Agri-tourism industry emerging in the country

MANILA, Philippines - An agriculture-tourism (agri-tourism) industry is taking shape in the country.

And research is being harnessed to unravel the vast potential of this fledgling venture, whose development can considerably perk up the rural economy.

Encouragingly, too, state colleges and universities (SCUs) across the country are taking the lead in developing this new field.

Agri-tourism refers to working farms, ranches, winery, or any agriculture operation being opened to the public for their enjoyment and also for outdoor recreation activities, education, shopping, dining, or even lodging.

An agri-tourism activity, as explained by House Bill 1808 introduced in Congress, means “any activity carried out on a farm or ranch or in a forest that allows members of the general public for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities, including farming, ranching, historical, cultural, harvest-your-own, or nature-based activities and attractions.”

HB 1808 notes that agri-tourism has been providing additional incomes to farmers, farm owners, and producers in many states in America.

To harness the potential of this evolving industry in the Philippines, the Los Baños-based, government-hosted Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) and Tourism Foundation Inc. of the University of the Philippines-Asian Institute of Tourism (UP-AIT) sponsored recently the ‘First National Agri-tourism Research Conference in the Philippines’.

Held at SEARCA in UP Los Baños (UPLB) in Los Baños, Laguna, the conference was sponsored by the Departments of Tourism (DOT) and Agriculture (DA), Manila Hotel, Tourism and Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), Primer Group of Companies, Center for Outdoor Recreation and Expedition (CORE), Costales Nature Farm, Dispatch, and Laguna provincial and Los Baños municipal governments.

About 100 investors and entrepreneurs, industry regulators, professors and staff members of SCUs engaged in agri-tourism research and development (R&D), and students attended the conference.

The forum, which had ‘Strengthening Agriculture-Tourism Linkages through Research’ as its theme, aimed to consolidate the current loose agri-tourism community that is expected to champion issues and concerns of the emerging industry.

SEARCA Director Gil C. Saguiguit Jr. stressed that “agriculture and all its wonderful trappings, when properly and uniquely packaged, can help attract tourists to the country and visitors to the countryside.”

“Essentially,” Dr. Saguiguit said, “the question we hope to address through research is what products, activities, services, and attributes could attract both foreign and local visitors.

Underscoring the importance of R&D in agri-tourism, Agriculture Undersecretary Segfredo Serrano enjoined the participants “to provide with workable policies, programs and recommendations” focusing on agri-tourism’s vast potentials.

UPLB Chancellor Rex Victor Cruz also stressed that “the future development of agri-tourism in the country must be pursued with due emphasis on science if it is to take on a strategic relevance to national development.”

Along this line, Dr. Cruz said, UPLB has instituted agri-tourism’s inclusion in select curriculum and the establishment of the UPLB “AgriPark.”

During the conference, results of 20 researches were presented.

The popular areas initially covered by the studies included the rice terraces in the Cordilleras; agri-tourism initiatives in the CALABARZON (Southern Tagalog) and Bicol regions; Taal Volcano protected landscape; the “beachescapes” in Camarines Sur; eco-tourism activities in Camiguin Island and Caraga in northern Mindanao; and the Davao pawikan (sea turtle) venture in Davao City.

Among the SCUs actively involved in agri-tourism R&D are UP Los Baños, Benguet State University, Batangas State University, Nueva Vizcaya State University, Partido State University, Bicol University, Central Bicol State University of Agriculture, Surigao del Sur State University and University of Mindanao.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (DENR-ERDB) has also been conducting agriculture-tourism/eco-tourism studies.