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Session 6.4 - Sustainability and Sustainable Food

Tracks
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Wednesday, June 24, 2026
3:45 PM - 5:00 PM
Conference Suite 1B

Speaker

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Tzu-wei Fang
Chairman, Taiwan
Grandpapa Culture

Climate culture as a response to climate change, Agritourism is a solution. Green Impact Organic Farm, as a case study.

Tzu-Wei Fang (Grandpapa), 2024 World Agritourism Award winner, is a regional revitalization practitioner who integrates agriculture, education, and culture. Based in Yilan’s century-old traditional market, he founded the “Market School”, promoting farm-to-family learning journeys that connect young people, farmers, and the wider world. In 2026, he collaborated with Chiu Chao-ming of Green Impact Organic Farm to jointly present the concept: “Climate culture as a response to climate change—Agritourism is a solution.” a culture-centered framework that brings sustainability from "reports and indicators" back into "daily life and relationships."
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Caroline Paras
Researcher
University of Maine

Cheese please! The 5C’s of regional economic clusters that build an agritourism premium for local cheese in Maine USA

Caroline Paras is a Research Analyst at the Maine Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Southern Maine, where she also teaches Local Food and Agritourism. For over 20 years, she served as a regional economic developer, where she specialized in downtown revitalization, business retention and expansion, Brownfields redevelopment, tourism, affordable housing, and the sustainability of working waterfronts and local food systems. An Interdisciplinary PhD student at the University of Maine, Caroline is exploring the role of agritourism in transforming visitors into lifelong consumers of Maine farm and fish products while cultivating a premium for local food.
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Noilyn Ramirez
Funder
Costa Rica Culture Tours

From Observers to Change-Makers: Creating Alliances with Community Partners

Noilyn Ramírez Arias is an entrepreneur and rural community tourism developer in the South Pacific region of Costa Rica, Central America. In 2013, she co-founded Turismo Cultural Costa Rica to diversify the ecotourism offering of Bahía Ballena, integrating biodiversity, heritage and community exchange with the support of local partners and more than twenty host families. The initiative is focused on safeguarding the region’s history and culture through circular economy principles and the active engagement of community stakeholders. She is also a founding member of Fundación Somos de Costa Rica, contributing to sustainable local development and community empowerment initiatives.
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Mrs Nikki Storrar
Manager
Ardross Farm

Nikki Storrar is a farmer, retailer and agritourism operator from Fife, Scotland. Together with her family they farm at Ardross Farm in the East Neuk of Fife and also farms alongside her husband, Sandy, at Rossie Farm near Auchtermuchty. Twenty-one years ago, Nikki’s family opened Ardross Farm Shop to create a stronger connection between the farm and the people eating its food. Since then, they has developed a diverse direct-to-consumer business encompassing retail, agritourism, value-added food production and farm-made products, creating profitable markets for the farm's produce while supporting more sustainable farming practices. Today, Ardross welcomes visitors from around the world through their farm shop, tours and culinary experiences. Nikki is passionate about helping farms build resilience through diversification, direct sales and meaningful connections with customers. Ardross Farm has been recognised through numerous awards, including Runner-Up Best Small Farm Shop in the UK, Community Champion and Local Food Hero.

Chair

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Pierre Cormier
Certified Management Consultant
Clearthink Group

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