Farm tourism is mainly related to agriculture and its allied sector consisting of fisheries, livestock and the agro-based industry in Malaysia. It offers opportunities for visitors to experience various agricultural activities as the country has plenty of agricultural resources for utilization. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) is responsible for the development of agricultural tourism activities in Malaysia, while the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is an authority for Malaysian tourism promotional activities as a whole. The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), a statutory body under the roof of MAFS, is mandated for conducting research on agriculture, food and agro-based industries and transferring agrotechnologies in multidisciplinary prospects with the vision of leading in agro-food research and innovations. The establishment of the MARDI Agrotechnology Park has become MARDI’s platforms of farm tourism centers to showcase agricultural technologies and the process of dissemination of agrotechnology transfer for public visits encompasses with technology, innovation, conservation, education and recreation components. This paper focuses on the best practices of farm tourism activities on the economic and agricultural literacy perspectives of MARDI Cameron Highlands Agrotechnology Park based on its content of promoting highland agricultural technologies of fruits and flowering plants and MARDI Langkawi Agrotechnology Park for its farm tourism activities on tropical fruit plantation technologies and innovations. The paper also highlights the challenges on farm tourism activities in Cameron Highlands and Langkawi in general. The government's initiatives programs suggest strategies to be implemented by MARDI to ensure the sustainability of MARDI Agrotechnology Park in farm tourism industry in Malaysia towards strengthening the agricultural sector as one of the main contributors to the country’s economic growth.
Keywords: agrotechnology, agrotourism, best practices, MARDI
Farm tourism is mainly related to agriculture and its allied sector consisting of fisheries, livestock and the agro-based industry in Malaysia. It offers opportunities for visitors to experience various agricultural activities as the country has plenty of agricultural resources for utilization. The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) is responsible for the development of agricultural tourism activities in Malaysia, while the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture (MOTAC) is an authority for Malaysian tourism promotional activities as a whole. The Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI), a statutory body under the roof of MAFS, is mandated for conducting research on agriculture, food and agro-based industries and transferring agrotechnologies in multidisciplinary prospects with the vision of leading in agro-food research and innovations. The establishment of the MARDI Agrotechnology Park has become MARDI’s platforms of farm tourism centers to showcase agricultural technologies and the process of dissemination of agrotechnology transfer for public visits encompasses with technology, innovation, conservation, education and recreation components. This paper focuses on the best practices of farm tourism activities on the economic and agricultural literacy perspectives of MARDI Cameron Highlands Agrotechnology Park based on its content of promoting highland agricultural technologies of fruits and flowering plants and MARDI Langkawi Agrotechnology Park for its farm tourism activities on tropical fruit plantation technologies and innovations. The paper also highlights the challenges on farm tourism activities in Cameron Highlands and Langkawi in general. The government's initiatives programs suggest strategies to be implemented by MARDI to ensure the sustainability of MARDI Agrotechnology Park in farm tourism industry in Malaysia towards strengthening the agricultural sector as one of the main contributors to the country’s economic growth.
Keywords: agrotechnology, agrotourism, best practices, MARDI