June 12, 2025
Creating thriving food systems in the Mediterranean: TUI Care Foundation launches new TUI Field to Fork programmes in Cyprus and Portugal
TUI Care Foundation
The Mediterranean region is known worldwide for its healthy cuisine based on fresh produce. However, climate change poses a threat to its renowned agricultural sector, with countries such as Cyprus and Portugal experiencing desertification and longer periods of drought. The reliance on industrial farming practices has exacerbated this problem. Maintaining high-yielding monocultures, for instance, makes crops extremely vulnerable to drought, pests and diseases.
The TUI Care Foundation has therefore launched two new TUI Field to Fork programmes to help build sustainable food cycles founded on regenerative agriculture: one in Cyprus, in partnership with the Cyprus Environment Foundation, and one in Portugal, together with Terra Sintrópica Association. Regenerative agriculture adopts a diversity of methods that preserve soil health, such as reduced tillage, mulching and agro-ecosystem diversification. Other practices such as the implementation of cover crops and livestock rotational grazing can increase carbon sequestration, enhance biodiversity, and help mitigate climate change.
In Cyprus, the programme supports around 100 farmers with training on regenerative agriculture practices. 50 of these are existing farmers who have access to six training sessions from experts as well as a demonstration centre set up by the project to put their learning into practice. In addition, the project also empowers new farmers coming from low-income or unemployment backgrounds and who are not eligible to receive other governmental funding. Complementing the training, these participants receive a scholarship and college course on organic farming. Finally, 30 local people with disabilities are also supported through capacity-building activities to help integrate them into the agricultural workforce as farm assistants.
The programme also links farmers to the tourism industry by piloting an experiential tour experience for holidaymakers, such as farm visits and traditional cooking workshops using locally sourced ingredients.
In Portugal, the programme trains 140 participants on regenerative agriculture. The cohort mixes farmers with kitchen chefs and food and beverage professionals from the hotel industry to explore innovative ways to incorporate regenerative food products into their menus. “Lighthouse” farms that serve as best case practices for regenerative practices are being set up across the south of the country as demonstration centres. A 5-workshop incubator also enables 60 entrepreneurs to grow their functional business knowledge and explore further income opportunities around regenerative agriculture.
Mirroring Cyprus, TUI Field to Fork Portugal establishes important links to the local tourism ecosystem, with a regenerative food hub in the picturesque town of Mértola, which is a combined retail and restaurant space, offering visitors a place to engage with the concept of regenerative agriculture. Additionally, the programme creates an experiential tourism product for 15,000 international as well as domestic tourists.
The two projects are part of the global TUI Field to Fork programme, which enables sustainable food production by establishing links with the tourism sector to create better income opportunities in rural communities in destinations like Greece, Cape Verde, Colombia and Tanzania.
Building on the potential of tourism as a force for good, the TUI Care Foundation supports and initiates projects which create new opportunities and contribute to thriving communities in tourism destinations all over the world. Connecting holidaymakers to good causes, it supports education and training opportunities for young people; drives the protection of natural habitats and the marine environment; and helps local communities to thrive sustainably and benefit from tourism. The TUI Care Foundation builds on strong partnerships with local and international organisations to create meaningful and long-lasting impact. The independent charitable organisation was founded by TUI, one of the world's leading tourism businesses, and is based in the Netherlands.
Cyprus Environment Foundation (CEF) is a registered UK Charity that aims to protect and enhance the natural beauty, biodiversity and ecosystems of Cyprus. It is part of the Conservation Collective, a global network of 22 organisations supporting local environmental projects. CEF operates by raising funds from individuals, foundations and companies and channelling that money in the form of grants to local organisations and initiatives to support environmental projects that have high importance and impact on Cyprus.
Terra Sintrópica Association is a non-profit organisation aiming to be a thriving and abundant community. It is inspired by the cycles of nature, that creatively care and cooperate towards an agro-ecological transition. The association practices and spreads the concept of ‘regeneration through use’, which is the idea that we need to reconnect with the Earth, relating its use and enjoyment with long-term sustainability goals, preservation, and the recovery of ecosystems and biodiversity. Terra Sintrópica sees the food system as intrinsically interconnected with issues of desertification, climate change, and depopulation affecting Mértola, on which it focuses its attention.
