By Liza Agoot/PNA
TABUK CITY, Kalinga — The Department of Tourism Cordillera Administrative Region (DOT-CAR) is encouraging more youth to go into farming as the agency aims to further promote “farm tourism”.
Farming is now more fun in the Philippines, Jovita Ganongan, DOT-CAR officer-in-charge, said in a message during a program for the farmers, cooperatives, business sector, senior citizens and civil society organizations day on Friday.
“When we were in the elementary and when asked what we want to be in the future, nobody ever says he wants to be a farmer. This is probably because we already know how difficult it is to be one. But with farm tourism being pushed, the life of farmers are elevated, they become teachers and mentors too,” said Ganongan.
“This is a fusion of agriculture and tourism with the end view to provide additional income stream for our dear farmers and most of all to encourage our youth to go into farming,” Ganongan said.
She talked about the importance of farming and farmers feeding the people.
“Other professions may be lost but not farming because at the end of the day, we will always look for food because we cannot eat our money,” she said.
In describing farm tourism, she said it is “farm plus fun equals farm tourism.”
To be a farm tourism site, it is necessary to provide education about farming and recreation for tourism purposes, Ganongan said.
“It is an experiential tourism where visitors get the opportunity to have a first-hand experience on how to grow a particular agricultural product, harvest them and for the same product to land on their meal-plate,” she added.
The experience acquired by the tourist is what they pay for, adding value to what farmers earn.
“Through farm tourism, farmers do not only earn from selling their products but are also paid for sharing the experience and for the meal they serve which come from the farm,” the DOT official said.
She added that under Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat’s leadership, farm tourism is now given much attention.
DOT-CAR is continuing with the accreditation of farm tourist sites, where proponents are trained to allow them to meet the standards and to provide the best service for clients, she said.