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Stellenbosch - Although poor communities could benefit from becoming fresh-produce suppliers to concerns in the tourism industry, several factors thwart the process.
Research by Professor Christian Rogerson of Witwatersrand University’s School of Geography, Archaeology and Environmental Studies indicates that, since a reliable supply chain is so important for the tourism industry, South African safari camps mainly use large suppliers.
He recently spoke at an international conference on tourism presented by the University of Stellenbosch’s Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences.
Rogerson’s study was conducted at 80 luxury South African safari camps.
Obstacles identified included a lack of quality in products supplied by small farmers, as well as, in particular, foreign tourists’ preference for imported foodstuffs.
Because their clients are so fussy, most safari camps source their produce from a broker supplier, said Rogerson.
It’s ironic that 35% of the eggs, fruit and vegetables bought in bulk by safari camps in the northern interior actually come from within their own environment.
The goods are transported to the Johannesburg Fresh Produce Market, where a broker buys them and sends them back to the safari camps in the areas that produced them.
Citrus fruit grown close to the Kruger National Park, for instance, is transported some 1 100km to Johannesburg and then back to the safari camps.
Local producers’ inability to deliver produce of a continuously high quality and the unpredictability of deliveries have resulted in a lack of confidence on the part of the safari camps’ management, says the research.
Transport is also a problem for the small farmers. In one case a tomato farm is close to a safari camp but the farmers have no transport to deliver the tomatoes.
In many cases concern about the poor health standards observed by communities also deters the safari camps.
About 40% of these camps have previously attempted to set up supply projects with local communities, but these have generally not worked out – mainly because communities have failed to do follow-up work.
According to Rogerson, it is becoming increasingly important globally to involve poor communities in the tourism industry’s supply chain.
For that reason, he said, it is imperative for tourism concerns to establish better communication with local communities and to establish mutual requirements.