Old McDonald had a farm......

The image of farmers is changing in India. True, they continue to toil day and night on the field, depend on unpredictable rains to earn money and live far away from the city.  But, the entrepreneurial bug has got to them too!

Agriculture tourism is the latest form of tourism in India.  Today, many farmers in India are turning entrepreneurs and earning additional income by offering people a chance to unwind amongst farms, animals, and nature at a reasonable cost.  Tour operators are aggressively promoting this newest form of tourism, sending city goers from India and tourists from abroad to experience the ‘farm life’ with packages ranging from Rs.500-10,000. Farmers are using their ancestral acres of land to earn more money to support their families.  It is a win-win situation for both the tourist as well as the farmer.  The farmer doesn’t have to do anything much to please his guest as rustic experience in rural India is part of the price they pay.

The traveler gets to ride bullock carts, milk cows, plough and harvest at farms, bathe at a tube well and eat fresh farm food.  From Punjab to Manali, from Baramati to Bihar; there are plenty of villages and places for tourists to choose from. Its time to move out of Mahabaleshwar, Matheran, Lonavala and Goa; go ‘rural’ this holiday season!