Article Relationships between International Buyers and Farmers: Insights from Tonga’s Vanilla Industry Sisikula Palutea Sisifa 1 a , Christina Stringer 1 1 The University of Auckland Business School, New Zealand Keywords: buying frm, social capital, tongan vanilla industry, global value chain https://doi.org/10.46697/001c.19417 AIB Insights Vol. 21, Issue 1, 2021 Integration into value chains is a vital step for Tonga to achieve its development aspirations. Despite several geographical constraints, Tonga is the eighth largest global producer of vanilla. Tongan smallholder vanilla farmers are being integrated into value chains through two regional lead frms. This study examines this integration process and highlights how international buying frms could adopt culturally sensitive engagement practices to strengthen their connections with farmers. In particular, the study highlights the pivotal role of women in the pollination process and, by extension, in the expansion of the vanilla sector. INTRODUCTION Tonga, a small island nation in the Pacifc Ocean, faces several constraints in integrating into global value chains (GVCs) – a vital step for the country’s development aspira- tions. Tonga has a narrow export base dominated by subsis- tence agricultural production. The country’s advantages in growing vanilla, despite its geographic remoteness, dimin- ishing arable land, and the lack of economies of scale, are not widely known. Tonga is the eighth largest producer of vanilla globally (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2020). In recent years, the presence of two regional lead frms, Heilala Vanilla and Queen Fine Foods, from New Zealand and Australia, respectively, has helped integrate Tongan smallholder farmers into GVCs. Integrating into GVCs is not a straightforward process. This article discusses the relational dynamics between two lead frms and smallholder farmers in the vanilla industry in Tonga. In particular, we explore how farmers defne re- lationships and the related implications for buyer engage- ment strategies. We also discuss the importance of women in developing this industry. This study draws on 25 talanoa sessions and semi-structured interviews with growers, agri- cultural experts, and other key stakeholders in Tonga and New Zealand. Talanoa is a widely used Pacifc qualitative methodology that recognizes the cultural values, norms and traditions that are intrinsic to Pacifc Island participants. In the Tongan context, tala means to tell or inform as well as enquire and apply. Noa means without thought or of no value. Talanoa centers the participant and gives them the power to defne the issue at the heart of the encounter, and therefore yields authentic responses. It “allows people to engage in social conversation which lead to critical discus- sions or knowledge creation that allows rich contextual and inter-related information to surface as constructed stories” (Vaiola, 2006: 24). GLOBAL VALUE CHAINS AND INTEGRATION The GVC framework is an analytical approach that focuses on interfrm networks. GVCs can be examined through two contrasting perspectives, global (top-down) and local (bot- tom-up). The frst encompasses three key dimensions of the GVC framework (the input-output structure, governance, and geography). In contrast, the bottom-up perspective fo- cusses on how producers can achieve greater value through economic upgrading – the shifting to higher-value activi- ties – and the key role of stakeholders in this process. It also focuses on the local institutional context in which the GVC is embedded for access to key inputs that promote (or hin- der) growth, including labor and other resources (Fernan- dez-Stark & Gereff, 2019). While economic upgrading has received signifcant at- tention in the GVC literature, and to a lesser degree social upgrading, these are not the only forms of upgrading. Fer- nandez-Stark & Gereff (2019: 61) viewed entry into the val- ue chain as being “the frst and one of the most challenging upgrading trajectories”, particularly for smallholder farm- ers who face several constraints in participating in GVCs and in establishing relationships with buyers. Gaining mar- ket access can affect the overall development of a com- petitive, inclusive value chain. Bamber & Fernandez-Stark (2012: 7) highlighted that “establishing an ongoing rela- tionship between the producer and the buyer, is a critical factor in the inclusion of small producers in the value chain.” Moreover, the literature has generally overlooked Corresponding author: s.sisifa@auckland.ac.nz a Sisifa, S. P., & Stringer, C. 2021. Relationships between International Buyers and Farmers: Insights from Tonga’s Vanilla Industry. AIB Insights, 21(1). https://doi.org/ 10.46697/001c.19417.