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The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the role of farm-to-table (FTT) activities in agritourism towards sustainable development based on three agritourism farms in Brunei.

The study is based on qualitative data using semi-structured interviews with 23 participants involved in the management of the farms. In-depth interviews are considered the most appropriate approach to gain the unexplored perspectives of the agriculture community at the three agritourism farms.

The study found that FTT activities imparted in agritourism contribute towards sustainable development economically, socially and environmentally. FTT leads to the establishment of small medium and micro enterprises, which, in turn, creates employment for the local people. It also plays a part in preserving the ethno-culinary heritage of indigenous food, promoting food localism and sustainable agriculture. These findings suggest that FTT activities play an important role in revitalizing the local community. The outcome of this empirical research may enable planners to better formulate regional policy based on a balanced approach taking into account the three dimensions of sustainability towards agritourism development. From a theoretical standpoint, this study adds value to the literature by identifying the contributions of FTT activities towards sustainable development emphasising on the consumption of local ethnic food and food localism.

The contributions of agritourism for local farms has not been extensively discussed especially in Brunei’s local agriculture industry. This study will provide evidence that FTT activities contribute towards a moderate form of food activism; one that re-forges the disrupted linkages between people, nature and cultural heritage.

在农业旅游可持续发展中农场到餐桌活动的作用

本文的目的是利用三个汶莱农业旅游农场来评估农场到餐桌 (FTT) 活动在发展农业旅游可持续中的作用。

该研究基于对参与农场管理的 23 名参与者进行半结构化访谈的定性数据。 深入访谈被认为是获得三个农业旅游农场农业社区未探索观点的最合适方法。

结果表明, 农业旅游中的 FTT 活动有助于经济、社会和环境的可持续发展。 FTT 导致中小型企业的建立进而为当地人民创造就业机会。 它还在保护民族烹饪文化遗产的土著食品、促进食物本地化和可持续农业方面发挥作用。 这些发现表明 FTT 活动在振兴当地社区方面发挥着重要作用。 这项实证研究的结果可使规划者能够更好地制定基于平衡方法的区域政策, 同时考虑到农业旅游可持续性发展的三个维度。 理论来说, 本研究通过确定 FTT 活动对可持续发展的贡献, 强调当地民族食品的消费和食品地方主义, 为文献增加了价值。

农业旅游对当地农场的贡献尚未得到广泛讨论, 尤其是在文莱当地的农业产业中。 这项研究提供的证据表明 FTT 活动有助于适度形式的食物激进主义; 一种重建人、大自然和文化遗产之间被破坏的联系的方法。

El propósito de este documento es evaluar el papel de las actividades de agroturismo «de la granja a la mesa» (FTT, por sus siglas en inglés) hacia el desarrollo sostenible con base en tres granjas de agroturismo en Brunéi.

El estudio se basa en datos cualitativos mediante entrevistas semiestructuradas con 23 participantes involucrados en la gestión de las granjas. Las entrevistas en profundidad se consideran el enfoque más apropiado para obtener las perspectivas inexploradas de la comunidad agrícola en las tres granjas de agroturismo.

Los resultados sugieren que las actividades FTT impartidas en el agroturismo contribuyen al desarrollo sostenible desde el punto de vista económico, social y medioambiental. Estas actividades conducen a la creación de pequeñas y medianas empresas y microempresas, lo que a su vez crean empleos para la población local. También desempeña un papel en la preservación del patrimonio etno-culinario de los alimentos indígenas, promoviendo el localismo alimentario y la agricultura sostenible. Estas conclusiones sugieren que las actividades FTT desempeñan un papel importante en la revitalización de la comunidad local. El resultado de esta investigación empírica puede permitir a los planificadores formular mejor una política regional con base en un enfoque equilibrado que tenga en cuenta las tres dimensiones de la sostenibilidad hacia el desarrollo del agroturismo. Desde un punto de vista teórico, este estudio agrega valor a la literatura al identificar las contribuciones de las actividades FTT al desarrollo sostenible, haciendo hincapié en el consumo de alimentos étnicos locales y el localismo alimentario.

Las contribuciones del agroturismo para las granjas locales no se han discutido ampliamente, especialmente en la industria agrícola local de Brunéi. Este estudio proporciona pruebas de que las actividades FTT contribuyen a una forma moderada de activismo alimentario que restablece los vínculos perturbados entre las personas, la naturaleza y el patrimonio cultural.

This study aims to evaluate the contributions of agritourism towards the local food system (LFS) by studying three small-scale agritourism farms in Brunei. More specifically, it looks at the role of farm agribusinesses and heritagisation efforts of indigenous farmers.

This qualitative study uses semi-structured interviews to collect data. This method is widely seen as more suitable to gain the unexplored perspectives of the agriculture community at the three agritourism farms.

The results suggest that the agritourism farms contribute to mild local food activism through their small-scale production of sustainable food products. Another significant finding affirms that these farms also contribute to preserving ethno-culinary heritage through heritagisation of indigenous food and their ancestral agriculture knowledge. The farms’ involvement in agribusiness and efforts in food heritagisation contributes towards a more sustainable LFS and stimulates the rural area as a reinvigorated space for agritourism transactions.

