With a pilot project on exploiting tourism services in combination with agricultural, forestry and aquaculture development in Hoa Vang District during the 2022-2025 period, Da Nang expects the models of eco-tourism and community-based tourism to help increase economic value of agriculture, and create jobs and income for rural people.

Notably, the city requires organisations and individuals involving the pilot project not to provide accommodation services, not to pollute water sources, and not to change the purpose of land and forest use. They are asked to build items with environmentally friendly raw materials.

Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Lanh, a resident of An Hai Bac Ward, Son Tra District, hopes to access preferential policies from the pilot project to improve service quality at Haly Farm. Photo: Tieu Yieu

Respect for natural values

The Da Nang government has just issued a decision to implement a pilot project on exploiting tourism services in combination with agricultural, forestry and aquaculture development in Hoa Vang District (Project 487).

The goals of the project is to set tup 15 agricultural production sites associated with exploiting tourism services, creating specific tourism products, and developing rural tourism in association with the OCOP (One Commune- One Product) programme.

Under the project, types of land reserved for tourism development are required to be land used for planting perennial crops, growing annual crops, aquaculture and production forests.

In which, land reserved for planting perennial crops, growing annual crops, aquaculture is required to ensure an area of ​​3,000m² or more, whilst land for production forests must be 10,000m² or more.

Such pilot models provide tourists with the experience of planting, harvesting, packing, conducting fishing activities, throwing casting nets, and processing harvested vegetables and seafood.

Moreover, visitors can participate in such exciting outdoor activities as overnight camping, kite flying, movement games, yoga, photography, small-scale theater activities, boating, horseback riding and cattle care.

To ensure the set goals, the municipal People’s Committee has assigned relevant units to monitor, inspect and supervise the implementation.

Specifically, the Hoa Vang District authorities has been asked to coordinate with relevant units to conduct surveys on production areas, as well as encourage individuals to raise their responsibility for environmental protection, and say no to plastic bags and single-use plastic waste. Top priority has been given to developing a specific plan to ensure security and order, and food safety and hygiene, and preventing spontaneous low-quality services.

Meanwhile, the municipal Department of Tourism has been required to speed up the training of human resource and the development of urban - rural tours.

Increasing economic value of rural agriculture

Mrs. Nguyen Ngoc Lanh, residing in An Hai Bac Ward, Son Tra District, said that her family bought 6,000m² of land for perennial crops, including a part of residential land, in My Son Village, Hoa Ninh Commune, Hoa  Vang District.

At first, she built a house of grade 4, and planted vegetables and fruit trees with the purpose of having a place for her family to relax at weekends.

Last year, grasping the trend of eco-tourism development in Hoa Vang District, she decided to renovate more than 5,000m² of land for acacia planting into an ecotourism site, named Haly Farm. At the site, she has grown many types of flowers such as Chrysanthemum, heather, butterfly wings, buckwheats, sunflowers.

"If Haly Farm is selected to participate in the project, we will make efforts to improve the quality of services and connect with travel agencies to welcome guests, instead of finding the source of visitors by ourselves like now", Mrs. Lanh expected.

Also registering for the pilot project, the Tuy Loan Organic Vegetables Consumption and Production Service Cooperative in Hoa Phong Commune will have a chance to promote the consumption of organic agriculture combined with tourism service development.

Director of the Cooperative Bui Dung remarked that his Cooperative has carried out the combined agricultural production model to welcome pupils and students to visit, study and experience since 2019. This trend helps cooperative members increase income and be responsible in clean agricultural production.

"I hope that the project 487 will help Hoa Vang District’s agricultural sector achieve rapid growth and sustainable development" said Mr. Dung.

The model of tourism associated with the agriculture, forestry and fishery development brings many benefits to farmers, including creating unique tourism products, and narrowing the gap between urban and rural areas in the orientation of developing key economic sectors.

On the other hand, agritourism helps farmers to preserve traditional farming methods, improve the value of agricultural products, and solve agricultural output.

Mr. Nguyen Thuc Dung, Standing Vice Chairman of Hoa Vang District People's Committee, underlined that rural tourism development was part of the national target program on building new-style rural areas during the 2021-2025 period.

According to Mr. Dung, in order to participate in the project, organisations and individuals must meet legal conditions, and have a specific and safe exploitation model and plan. Based on these criteria, the district authorities will set up a council to select suitable investment plans, and deploy them.

Previously, the Da Nang authorities has given a green light for a project on developing community-based tourism in Hoa Vang District for the 2021-2025 period, with an orientation to 2030.

The project sets the goal of developing agricultural tourism in a safe and sustainable direction, improving the value of OCOP product chain in Tuy Loan Village in Hoa Phong Commune and Thai Lai Village in Hoa Nhon Commune, as well as experiencing high-tech farming in Hoa Bac Commune.

It can be seen, in a broader view, that the agritourism model is bringing high economic efficiency to farmers in the provinces of Can Tho, Kien Giang, Dong Nai, Lam Dong, Quang Nam, and other Vietnamese localities.

In addition to the right orientation from the local government, farmers in these localities know how to take advantage of agriculture, environmental landscapes, and traditional culture to attract tourists, create jobs, and increase the value of agricultural and rural products in a sustainable manner.

Reporting by TIEU YEN -Translating by M.DUNG