AGRI-FARM TOURISM IN REGION IV-A: BASIS FOR A PROPOSED DEVELOPMENT PLAN

Agri-Farm tourism in Region IV-A is very evident because of its rich farm lands. It is an indication that it gets to produce jobs and income to its people and the community at large. In order to develop sustainable Agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A, the study suggested variety of projects, strategies and activities to be implemented contributing to the environmental, cultural, social and economic growth of the area that is reflected through a development plan. The study was conducted to determine what are the products, services, marketing activities and linkages in Agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A, and assess its economic contributions to the region, as well as its capability to be sustainable. Likewise, the researcher come up with any recommendations that will improve the products, services, marketing activities and linkages of Agri-farm tourism in the region and will contribute to its possible sustainability based or anchored purely from the results of the study. The descriptive method of research was employed in this study. The respondents such as farm owners, Local Government Unit employees and visitors were randomly chosen and asked to answer the survey questionnaire about their perceptions on the products, services, marketing activities, linkages and the problems encountered in the selected Agri-Farm Tourism sites located in Region IV-A. Responses were analyzed using percentage, weighted mean, Analysis of Variance, Ranking, and t-test (Grouped Data) to determine the significant difference in the responses of the three groups of respondents. The results showed that the respondents looked for a more sustainable products, services, marketing activities and linkages. In the acceptability of the Development Plan, it was found to be highly acceptable by the respondents and can be implemented by the Agri-farm tourism owners for sustainable development. These results suggest that owners and the management should consider improving the Agri-farm tourism business with strong emphasis on the products, services, marketing activities and linkages to attain higher assessment rating from Very Good to Excellent. The Proposed Development Plan may be adopted by the Agri-Farm Tourism planners, farm owners and Local Government Unit employees should give emphasis on Agri-farm Tourism offer as to products and services, extent of marketing and linkages, and its sustainability to keep the Agri-farm tourism business.


Introduction
Years ago, the late Philippine President Benigno S. Aquino III approved in his term the Republic Act 10816 known as the "Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016." The act providing for the Development and Promotion of Farm Tourism in the country. According to Section 3, Farm Tourism is defined as the practice of attracting visitors and tourists to farm areas for production, educational and recreational purposes. It involves any agricultural-or fishery-based operation or activity that brings to a farm visitors, tourists, farmers and fisherfolks who want to be educated and trained on farming and its related activities, and provides a venue to outdoor recreation and accessible family outings. Furthermore, it is also an avenue to recognize the importance of agriculture in making available foods and other products necessary to sustain and enhance human life, and in providing livelihood to a major portion of the population in accordance with Section 2. A number of benefits on this is implemented throughout the country wherein tourism combined with agricultural services can teach people to value this activity towards gaining economic and cultural abundance. Truly, farm tourism provides income for farmers, farmworkers, fisherfolks and Local Government Units because of the development on return of investment given by the development of agriculture and fishery communities in the rural areas. Farm tourism in the Philippines is also challenged to promote environment-friendly, efficient and sustainable farm practices; provide alternative recreation facilities and farm tourism activities for families, students, and other clientele; and promote health and wellness with high quality farm produced food.
The exposure on Agri-Farm Tourism that is properly and uniquely packaged can help attract tourists to experience different farm products and services they have never tried before. Farm owners and farmers would let their visitors enjoy and feel the freshness of nature through outdoor adventures, pick your own produce or harvest and pay, petting zoos for children, horseback riding, lagoon fishing and trekking, seminars and workshops on farming techniques or processed products, and overnight accommodation. These farms would also offer variety of sceneries and organically fresh produce from gardens of vegetables and fruits, flowers to parks, animals and forests with cottages, restaurants, resorts, waterfalls, lakes and fishing grounds.
The Department of Tourism has added on their list twelve Agri-Farm Tourism sites in April 2018 headed by Rebecca Villanueva-Labit, DOT Regional Director for Region IV-A. These sites were seated in Region IV-A which covers Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon. Among the lists are Costales Nature Farms in Majayjay, Laguna; Kahariam Realty and Farms, Incorporated in Lipa, Batangas; and Teofely Nature Farms in Silang, Cavite.
In order to develop sustainable agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A, the study suggested variety of projects, strategies and activities to be implemented contributing to the environmental, cultural, social and economic growth of the area that is reflected through a development plan. Sustainability can only be achieved by the collaboration of internal and external stakeholders attainment of sustainable agrifarm tourism.
The study was conducted to determine what are the products and services in agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A, and assess its economic contributions to the region, as well as its capability to be sustainable. Likewise, the researcher conducted this study to come up with any recommendations that will improve the products and services of agri-farm tourism in the region that will contribute to its possible sustainability based or anchored purely from the results of the study.