There are lack of research on the contributions of agritourism towards the LFS, especially in Brunei. This study will provide evidence of the overlooked significance of agribusiness and heritagisation efforts conducted by the local farms.

This paper aims to evaluate the responses taken during the pandemic of COVID-19 in sustaining agricultural activities and safeguarding local food supply via digital platforms by applying the case study method.

This paper uses a case study approach due to its systematic way of collecting data, analysing information and reporting results to understand the particular problem. For this study, secondary data consisting of government reports and documents are used to give a broader understanding of the impact of COVID-19 on the local food system and digital platform for agricultural produce.

The impact of COVID-19 on the agri-food sector is the move towards a more resilient and sustainable local food system, whereby nations emphasise food security by encouraging local food production. This is done by boosting micro, small and medium enterprises’ (MSME) output, “supporting local” initiatives and leveraging digital platforms and FinTech in business transactions.

This study highlights that MSMEs’ adoption of digital platforms, particularly in the agri-food sector, demonstrates their willingness to embrace new business models that leverage technological advancements while maintaining the personal touch that attracts customers.

This study implies that although the pandemic outbreak created prolonged uncertainties with an immediate impact on the economy and ways of doing business transactions, digital platforms and FinTech ensured continuous food supply during the period.

This paper provides initial valuable insight to academics, practitioners and policymakers in agriculture and innovation management. It can be observed that digital platform and FinTech plays an essential role in ensuring safety and undisrupted food supply, especially in the case of fresh produce grown by local small-scale farmers and MSMEs. This creates a more resilient agri-food system and reduces the pressure from the conventional model of food purchase and social distancing requirements.

The objectives of this paper are firstly to investigate the relationship between smart farming and sustainable development goal (SDG) 2 i.e. zero hunger. Secondly, the paper applies SWOT analysis to better understand the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of implementing smart farming in Southeast Asia (SEA). Finally, the paper provides research and practical implications for smart farming in SEA.

This study applies SWOT analysis to evaluate the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of smart farming in SEA in its goal to achieve zero hunger. The SWOT analysis is performed by conducting a comprehensive review of past and relevant literature on smart farming and its relationship with SDG 2. The use of SWOT analysis provides a foundation to identify the desired future position, identifies existing issues and better informs leaders and policymakers on how to resolve the weaknesses and take advantage of the opportunities available.

Smart farming has shown great promise in increasing food production sustainably whilst maintaining a high standard of food safety and quality. Smart farming offers a path towards achieving SDG 2 by providing innovative ways into a more profitable, resilient and green agri-food system. It is also found that a regional approach towards ensuring food security should be taken in SEA due to the dependency of the states on one another for the supply of food and agricultural products. For smart farming to take off in the region, a stronger government initiative is needed to encourage Science Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) learning to equip the local workforce.

This study contributes to the literature by highlighting the role of smart farming in achieving zero hunger. This may assist policymakers to understand the implications of adopting smart farming in the region when compared to other competing trade locations. In addition, this study uses SWOT analysis to evaluate internal and external factors which may assist in formulating strategies by allowing researchers to gain insights and to think of possible solutions for existing or potential problems.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of the government-incentivised i-Ready programme in alleviating youth unemployment in terms of the transition from education to the labour force market.

Focus group discussions are conducted to reveal the perceptions and experiences of the apprentices in the i-Ready programme. The SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis framework is used to evaluate the effectiveness of the i-Ready apprenticeship model in building a future-ready human capital.

The study found that the JobCentre agency utilises online recruitment technology and proactively promotes work-based training in the public and private sectors. However, the apprenticeship still needs to improve programme coordination and provide an inclusive regulatory framework. The study also discovered that internships could enhance in-demand skills training and establish apprentices as a crisis-recovery workforce.

The findings are based on a small-scale focus group study and represent the current state of the i-Ready programme. Future research integrating data from multiple stakeholders is recommended to provide a more thorough picture.

In terms of efficacy, the findings indicate that i-Ready has made significant contributions to local employment and, with certain modifications, is on the correct route to producing future-ready youth.

To date, there has been no research on the effectiveness of the national i-Ready programme system as a strategy that may help alleviate Brunei's youth unemployment crisis.

This paper aims to provide an understanding of agripreneurs motivation from the Islamic perspective. The objective of this paper is to explore the proposition that motivations to become agripreneurs is directly influenced by religious intentions and Islamic values, which would indirectly have an effect on entrepreneurial behaviour.

An exploratory qualitative approach was used to capture the respondents’ Islamic values and intentions, which motivate them to become agripreneurs. In-depth face-to-face interviewing technique was adopted whereby the respondents were asked to share their thoughts, views and understanding of the issues presented. A sample of five Muslim agripreneurs were interviewed for this study.

The study found that Islam plays a significant role in influencing the agripreneurs entrepreneurial motivation. Their entrepreneurial behaviour is also underpinned by some Islamic values, which have a positive impact on their mindsets and the growth of their businesses; such as having utmost faith in Allah (taqwa) and believing that Allah is the sole provider, makes them fearless in the business environment and results in a healthy competition amongst agripreneurs.

