INCLUSIVE farm tourism was the resounding message of the Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) director during the recent 7th Philippine Farm Tourism Conference in Bohol.
Themed "Farm Tourism: Consciousness for Healthy Living and New Experiences," the conference was co-presented by the Center and the International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) and was hosted by the Bohol provincial government.
SEARCA Director Glenn Gregorio said the conference at the Bellevue Resort held from February 26-28 featured success stories on sustainable growth through cultivating fruit and vegetable farms, aquaculture and artisanal fisheries, and green investments in farm tourism.
"Farm tourism as a gateway to wellness and a vehicle to carbon neutrality has a role in helping the farmers transform their mindsets and uplift their quality of life," he said in his keynote address rallying for inclusive farm tourism.
Gregorio said inclusiveness in farm tourism makes the undertaking competitive, inclusive and resilient.
"It is competitive because stakeholders can innovate, upgrade and add value to products and services to match tourist demand and grow market share; inclusive because all stakeholders, including the poor and the marginalized, receive a sustainable flow of benefits; and lastly, resilient because stakeholders are capable of addressing, absorbing and overcoming shocks in the market, policy environment, resource base or other aspect of the system," he explained
Gregorio also highlighted SEARCA's initiatives on farm tourism.
These are the Global Farm Tourism Summit in 2018 featuring lecture discussions and panel sessions on climate-resilient farming, women empowerment in farm tourism and millennial farming, and the International Ecotourism Travel Mart in 2023, the first green travel mart and selling fair in the world, both of which are in partnership with ISST.
Meanwhile, the 4th Lakbay Bukid Awards on February 27 also coincided with the farm tourism conference recognizing Asia's foremost farm tourism pioneers, movers, developers, supporters and legislators.
The selection of the first youth Lakbay Bukid awardee, Francis Perdigon of Perdigon Farm in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte, was spearheaded by SEARCA.
Perdigon is a Generation Z farmer and a licensed agriculturist, and his hands-on involvement in farm work "demonstrates a genuine dedication to farming and rural development while cultivating interest and enthusiasm for agriculture among youths," according to SEARCA.
SEARCA also hosted an institutional exhibit at the conference showcasing its publications on food security, climate resilience and natural resource management, as well as information materials on its programs and services through its Partnerships Unit and Applied Knowledge Resources Unit.
The Asean Centre for Biodiversity, the Department of Tourism, the Tourism Promotions Board, the Department of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, the Philippine Exporters Confederation, the Department of Trade and Industry, and Philippine Airlines as the official carrier joined and supported the event.