Agri-Farm Tourism
In the Cebu Pacific Magazine about the Republic Act 10816 or the Farm Development Act of 2016 which aims to promote farm tourism throughout the country. Reyes reiterated that the recognition of farms not just for production areas but a venue for education, training and outdoor recreation. The new law will encourage, develop and promote farm tourism in the country. Farm tourism will allow visitors and tourists to get involved in farm activities, and to enjoy and learn about the rural lifestyle (Kaldeen, 2019). It will also promote environment-friendly, efficient and sustainable farm practices as well as encourage health and wellness with high-quality, farm-produced food (Reyes, 2016).

Products and Services
The Rise of agri-tourism in the Philippines started when people are looking for places to relax and stay, they tend to find peace to nature and so they choose to visit agri-farm tourism sites. Agri-farm tourism is a combination of agriculture and tourism. This involves an agriculturally-based operation wherein visitors/tourists goes to a farm, ranch or any natural site like pineapple plantations, orchid farms for education and recreational activities. People are also invited to shop agricultural produce and enjoy services such as accommodation/lodging. The country's Department of Tourism in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program implemented the Philippine Tourism Master Plan that focuses on sustainable agri-farm tourism in 1991. The plan was very much confident as Philippines has the potential for agri-farm tourism because of its natural resources, biological diversity and cultural heritage. It can easily be cultivated from the Master Plan as it becomes profitable and sustainable to economy, culture and tourism. It was reported that an estimated 5.5 million international tourists travelled to the country which roughly brought economic growth. The sectors of agriculture and tourism provided 14.6 million new jobs in the year 2016 as a result of a more sustainable and environmentallyfriendly way of life (Spire Research, 2018).

Marketing activities
Marketing activities or strategies for Agritourism Operations will be every effective and efficient if it include the market, the enterprise's features and benefits, the message, promotion and advertising, and the competitive advantage. It is also a necessity to have an easy-to use website and a friendly employees to attend to customers' needs. As part of the marketing strategy, good relations with other linkages such as local community neighbors and local businesses are factors to the success of an agritourism enterprise. Local residents can work with one another and government agency representatives to begin to revive their agricultural economy (George & Rilla, 2011).

Linkages
To achieve sustainable tourism, according to an article entitled Making tourism more sustainable -A guide for policy makers, sustainable tourism development requires the informed participation of all relevant linkages, as well as strong political leadership to ensure wide participation and consensus building. Achieving sustainable tourism is a continuous process and it requires constant monitoring of impacts, introducing the necessary preventive and/or corrective measures whenever necessary. Sustainable tourism should also maintain a high level of tourist satisfaction and ensure a meaningful experience to the tourists, raising their awareness about sustainability issues and promoting sustainable tourism practices amongst them (United Nations World Tourism Organization, 2019).
In a speech at SEARCA, a point of view that harnessing agritourism opportunities is key to regional development. This can be done in two ways. One is the bottom-up approach, where established farms approach DOT and DA to help them market and promote the experiences they offer. The other is the top-down approach, where through training and financial grants, the two departments help farms that have potential but lack the capability to market their destinations (Fresnoza, 2019).

Development Plan
The creation of a Development Plan was anchored from the "Plan" named Farm Tourism Strategic Action Plan that has a set of comprehensive programs, projects and activities for the growth of farm tourism in the country (Mubarak & Musthafa, 2020). The Plan shall cover various areas of concern, such as investment promotion and financing; market research, trends, innovations and information; accreditation of farm tourism camps; market promotion and development; agriculture and fishery research, development and extension; institutional and human resource development; and infrastructure support. It would likewise define the roles and responsibilities of national government agencies, local government units (LGUs), farm tourism operators, tour operators, educational institutions, and other industry stakeholders in its implementation. In terms of investment promotion and financing, the DoT, the DA (Department of Agriculture) and the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry) shall develop programs linking stakeholders in the farm tourism industry, government financial institutions, government-owned or controlled corporations, private banks, financial cooperatives and other lending institutions to increase access to credit for farm tourism (Fuentes, 2016).

