Agritourism: A Lucrative Business for North Eastern States (India)
Rupshree Borah
Intern batch, Lakhimpur College of Veterinary Science, AAU, North Lakhimpur
corresponding author: rupshree.borah.vl17@aau.ac.in
Abstract
Tourism has always been a way of social, cultural and economic upliftment for the people across the globe. It is termed as instrument for employment generation, poverty alleviation and sustainable human development. It has been contributing significantly to GDP, employment and overall foreign exchange earnings of the economy and reducing poverty to a greater extent. Agritourism is the latest concept in the Indian tourist industry where agriculture and tourism meet to provide tourists with amazing educational as well as recreational purposes. Concepts like Agritourism are providers of niche offerings as products which are expected to create more demand. India is a country with majority of the population depending on agriculture. While in the times of major employment crisis, agritourism provides scopes for employment generation as well as a strong supplementary source of income for farmers while conserving the biodiversity. North Eastern states have been the site of exotic beauty blessed with flora and fauna and different ethnic groups with immense potential for the growth on tourism sector.
Introduction
Tourism is currently well recognized as associate engine of growth within the numerous economies within the world. Many countries have remodeled their economies by developing their commercial enterprise potential. Tourism enterprise has capability to get large-scale employment and extra financial gain sources to the masterly and unskilled people. Some new areas of the commercial enterprise have emerged like Agritourism enterprise which is a new form off traditional tourism. Agritourism development as an option for diversifying farming activities is known as a source of job creation and economic growth (Abadi et al., 2022 and Kumar et al, 2015). Agro-tourism is an associative innovative agricultural activity with commercial enterprise and agriculture. It has a good capability to make extra supply of financial gain and employment opportunities to the farmers. North-eastern states are one in every of the foremost holidaymaker Centres within the country and there’s massive scope and nice potential to develop agro-tourism.
What is agritourism?
The term agritourism essentially refers to tourism primarily based upon the idea of visiting a operating farm or any agricultural, agriculture or factory farm operations for the aim of enjoyment, education, or active involvement within the activities of the farm or operations.
“Agritourism” includes gap up farms to tourists from urban areas and from abroad, and belongings them to require experiences of rural life. The term agritourism could have totally different definitions in several regions of the globe and typically refers to farm stays and typically to a good style of activities together with shopping for a product directly from the farm stand, choosing fruits, feeding animals, milking a cow, riding a cart etc. Agritourism exposes tourists to ancient foods, native culture, language at the side of varied quite leisure activities. It ought to guarantee primarily 3 staple items – have one thing for guests to examine, to try and do and to shop for.
Why agritourism?
In present situation, the urban population has been going for agritourism as the way of relief from the daily routine of their chaotic lifestyle in big cities. For this reason, it’s one amongst the foremost dynamic rising markets in our country. Since agriculture is that the main occupation of the individuals in Asian country in general and more particular in India, there’s a requirement to think about allied financial gain generation methods with agriculture. One amongst them will be agritourism. Agritourism will contribute to the general financial gain, income and gain of a farm by providing various financial gains via farm product and farming activities.
Characteristics of agritourism
- An inexpensive gateway
- Environment friendly
- Conservation of biodiversity
- Away from overcrowding
- Break from the hustle of urban life
- Educational awareness about rural life and knowledge about agricultural science.
- For people with desire for peace and tranquility
- Curiosity about the rural life and culture
- Generating employment
- Rural development and recreation
- A strong supplementary source of income for the farmers
- Development of managerial skill and entrepreneurial spirit
- Use of farm based fresh products in new and innovative ways
- Promoting use of local agricultural products as well as services
- Helping preserve local traditions, art and culture.
- Promoting protection to local landscapes and natural environment for residents and tourists.
- Generating additional revenue for local business and services from tourists.
Scope and potential of tourism development in North East India
In today’s world, tourism is one of the most profitable and fastest growing businesses. The region ‘north east India’ covers 7.9% of the total geographical land area of the country with total area of 2.62 lakhs square kilo meter consisting of 8 states and this region is often refered to be ‘paradise unexplored’ due to it’s enchanting natural scenic beauty, flora and fauna, rich biodiversity along with pleasant weather, historical and cultural heritage, distinct and diversified ethnic heritage. North eastern states are known for its scenic beauty and diversified culture of tribal peoples as well as for their warm welcoming behavior to the tourists. The region is already rich in agriculture and surrounding scenic beauties of the mountains, rivers and landscapes makes it more attractive to tourists around the world. There are abundance of opportunities for one to develop agritourism sector in north east India. May it be an eco-resort with agriculture, tea garden, orchid garden or a fruit garden? Places of agricultural importance like highest crop yielding farm, animal yielding farm, processing units, other farms with new innovations to attract tourists. Agri tourism products like farm fresh food products, planting and owning your own tree / plot, pick and pay, bullock cart riding, fishing, boating , water park could lure the urban tourists. Since many of the culture is at stake of endangerment, agritourism may help protecting those heritages.
Some of the developmental works done in Agritourism in north-eastern states
- “YATRA”, is a full agrotourism travel package covering Assam and Nagaland villages, visiting organic farmers of the region. It is a farm tourism venture by Samir Ranjan Bordoloi, promoting organic farming and providing advisory services in the Noth Eastern states since 2005. Encasing on the strength of the region, YATRA ensures profit for the agri clinic and the farmer members, in terms of earning through farm tourism and also providing a direct access to the member farmers for the sale of their organic products. Bamboo village in Majuli, organic farm in Jorhat, Charaimari organic model village, Dhansirimukh model village in kaziranga are some of the components that comes under this venture.( from case study on agro-tourism by Saravanan Raj and Jyoti Todd.
- Funded by Indian Council of Agricultural Research, New Delhi under its Development Grant 2020-21 a sanction of Rs 3 crore ‘Agri Ecotourism through Green Initiative Project’ at the Assam Agricultural University campus in Jorhat. This project will be developed on a 1.5 km channel flowing through the campus of the varsity and its banks which will include boat-rides on the channel with a boathouse and a quaint bridge. Along the sides of the channel a mini tea plantation, indigenous fruit trees, indigenous aromatic plants, indigenous spice trees, landscaped gardens, integrated with fishery and poultry farming. There would also be a pond for angling and tree lined avenues.
Conclusion
Now days, a large section of people living in the urban areas wants to enjoy the rural life and want to know more about the rural life. Agritourism is a good opportunity business to flourish in the region. A lack of awareness, finance among the farmers for agritourism is matter of concern. The development of agritourism services in North-eastern states of the country requires systematic improvement of knowledge and skills by current and potential rural service providers. Proper training on various issues as accommodation and feeding of guests, legal aspects of running agritourism, marketing of agritourism services, greening of agritourism farms, social and property insurance, interpersonal communication, issues of using cultural heritage and the sources and possibilities of using national and aid funds for investment and training needs in agritourism.
References
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