Towards a new model for improved tourism-agriculture linkages? The case of two farmers' co-operatives in Jamaica

Changes to the new global political economy, particularly those relating to trade liberalisation and its re-shaping of global food chains, have made many Caribbean states increasingly aware of the need to reform their respective agricultural sectors if they are to remain competitive. However, a large part of this reform invohes a shift in emphasis away from agriculture towards service-based industries, particularly tourism. The problem is that this growth in tourism has occurred alongside high rates of foreign exchange leakages and a high import content. lf Caribbean states are to increase their benefits from tourism, ways must be found to increase the industry's use of local goods and services. One such strategy is to improve tourism's link with local agriculture. Studies have shown that hotels across the region remain significant consumers of imported foodstuffs. While the reasons for the industry's high import content are many and multifaceted, the way local foods have traditionally been produced and marketed has played a major role in thwarting the link between tourism and domestic agriculture. This paper explores co-operatives as an alternative to traditional farming systems in forging a viable link with the Jamaican tourism industry. It contends that despite many existing and impending challenges, co-operatives provide a practical and efficient means of forging stronger linkages between the tourism and agriculture sectors