Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Sandals resorts, which have taken the initiative and committed considerable staff
time, but another necessary ingredient is the involvement of government and non-
government actors, from both tourism and agriculture.
The Sandals initiative in Jamaica is one of the very few to generate hard data on
how much the poor benefit from a supply chain initiative. The Sandals Resort
Farmers Programme began in 1996 with ten farmers supplying two hotels
(Lengefeld and Stewart, 2004). By 2004, there were 80 farmers supplying hotels
across the island. Farmers' sales increased over 55 times in 3 years, from US$60,000
to $3.3 million. Purchases of watermelon and cantaloupe by just
one
Sandals resort
of US$7,200 per month translates into a monthly income of US$100 for 70
families, taking them above the poverty line. This example shows the considerable
returns that may be possible from enhancing supply chain linkages.
Compared with the dearth of data on the scale of pro-poor benefits from
supply chains, there is considerably more knowledge of the factors that influence
or impede participation of the poor and that could be amenable to influence.
Areas for intervention are first of all on the supply side - such as the business
environment and support for small and micro enterprises, secondly on the
demand side - such as attitudes of chefs and hotels, and thirdly in the functioning
of the market that enables suppliers and purchasers to engage more efficiently in
transactions (Ashley et al, 2005; Meyer, 2006).
It is clear that there is much more to learn about how the poor benefit from
supply chains and how these incomes can be enhanced and obstacles tackled.
Thus the importance of learning from experience such as that at Spier, to which
we now turn.
Supply chain assessment and pro-poor
procurement at Spier
The overall approach
Spier Leisure operates a mid-range 155-bed hotel with conference centre just
outside Stellenbosch (Western Cape, South Africa). Spier facilities comprise
accommodation, restaurants, a picnic area and delicatessen, providing a base for
leisure tourists enjoying the winelands, or for conference visitors. The other main
businesses are the Spier wine business, Winecorp, and a Spier golf operation,
privately owned but managed by Spier, the De Zalze Golf Course. Spier is a
family owned company with a strong record on a range of social and environmen-
tal initiatives, thus it is not a 'typical' hotel company. In 2004 Spier Leisure
embarked on a review and overhaul of its procurement, from a sustainable devel-
opment perspective.The process from 2004 to 2005 was supported by facilitation
from the Pro Poor Tourism Pilots (PPT Pilots) project, and some elements of the
reform have been reported by that project (McNab et al, 2005; Ashley, 2005;
Ashley et al, 2005). The reform continued after PPT Pilots and was broadened to
include Winecorp, and the De Zalze Golf Course.
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