Story & photos by Bernard Supetran
THE Philippines and India share a common culture dating back to centuries when both were part of independent Asian empires, even before the onset of the colonial era.
When both countries became republics after World War II, such long histories were nurtured through diplomatic ties and cultural exchanges.
Today, a new endeavor is emerging as another common area for collaboration—this time, in the field of farm or agriculture-based tourism, which showcases the interplay of travel and farming.
In line with this, a contingent of Indian agritourism practitioners from Maharashtra state took part in the recent fifth Farm Tourism Conference and Festival in Iloilo City to share their best practices and success stories which can be replicated locally.
The delegation was composed of Prakash Gawade, Saurabh Katkar, Pratik Kand, Sunil Khaladkar, Nandkumar Katkar, and led by Pandurang Taware, regarded as the “Father of Agritourism” concept in India and is the managing director of Agri Tourism Development Company (ATDC) Pvt. Ltd. based in Pune.
Maharashtra is the pioneer state to develop and promote agritourism in India. Incorporated in 2005, ATDC is the umbrella organization and owns the pilot agritourism project of 28 acres in Pune whose main activities include operating its center along with encouraging more farmers to take up agritourism, as well as conducting training and research programs.
Composed of 10 farms across the state, this is an umbrella platform where most tourist reservations are booked and tourists are sent to different centers, thus, saving on the marketing cost of farmers.Set featured image
In 2016 ATDC received 700,000 domestic and foreign visitors, earned 35.79 million rupees to farmers’ families, while it generated jobs for women and the youth in the communities.
The International School of Sustainable Tourism organized the conference, while the Department of Tourism cast the spotlight in the country’s growing farm-tourism industry as a driver of inclusive economic growth and develop entrepreneurship among farmers.
Themed “Improving Farm Tourism through Enrichment of Local Products and Culture,” the confab was attended by more than 300 agricultural entrepreneurs, local authorities and tourism officials. This year’s edition highlighted coffee culture, fisheries and aquaculture, urban farming, successful farm-tourism sites in India and Taiwan, and saw visits to farm resorts in Iloilo.
The event also opened a potential collaboration between India and the Philippines for a possible hosting of the 11th World Agritourism Day set in May 2018.
Image credits: Bernard Supetran