Capacity Building in Fiji: Lectures and Research Activities
At the end of September and beginning of October 2025, the Fiji National University (FNU) hosted the first Capacity Building event within the AGRI-TOUR project. The event brought together academics, students, and experts from Europe and the Pacific with the aim of strengthening education in sustainable agritourism and integrating the principles of the European Green Deal into higher education.
Lectures at FNU
The program featured a series of lectures and presentations highlighting the link between European education policies and Pacific practices:
The Bologna Process in the Era of the Green Deal – presenting how the principles of the Bologna Process provide a framework for modern and sustainable higher education.
The Erasmus+ Program for Food, Tourism, and the Environment – an overview of the opportunities the program offers universities and students to connect agriculture, tourism, and the environment.
Eco-Gastronomy in Action – demonstrating how gastronomy can promote sustainability and cultural identity.
Best Practices of EU Projects on Food Practices – sharing experiences from successful European projects and exploring their applicability in the Pacific context.
Research and Field Activities
The program also included parallel sessions focused on testing the methodology for the study Scientific Research on the Empowerment of Agritourism in the Pacific. Discussions covered the selection of respondents, methodological approaches, and data collection processes.
In addition, field visits and audiovisual documentation were carried out for the creation of case studies and storytelling videos. Participants visited local farms, markets, and institutions, documenting examples of sustainable practices and community engagement in agritourism.
Importance for the Project
The lectures at FNU demonstrated how European policies can be linked with Pacific experiences, creating space for mutual learning. They provided students and academics not only with theoretical insights but also with practical inspiration that will be further applied in teaching, research, and future project activities.
