Employment Generation and Development of Rural Areas Through Agro Tourism

Employment Generation and Development of Rural Areas Through Agro Tourism

Nowadays youngsters are migrating from villages towards the cities in large numbers. The main reason for this migration is the lack of employment opportunities in Rural areas. In most of the rural areas, there are hardly any businesses or industries which can provide jobs to the people. To be sure, there are many small scale and cottage industries, but the financial remuneration to the workers are very low in such cases, which makes them un affordable to the most. In rural areas there is widespread lack of even basic amenities. In this age of high inflation, paltry sum of five-six thousand a month is hardly feasible for the people in rural areas. All this factors are contributing in a big way towards the migration to cities. If we have to stop this process, we have to first create employment opportunities in villages. Agro tourism is one such platform to develop jobs in rural areas. Young people from the villages can then also become local tour guides and can conduct the tours on their own explaining the culture, history and geography of the village to the tourists. On one hand it will create job opportunities in the villages and on the other hand it can help in preserving the local culture of the villages. Every agro tourism centre can provide jobs to minimum of five to maximum of even hundred people. There are many examples to drive this point, eg. Saguna Baug, Parashar Agro Tourism Centre, Palshi Agro Tourism Centre, Tapola Agro Tourism Centre and many other such examples can also be given.

To establish an agro tourism centre one requires diverse kind of human resource. To perform daily functions within the centre, one requires tour managers, guides, cooks, gardeners, laundry men, professional trekking experts, boatmen, online marketing experts, advertising professional etc. Many of this services are available as and when required, and do not require full time employees. Many of this jobs are done with the help of ad hoc workers. Also required are the coaches and experts to teach how to ride bullock cart, a tractor, a camel etc. All this things can surely create employment opportunities in villages. In villages many women are engaged in making items like puran polis, chivda, chakli, chutneys etc, even this can help create jobs in villages. As this items can be then sold in agro tourism centers. Local performers, actors, artists, painters etc can also be roped in to perform at various activities of the agro tourism centers, which can then create jobs for them.

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Local dances, art forms, dramas can entertain the guests which can be beneficial in two ways. First it can create jobs for the local artists and second it will help in preservation of local art and culture. Local art forms like, powada’s, bhajan, kirtan, bharud, loknrutya etc can create employment opportunities for the village youngsters. This will surely help in preserving the local art forms too. In addition to this, every village has certain place of interest. This places can be developed, which may further the cause of agro tourism and even generate jobs.

Some of the tourists come to reside for few days in the agro tourism resorts. They explore nearby places, visit farms, orchards and nurseries etc. They buy samplings of exotic plants, medicinal herbs from this centers. They also like to visit places such as jaggery production plants and test the fresh produce and they also buy it. Along with this, other items can also be put for sale in such places, which can generate good revenue. This can surely help in the development of village. City dwellers would always want to buy rural products from agro tourism centers, instead of buying it from cities at much higher marked up coast. So, this model can prove boon to the village economy and can help the village develop.

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The women self help groups in villages can produce items like papad, shevai, pickel (Mango, Amla, Lemon or Mixed) etc and then they can sell it in the premises of agro tourism centers. Similarly items of decorations, which are made by the local artists and craftsmen can also be sold. Also, small eateries or hotels can be opened at the local places of attraction such as temples, riverfront, dams, waterfalls etc which can generate good income for the local villagers, thereby helping the village economy develop. Local arts and crafts eg. embroidery works, bamboo baskets, weaving art, honey collection etc can be encouraged and good income can be had from their selling. Newer avenues like organic vegetable cultivation, animal husbandry, poultry farms, polyhouse, fruit processing, seed processing plants, farms lakes, various irrigation facilities can also be developed which can attract tourist attraction and simultaneously prove beneficial to farmers too. In short, Agro tourism can create lots of opportunities for the people living in the villages.

Translator 

Sajid Inamda