HOW TO START A FARM AND AGRITOURISM SITE

One of the goals that the couple wanted for the farm was to become a farm tourism site that also practices a farm-to-table concept. In a week or two, Artemio’s Heritage Ecofarm is set to open its campsite and farm restaurant, depending on the situation of COVID in the area.

The couple also hopes to inspire other farms in their area to follow a farm-to-table concept and promote agritourism.

Here are some tips on how one can develop their farm to make it a tourist destination:

According to Sablay, to create tourism amenities, one should consider the climate and weather of the place and build structures that make people comfortable when they visit the farm.

“Since we are an agri-tourism space, I also make sure to introduce new concepts like our unlimited feeding system, conditioning of the animals to create a good ‘behavior’. The animals and crops should be accessible by visitors and they can learn from them,” Sablay said.

But, Sablay adds, some areas should be kept off-limits to visitors due to biosecurity measures employed in the farm.

The next thing to consider is to know the habits of and the people around the area by talking to them since knowing and understanding their culture gives farm owners significant ideas on how they can entice visitors to come to the farm tourism site.

Lastly, Sablay advises farmers who are looking to start a farm tourism site to build amenities.

“Make sure they fit the natural environment so they do not look out of place or awkward,” he said.

Developing the tourism aspect of a farm does more than just generate more income for a farm. If fully realized, a farm tourism site can help raise tourism in the area and the economy since it can help generate more income for people and other establishments.