A senior lecturer at Victoria University in Wellington thinks that tourism could be risky for landowners in Samoa. Instead, this he suggests that using agriculture might be a better way to make money from the traditional lands in Samoa.
Dr. Iati Iati, who is from Samoa but works in New Zealand, talked about this at a meeting at NUS Samoa about land issues. He said that when we think about making money from traditional lands in Samoa, we should think about many things like money, culture, society, and people’s traditional rights.
Dr. Iati also talked about a law in Samoa from 2008 that made it easier to sell or lease traditional lands. He said that focusing on agriculture can help with development and protect people’s rights to their traditional lands, which are in danger when people want to make money from tourism.
He said that tourism can have problems, and it might affect people’s rights to their lands. So, Dr. Iati believes that agriculture is a better choice because it can help people keep their lands while also making money and preserving their culture.
