Agro Eco Tourism Centre

Welcome

ICAR has a mandate of working as a centre for agro-tourism so we are expected to train people in this aspect. We have therefore initiated a research project called agro-eco tourism around this. In this three-fold project, tourists will get to learn about agriculture, organic harvesting and the eco-system

                                                                                      Parveen Kumar

                                                                                                  Director

 

 Imagine receiving a fish pedicure while enjoying swigs of fresh kokum juice and then walking into a polyhouse to learn about how horticulture crops are grown using farm biomass. This and more is possible  in Goa with a new agro-eco tourism initiative being launched by the Old Goa-based Indian Council of Agricultural Research-Central Coastal Agricultural Research Institute (ICAR-CCARI).

Visitors are permitted to pick from a range of activities at the institute and be led on guided tours. On display are various agricultural operations such as mushroom production and bee hives for them to explore and learn about.

While demonstrations of the making of various organic produce like manure are also held, the visitors are also shown the method of preparing organic pesticides and organic fertilizers. Important domestic livestock like bovines, rabbits, ornamental poultry and fish are on display.
The science behind spice plants native to Goa and horticulture crops and rare fruit plants that grow well in the state are also on display.
Besides having fun activities like fish pedicure and viewing varieties of fish in aquariums, visitors can also enhance their knowledge about various agriculture and ecology related activities at the institute.
The staff also help visitors purchase units that will enable them to build infrastructure for the agriculture activity of their liking at home. There is also a counter selling various products released by the institute in recent years such as cashew candy, nutmeg pericarp (fruit rind) taffy and virgin coconut oil.

Agro Eco-tourism is the form of tourism which capitalizes on rural culture as a tourist attraction. It has gained a new dimension as a potential income and job generating activity. The symbiosis between tourism and agriculture that can be found in agro-tourism is a key element of an environmentally and socially responsible tourism.