Horizon scanning event brings outside organizations to the Falkland Islands, spotlighting global shifts in the maritime, agriculture and tourism sectors.
With an emphasis on resiliency, education, and collaboration, three international speakers presented on key trends and global developments in the industries of maritime, agriculture, and tourism as part of the Falkland Islands Development Corporation (FIDC) inaugural Economic Development Forum, presented by the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce.
The Economic Development Forum brought together Debbie Summers, executive director for New Zealand-based ID Tours Ltd., Chris Shirling-Rooke, chief executive officer of Maritime U.K., and David Ross, international and investment director for the U.K. Agri-Tech Centre, who combined discussed what is happening in other part of the world post COVID-19, and how the Falkland Islands might fit into the change that has happened since the pandemic.
“What FIDC tasked itself with for this forum was to look at how traditional industries to the Falkland Islands were impacted post-COVID, what was done in the rest of world, and how the Falkland Islands might benefit from those changes,” said Zachary Franklin, managing director for FIDC, while presenting the Corporation’s corporate plan for the next five years, during opening remarks. “The Economic Development Forum is now a key driver for FIDC, and we’re going to be running this annually for the Falkland Islands.”
The free event, open to the public, gave allotted each speaker one hour to present to the audience at the Town Hall in Stanley, with time for questions from attendees.
Each of the three speakers highlighted in some way the need for greater engagement from the Falkland Islands with the wider global community, particularly in the industries of maritime, agriculture, and tourism.
“There are thousands of destinations fighting for the same business,” said Debbie Summers, describing some of the trends that have taken place in the cruise industry since COVID-19. “If you aren’t talking about your destination, I guarantee you that no one is.”
Summers highlighted that in the wake of the pandemic, the New Zealand cruise industry retooled its approach, and sought to better link up all stakeholders within the sector, especially bringing both cruise operators and government officials into the discussion as early as possible.
According to Summers, by working in unison, this allowed the cruise industry in New Zealand to home in on a single strategy of “the right ship, in the right place, at the right time,” and seamless connectivity for all businesses that exist within the cruise ecosystem.
When it came to the Falkland Islands, Summers was direct in her observations, noting the tremendous growth opportunities that are available for the Falkland Islands by having a cruise industry that is growing around the South Atlantic Ocean.
“I see the issues that surround air connectivity to the Falkland Islands,” said Summers. “You should be wrapping your arms around and embracing an industry with less barriers to grow, and I would say that is the cruise industry.”
Part of working with cruise industry also involves reinforcing and developing related infrastructure within the Falkland Islands, according to Chris Shirling-Rooke, who noted that the maritime industry in the United Kingdom, as an island nation just like the Falkland Islands, faces the same difficulties.
“People forget the U.K. is an island-nation, we’re a coastal community,” said Shirling-Rooke. “Maritime is not ‘salty sea dogs.’ It is high tech, it is professional services, it is artificial intelligence … it is a huge industry.”
One of the collective problems maritime in the U.K. faces is the growing number of vessels, and the services that are required to service all types of vessels at ports and harbours.
“How do we electrify our ports? How much energy do we need when a ship comes into port?” asked Shirling-Rooke. “If you think of 30 cruise vessels at port at any given time, that’s the entire electrical grid used. Think of it like 30 small towns. How do we create the necessary energy? It is small modular reactors, it is hydrogen, it is offshore wind. These are the conversations we’re having now.”
Conceptually, identifying multiple service and solution options within the maritime sector is equally as important for agriculture, according to David Ross, which will need to look at diversification within its business streams, and to also ensure food security for nations.
Ross spotlighted the U.K. Agri-Tech Centre’s last decade of investing in more than 400 companies and start-ups, identifying trends that help increase the productivity of livestock and farms, while also identifying new food sources for both animals and humans that have borne out of technological advances in the agricultural sector.
The types of technology presented included methane inhibitors, alternative proteins and nutrients, animal monitoring, controlled environment agriculture, and aquaculture.
“We are a one-stop shop for the agri-food supply chain system that involves anything technology related,” said Ross. “We work with the industry to develop products and services. We work to bring these products to farms, develop them as early adopters, and to see if there is a wider market for these technologies.”
Franklin kicked off the Economic Development presentations by outlining FIDC’s corporate plan for the next five years, which takes FIDC through 30 June 2029.
Additional speakers to the Economic Development Forum included Amanda Curry Brown, director of Policy, Economy, and Corporate Services for the Falkland Islands Government; Andy Wu, economist for the Falkland Islands Government; Sally Ellis, vice chair of the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce; and Lewis Clifton, chair of the Rural Business Association.
Outside of the Economic Development Forum, the speakers availed themselves to the associative bodies and businesses throughout the week they were in the Falkland Islands.
Debbie Summers presentation with Year 10 and future Year 9 Travel and Tourism students at the Falkland Islands Community School
Summers met with various stakeholders in the tourism industry, as well as presented in front of the current Year 10 and future Year 9 travel and tourism students at Falkland Islands Community School. Shirling-Rooke held meetings with Falkland Islands Maritime Authority (FIMA), FIPASS, Lighthouse Seafarers Mission, and FIG Department of Commercial Services. And Ross attended every session presented during that time at the Rural Business Association’s (RBA) Farmers Week, including “Overview of Land Management & Future Goals,” “Wool Market Trends and Forecasts,” and “Meat Production: Falkland Islands Meat Company.”
Additionally, the Falkland Islands Chamber of Commerce hosted a separate meet-and-greet with all three speakers, which had approximately 12 attendees from the business community in attendance.
