The Philippines will lead in establishing farm tourism in Asia, Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary and International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) Chairman Dr. Mina T. Gabor reported.
Farm tourism has been an increasing trend especially to travellers who are interested in engaging to agriculture.
According to Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, the said kind of tourism is a catalyst for sustainable tourism and inclusive development.
Moreover, the country will welcome local and international delegates to the upcoming ISST’s sixth Philippine Farm Tourism Conference 2019 happening on November 6-8, 2019 in Cebu.
As cited in the report of Business Mirror, “the conference aims to learn and share the best practices done by experts in farm tourism industry, as well as fighting for food security”.
Further, Gabor continues to encourage more enthusiasts to set their own, most especially the younger generation.
What’s more, this kind of tourism enables innovation and generates extra income for farmers and fisherfolks.
Urban farming, one of the current trends that ISST is looking into, allows people to produce their own fresh crops in small vacant lot.
“ISST also tied up with Bokashi Pinoy, a start-up company introducing bokashi-making among livelihoods,” report mentioned.
Bokashi is technique using fermentation in turning food wastes into soil amendment.
Respectively, Gabor emphasized the challenges that the industry might face such as climate change. However, it is also establishing farm that can mitigate it.
“Gabor considers the soil another challenge in urban farming. She said it is imperative that farmers are well educated on the importance of proper nourishment for their soil to yield best results for their produce,” report stated.
Infrastructure, on the otherhand, is also a concern that needs to be improved. Gabor hopes that government will support in building farm to market roads in remote areas.
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