The study has several limitations. Firstly, the study is based on a small sample of five Muslim agripreneurs who are willing to be interviewed in a specific Islamic environment such as Brunei. Thus, the findings cannot be generalised and may not be a true reflection of all Islamic countries and to Muslims residing in countries in which they are not the majority. Secondly, cultural differences within a country may influence the attitude towards entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship intentions. As this study focusses on Brunei, which is based on Malay Islamic Monarchy, the motivations might be different in other countries because of the cultural differences. Thirdly, agriculture types in this study are limited. Finally, the methodology is purely qualitative.

The findings may assist the government to devise strategies and policies to attract more youth into agriculture particularly in creating a supportive environment for the farmers.

The findings of this paper have shown that their Islamic motivations and values result in a more socially responsible entrepreneur in shaping the economy and community at large and more importantly, it also brings them closer to Allah.

This paper highlights the role of Islam in influencing and motivating the respondents to become agripreneurs and persevere in the challenging business environment.

This study examines whether unemployment affects the relationship between income inequality and food security in 143 advanced and developing economies from 2000 to 2019. The authors specifically explore whether unemployment can weaken the negative impact of income inequality on food security.

The authors estimate a new and robust index of food security using a generalized least squares approach. The authors then employ the system generalized method of moments to estimate the model as it allows the authors to control for endogeneity and simultaneity. The authors estimate an interaction term to account for the moderating impact of unemployment.

The authors consistently find that income inequality has a negative and significant association with food security. However, the results differ between advance and developing economies. The authors find that unemployment rates have a negative relationship with food security in the sample of developing countries, where high levels of unemployment exacerbate the adverse effects of income inequality on food security. This is insignificant for advanced economies.

The major limitation lies in the use of aggregated data, which overlooks the issue of food security at the household or individual level.

Policymakers in developing economies can ensure job security in order to lessen the adverse effects of income inequality on food security.

This study provides new empirical evidence on whether unemployment can potentially moderate and alleviate the impact of income inequality in advanced and developing economies.

Corporate Social Responsibility, Consumer Behavior.

This case is suitable to be used in advanced undergraduate and MBA/MSc level.

This case highlights the challenges that Society for Community Outreach and Training (SCOT) faced to be self-sustained in running the operation. SCOT is one of the non-government organizations (NGOs) in Brunei that aims to eradicate poverty in sustainable and creative ways. The founder of SCOT is Anwar Mohammad, one of the recipients of National Youth Leader in Brunei. The other 18 members of SCOT Board of Directors and Executive Committee also consist of youths who are committed in their mission of alleviating poverty in Brunei. Like many other NGOs, SCOT’s activities depend on fund from public or private organizations. One of the obstacles facing NGOs in Brunei including SCOT is the difficulty in obtaining funds for their projects. To be self-sustained, Anwar came up with a project idea named Xchange Project to encourage people to collect recyclable materials and exchange them for basic commodities. He thought this would help build the habit of recycling among Bruneians as well as help those with low income to have an extra source of income.

Using this case the students will be able to:

• understand the role of NGOs (such as SCOT) in performing corporate social responsibility (CSR);

• understand the challenges that are encountered by the NGOs in obtaining fund;

• understand the role of Green Xchange program to be self-sustained; and

• understand the role of NGOs (such as SCOT) in alleviating poverty level in Brunei.

understand the role of NGOs (such as SCOT) in performing corporate social responsibility (CSR);

understand the challenges that are encountered by the NGOs in obtaining fund;

understand the role of Green Xchange program to be self-sustained; and

understand the role of NGOs (such as SCOT) in alleviating poverty level in Brunei.

This case discusses Bank Islam Brunei Darussalam’s (BIBD) social responsibility initiative. Social marketers are committed to people’s health and well-being; they are not profit-oriented and are seeking a larger market share than commercial marketers. One such example is “Community for Brunei” the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative by BIBD. It is an online marketplace designed to help small businesses, highlighting different social and philanthropic causes that are important to Bruneians’ nurturing identity. BIBD assists the country’s small, medium, and micro entrepreneurs to actively and competitively expand their businesses through the Brunei community. It aims to help ease and transform the marketplace for struggling entrepreneurs during the pandemic. The Brunei Community Platform uses technology to bring communities together and provide an online ecosystem with integrated digital payment gateways as part of their efforts to encourage a digital society driven by a cashless economy. Other than a digital marketplace, the Community for Brunei has evolved into a social charitable platform conducting charity drives in collaboration with other non-government organizations as well as a donation platform enabling the community to donate and give back to the nation in difficult times such as the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of BIBD’s overall commitment to maintain the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, events related to Community for Brunei also guards urban areas to ensure its safety, resilience and sustainability. BIBD’s CSR projects also promotes sustainability in consumption and clean production patterns, and takes urgent action by responding to climate change and its impact. The key takeaways of BIBD’s digital platform Community for Brunei is not only to accept but to fully embrace digitization of today’s businesses to not only continue thriving in this very restricted and scarcely resourced environment but to also open up opportunities to enter their goods and services into the global market. It has also become a community-driven and socially responsible platform providing a place for the society to give back to the community.