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Diversification of the St. Lucian Agricultural Economy Through Agrotourism: A National and Microregion Pilot Project Proposal

The proposal presented here was prepared at the request of the Inter-American Institute for Cooperation on Agriculture (IICA). Its main purpose is to formulate an agrotourism plan for St. Lucia focusing on a pilot project in the Black Bay microregion. Our team, consisting of ten Master's's degree students and a faculty member from Florida State University's Department of Urban and Regional Planning, developed the plan from mid-May through the end of August 1999. We went on two field visits to St. Lucia - ten days in June and eight days in July - during which time we reviewed documents, visited the various sites relevant to the project, and conducted a visioning session with members of the Black Bay Small Farmers Association (BBSFA). In addition, we interviewed government officials, members of non-governmental and private institutions, representatives from the tourism and agricultural sectors, members of the BBSFA and other farmers around the island. The rest of the time was spent at the University, reviewing the literature, implementing the analyses, and writing the proposal. The Florida association of Voluntary Agencies for Caribbean Action (FAVA/CA) provided funding for our team's travel expenses. IICA provided local transportation, in-country and logistical support, and printing costs.