Mataram, University of Mataram – In an exclusive interview, research team member Dr. Tamara Jackson and Agriculture for Tourism (AG4T) West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) project leader Prof. Ir. Sri Widyastuti, M.App.Sc., Ph.D. share insights into the initiative supported by the Australian Centre for International Research (ACIAR). The project aims to integrate the agriculture and tourism sectors to strengthen farming communities in Indonesia.

Dr. Tamara Jackson, one of the research team from the University of Adelaide, provided an overview of the AG4T project under ACIAR, an Australian government agency. “This project aims to establish better relationships and collaboration between the tourism and agriculture sectors to create more resilient farming communities in the long term,” said Tamara when interviewed by Unram Public Relations on Monday (27/5).

Although the project covers a wide area such as NTB, Bali, and Manado, the special focus given to Lombok Island is located in the Mandalika area. “We try to focus on Mandalika because it is the center of tourism and for farmers including farmers around Lombok,” explained Prof. Widy as the AG4T project leader in NTB.

In addition, Tamara also shared the main challenges faced in integrating two different sectors, the agriculture and tourism sectors. “I think the two sectors are side by side but not really integrated, they are not working collaboratively. So this is one of the main goals of the project, but it can also be a challenge because people are not used to working together,” she said.

“The goal is a kind of cooperation between the two different sectors of tourism and agriculture, to see how they can work together collaboratively to ensure smallholders can be involved in the tourism value chain and also to learn lessons that can be applied in other locations. We want to use this project as a model process that can be applied in other locations,” she added.

The AG4T project is proposed to last for 5 (five) years. Prof. Widy explained that the first year will focus on engagement, followed by model testing, implementation, and iterative testing until a suitable model is found. Tamara added that in the initial stage, the project will do a lot of understanding of the system during the survey and understand the stakeholders, who should be involved, prior to determining the value chain to be analyzed and intervened.

Currently, the project involves several universities such as the University of Mataram, University of Udayana, Samratulangi University, the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), the University of Adelaide and the University of Queensland. “We don’t have specific businesses involved yet because the first stage is fact-finding and basic understanding,” Tamara explains. In later stages, other stakeholders will be brought into the project.

Tamara emphasizes that the project is about collaboration between Australian partners, with the university taking the lead on site. “They are responsible for the implementation of the project at the site,” she adds.

The project is expected to create a more resilient farming community and engage in the tourism sector. “Ultimately, farming communities can become more resilient and connected to the tourism sector,” Tamara said.

Through the AG4T project, it is expected to build strong relationships and sustainable local networks. “We hope the tourism sector realizes that there is more value if they work with local farmers. And for the farmers, they can fulfill market needs. We also hope that these two sectors can work automatically after the project is completed and this relationship can last for a long time, even forever,” said Prof. Widy.

Tamara added, “This is the beginning of this project, so it is still in the groundwork stage. I think this project should be followed up so that there will be many things happening and many outputs generated from the various activities that will be carried out in the coming years.”

With this long-term vision, the AG4T project aims to create a sustainable positive impact for the farming community and the tourism sector in Indonesia.