensive lifestyle in the islands, only intended for rich tourists.

The rise of fast food chains has commercialized food production and changed local life- styles in many parts of the world. Farm to kitchen produce by local farmers has regained a new following among the progressive and mindful few. The trend of going back to organic and chemical free dining has a sensitive touch of consciousness, but only a few adhere to strict principles of using local produce.

Farmers without food

Tourism does not necessarily benefit directly the poor farmers who produce food for tourists. Food often served in restaurants features the chef and the branding, but often fails to make the local producers visible. Farmers may produce the best coffee in the world, but may remain in poverty, marginalized in their direct participation and share of profit.

According to Ardahaey (2011), “poor households can benefit from the higher wages and increases in production in tourism related industries”. However: “An offsetting earnings effect comes from the fall in production and wages in traditional export sectors. An adverse aspect of tourism expansion is that if the poor rely heavily on earnings from commodity export sectors, an increase in tourism demand may lead to an increase in poverty.”

Farming is unpopular

In the Philippines, the Banawe Rice Terraces, declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1995, which made the Ifugaos proud of their ancestors for hundreds of years, is short of rice to supply its own community. Agriculture is dying. While tourists visit the site to see the world famous rice terraces, the irony is that in the new generation it is hard to find young people who want to become farmers and plant rice and vegetables. Other rice farmers prefer to sell their organic mountain rice at a good price than to use it for personal consumption. Food is imported and some locals become dependent on noodles or canned goods. The hauling of commercial products costs a lot due to transport, fuel and commercial value.

Local farmers cannot compete with imported products such as rice. It is ironic that a rice producing country like Philippines is currently importing rice. While as a country, it has one of the biggest productions of food for export, while a large number of its children are malnourished.

Food and waste

More than eight million New York City residents and at times over 500,000 tourists per day with an average personal waste of seven kilos per person, with three meals a day, is unsustainable. The problem of food waste seems unstoppable. According to Steve Cohen of Earth Institute 2016, over 25,000 tons of garbage is collected each day. The influx of tourist adds to the daily consumption of food and water. In addition, the food industry requires fuel and other resources that add to the statistics of consumption and waste.

Climate change effects on agriculture

The changes in weather patterns affect crops in terms of over-production or shortage of supply, which are also linked to price fluctuations. Extreme weather conditions such as super typhoons destroy yields of crops. The paradigm shift brought by climate change calls for a change of lifestyle, mental sets and learning pathways especially in the way people travel. (>>Goal 13)

The protection of marine sanctuaries in island communities also has become a critical concern for the sustainability of tourism activities, cultural heritage and local economies which include locally produced food supplies. (>> Goal 14).