From farm to tourist’s tables: TUI Care Foundation launches new programme connecting regenerative agriculture and tourism in Austria

• New TUI Field to Fork Austria programme brings farmers, food producers and tourism businesses together to strengthen regional food value chains in Tyrol
• Around 25 farms will receive intensive support to introduce regenerative agricultural practices, and at least eight hotels and gastronomy businesses will integrate regeneratively produced food
• New farm visits, tastings and culinary experiences will connect holidaymakers with Tyrolean agriculture and local food production

Healthy soil, locally produced food and thriving farms are essential to the landscapes and culinary traditions that make Tyrol one of Europe’s best-known tourism destinations. A new programme launched by the TUI Care Foundation aims to strengthen these connections by bringing farmers, food producers, hotels and restaurants together to make regenerative agriculture an integral part of the region’s tourism economy.

TUI Field to Fork Austria is being launched by the TUI Care Foundation in partnership with Futouris and BIO AUSTRIA, with support from the State of Tyrol and the Institute for Tourism Sustainability. Over the next two years, the programme will support farmers in the Tyrolean lowlands and Innsbruck region to adopt agricultural practices defined within the programme as regenerative — including methods that improve soil health, support soil biology and protect against erosion — with the aim of building farm-level biodiversity and greater resilience to weather-related pressures. Progress will be tracked throughout the programme.

Agriculture in Tyrol faces particular challenges. Around 80% of its agricultural land is located in mountainous areas, where steep terrain increases production costs and makes farming more labour intensive. Climate change is adding further pressure through increasingly frequent extreme weather events, whilst small farm structures and generational change are affecting the long-term viability of agricultural businesses. Yet these farms also maintain the landscapes, biodiversity and food culture on which the region’s tourism industry depends.

The programme will provide intensive training and technical support to around 25 grassland and arable farms, helping them implement regenerative methods that improve soil health, support soil biology and protect against erosion. A further group of farmers and food producers will be reached through training and awareness activities, with around 145 people from agriculture and food production expected to participate.

Additionally, at least eight hotels and gastronomy businesses will be supported to incorporate regeneratively produced food into their purchasing and culinary offers. 200 tourism and food-service professionals, including hotel managers, chefs, procurement teams and restaurant staff, will also be engaged through the programme. New relationships between farmers, wholesalers and tourism businesses will help create more reliable regional supply chains and increase market opportunities for locally produced food.

Alexander Panczuk, Managing Director of the TUI Care Foundation, said: “Tourism thrives on what makes a region unique – its people and its cultural heritage. Working with local partners is therefore fundamental. In Tyrol, we want to work together with farmers and the tourism sector to create new experiences, offer visitors more regional products and strengthen local value creation. In this way, collaboration can translate into tangible change that inspires visitors while creating new opportunities for local people.”

The programme will also take regenerative agriculture beyond restaurant menus and make it part of the visitor experience. Farmers, chefs, tourism organisations and other local partners will work together to develop experiences such as farm visits, farm-to-table offers, tastings and cooking workshops. These will potentially enable visitors to discover where their food comes from and learn how healthy soils, biodiversity and agricultural traditions contribute to the landscapes they experience on holiday.

The State of Tyrol is supporting the two-year initiative with additional funding through its agriculture, tourism and regional development departments as part of the Tyrolean Sustainability and Climate Strategy. The cooperation reflects the shared objective of strengthening regional value creation whilst connecting environmental protection, resilient agriculture and tourism.

TUI Field to Fork Austria is part of the TUI Care Foundation’s international TUI Field to Fork programme, which supports farming communities to transition to regenerative practices designed to support biodiversity and produce local cultural delicacies.

It helps to create new income opportunities for farmers and local producers and enables them to build resilience and create short supply chains with the local tourism sector in destinations such as Cabo Verde, Tanzania, Colombia, Cyprus, Greece, Portugal and Italy.

About the TUI Care Foundation

Building on the potential of tourism as a force for good, the TUI Care Foundation supports and initiates projects which create new opportunities and contribute to thriving communities in tourism destinations all over the world. Connecting holidaymakers to good causes, it supports education and training opportunities for young people; drives the protection of natural habitats and the marine environment; and helps local communities to thrive and benefit from tourism. The TUI Care Foundation builds on strong partnerships with local and international organisations to create meaningful and long-lasting impact. The independent charitable organisation was founded by TUI, one of the world’s leading tourism businesses, and is based in the Netherlands.

About Futouris

Futouris e.V. is the sustainability initiative of the German-speaking tourism industry. Futouris is a non-profit association that, together with its member companies and local partners, develops and implements projects worldwide addressing ecological, social, and economic issues in tourism. The focus is on practical solutions, knowledge transfer, and the exchange of current challenges the industry faces.

More about Futouris

 

About BIO AUSTRIA

BIO AUSTRIA is the network of Austria’s organic farmers. As the largest organic farming association in Europe, BIO AUSTRIA represents Austria’s organic farming sector and advocates for the interests of organic farmers. The association also has almost 500 partner companies from the business sector.

More about Bio Austria