From Farm to Fork in Jordan, sustainable culinary tourism

Context

Based on the observation that tourism contributes about 14 % to Jordan’s GDP, and that the global average spending of travelers and tourists on food and drink is 25 % or more, Hospitality in Health is convinced that sustainable culinary tourism is an essential solution for the future of tourism in Jordan. At the same time, it can have a positive impact on the country’s food culture and can raise societal awareness on the importance of adopting a healthy diet. The main objective of From farm to Fork in Jordan is to promote sustainable culinary tourism and attract more conscientious, culture-centric, and sustainable travelers.  

The company’s long-term goal is to grow by designing a methodology for other tourism-focused destinations to integrate sustainable culinary tourism into their national strategy. 

The project

The initiative is developing four destination management tools to achieve these objectives: the publication of a book «From Farm to Fork in Jordan»,  the organization of seasonal culinary campaigns, the development of educational programs for youth and seasoned tourism professionals, and the organization of seasonal FAM trips for top chefs and food & travel writers. 

The first phase of construction of the project began in 2020 during the lockdown. It consisted of the study and learning of the anthropology of food and agriculture in Jordan, in the context of the fertile crescent. This first step laid the foundation for the narrative of Jordanian culinary identity. The second step was to raise awareness of the benefits of culinary tourism and its’ positive impact on the agricultural and tourism sectors in Jordan. At the end of this stage, the initiative welcomed its' first donor. 

In November 2021, the initiative welcomed its’ second donor and hosted its’ first seasonal culinary campaign called “In Celebration of Olive Oil” - a seven-week B2B and B2C campaign. The event brought together different hotels, restaurants, and chefs around a key ingredient: Jordanian extra virgin olive oil. During the campaign, the company organized five farm and olive mill tours across the country, a cooking contest, a seven-course vegan dinner at the Dana Biosphere on World Vegan Day, and a tailor-made From Farm to Fork dinner in Amman prepared by five Michelin-experienced Levantine chefs. 

Mid 2022, with the help of its partners, including the national air carrier, the company planned a 12-month program focused on culinary fam trips. A total of four culinary tours were organized in autumn 2022 (concluded), and winter, spring, and summer 2023. Each tour is attended by visiting Michelin-starred chefs, food & travel writers, and specialized tour operators from different countries around the world. 

For who ?

The main beneficiaries of the initiative are local farmers, shepherds, fishermen, agrifood producers, and local chefs, and restaurateurs (hotels, restaurants) within the value chain from-farm-to-fork. 

With who ?

The company has several public and private partners in the agriculture sector: the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture, Nature and Food Quality (through the Dutch Embassy in Amman), the National Agricultural Research Centre, various olive oil producers such as Maida Olive Oil, Mujeb Organic Farms, Al Barakeh Wheat, Cuts Wagyu Butchery, BookAgri, and various farmers and associations active in permaculture, organic farming, and small-scale farms in Jordan that are associated with some of the NGOs they work with, such as the Princess Taghrid Institute.  

From Farm to Fork has several partners in the public and private sectors of tourism and hospitality such as the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts, the Restaurant Association, various 5 star hotels in Amman, the Dead Sea region, and Aqaba, such as Fairmont, St. Regis, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Moevenpick Hotels, various restaurant chains such as Romero Restaurants Group and ATICO Restaurants, various hospitality providers such as Manara Arts & Culture, Beit Sitti, The Precious, Baraka Destinations, Shamsa Rooftop, Feynan Ecolodge, Carob House, Dar Ne'meh and many more… 

Which resources ?

The From Farm to Fork approach was able to count on several resources: its large network of partners, a team of local freelancers for the creation of content as well as financial and moral support from its many partners. The initiative also received a grant from the Dutch Ministry of Agriculture to start the project and support the creation of video materials.  

Today, the project is supported by commercial sponsorships, which helps accelerate projects. 

Which results

So far, Farm to Fork has successfully produced 6 high quality videos, organized 2 seasonal campaigns, 4 partner network meetings, 1 cooking contest, 1 FAM trip with international visitors and 3 VIP dinners from farm to fork. Moreover, the company hosted Jordan’s first Michelin-starred dinner in November 2022. In addition, the main result so far is to have built and strengthened a strong community to advance the mission. 

Farm to Fork is currently preparing several culinary tours for 2023. In addition to culinary and agricultural tourism, these tours will also include elements of heritage tourism and adventure, eco-tourism, wellness and sport. 

Little extra ?

From Farm to Fork is a co-creative approach and the integrated and multi-stakeholder process of this project makes it an innovative initiative. The approach promotes the sharing of best practices in the country and helps to rally many actors around the themes of food and agriculture. 

Sources

Company From Farm to Fork in Jordan

This sheet was written by Nadja Camille - project manager at Let’s Food in January 2023

Last modification : 09 Feb 2023.