For tourists visiting Gujarat,vacations will not just be limited to shopping and eating,but will also include learning a thing or two about gardening,drip irrigation and agriculture. After culture and adventure tourism,the Gujarat government is now planning to focus on agriculture tourism in a big way. While Agritourism is very popular in Australia and North America,the concept is relatively new in India,especially in Gujarat. The state government has initiated the process of setting up an Agriculture Tourism and Training Centre (ATTC) in association with the Sardar Krushinagar Agriculture University Dantiwada (SAUD). Spread over 35 acres of land on the banks of the Banas,the centre will offer short courses in landscaping,drip irrigation,horticulture,medicinal plants,dairy sciences and animal husbandry. The government has already sanctioned Rs 10 crore for setting up the centre. The centre will also house a Human Resource Development and Training Centre for the farmers and the youth. We will have an open food court,a zoo,a horticulture show in greenhouse,boating and other activities for the tourists,who can also learn a thing or two on drip irrigation and water harvesting. The objective of having such centres is to provide traditional wisdom of agriculture to the tourists and help in the growth of rural economy at the same time, said Nutan Desai,the architect of the project. A lot of international and domestic tourists visit cultural and religious places in Gujarat. Agriculture tourism will be a new area,wherein they can learn a few things while enjoying vacation. A government official said: The site is located on the banks of the Banas. This will make the place all the more interesting. Once successful,this centre will be replicated in other regions in Gujarat. This will be a win-win situation for the tourists as well as the rural economy.