Methodology
The descriptive method of research was employed in this study. This method employs a survey or an assessment approach to collect information that permits one to discuss character or persons and their perceptions (Best and Kahn, 2009). The study describes the perceptions of farm owners, Local Government Unit employees and visitors in the selected Agri-Farm Tourism sites located in Region IV-A as to their products, services, marketing activities, linkages, and problems encountered. The results of the research posited a basis for a Development Plan.
A survey questionnaire was used as the main instrument in gathering the data to assess the sustainability of Agri-Farm Tourism based on the different variables included in the study. A series of consultations and modifications of the survey questionnaire was done by the experts, research adviser and farm owners until the researcher come up with survey questionnaire to be distributed for validation. The survey content has been validated through a dry run to the respondents who are not part of the study. There were some parts of the criteria which were clarified and corrected. After their recommendations and suggestions, it has been included and incorporated to the final draft of the questionnaires which were ready for administration.
Three groups served as respondents in the assessment of the Sustainability of Agri-Farm Tourism in Region IV-A. The Local Government Unit employees and visitors were purposively selected based on the criteria set by the researcher. This was used where members of a sample are chosen with a purpose to represent a location or type in relation to the criterion. Meanwhile, the farm owners were chosen using cluster sampling. According to an article from Research Methodology, it characterized cluster sampling technique as the researcher's identification of the cluster of participants representing the population and their inclusion in the sample group.
To treat the data collected appropriately, percentage was used to describe the distribution of the respondents, while, weighted mean was used to aggregate a set of scores to determine and assess Costales Nature Farms in Majayjay, Laguna, Kahariam Realty and Farms, Incorporated in Lipa, Batangas, and Teofely Nature Farms in Silang, Cavite as to their products, services, marketing activities, and linkages. In line with this, a five (5) point Likert scale method was used as criterion which serves as the basis for the interpretation of data: 4.20-5.00 (Excellent), 3.40-4.19 (Very Good), 2.60-3.39 (Good), 1.80-2.59 (Poor), and 1.00-1.79 (Very Poor). On the Assessment on the Problems Encountered in the Sustainability of Agri-farm Tourism in Region IV-A, the same values in the Likert scale was employed but different interpretations as to 4.20-5.00 (Highly Encountered), 3.40-4.19 (Encountered), 2.60-3.39 (Moderately Encountered), 1.80-2.59 (Least Encountered), and 1.00-1.79 (Not Encountered). With regards to the Acceptability of the Development Plan, the respondents assessed it using a five-point Likert scale: 4.20-5.00 (Highly Acceptable), 3.40-4.19 (Acceptable), 2.60-3.39 (Moderately Acceptable), 1.80-2.59 (Least Acceptable), and 1.00-1.79 (Least Acceptable). Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was utilized to determine if significant difference exists in the assessment of the three groups of respondents on the products, services, marketing activities, and linkages of Agri-Farm Tourism in Region IV-A. Ranking was used to find out the most significant factor which influences the respondent. Respondents were asked to assign the rank for all factors and the outcome of such ranking have been converted into score value. Then for each factor, the scores of each individual are added and then total value of scores and mean values of score is calculated. The factors having highest mean value is considered to be the most important factor. Lastly, t-test (Grouped Data) was used to determine the significant difference in the responses of the three groups of respondents. The critical t-value at 0.5 level of significance (alpha level) with respective degrees of freedom will be used to set region of acceptance and rejection.

Conclusion
The three groups of respondents assessed the sustainability of Agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A in terms of products, services, marketing activities and linkages as Very Good, with the grand mean of 3.41.
The computed F-values are as follows: products (0.41448); services (0.00262); marketing activities (0.09941); and linkages (0.1333); were all lower than the critical values of 3.47; 3.55; 3.47; and 3.68 with 2 and 21, 18, 21, and 15 degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance. Hence, there is no significant difference on the sustainability of Agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A as assessed by farm owners, visitors and Local Government Unit employees. Therefore, the hypothesis is accepted. The problems encountered in the sustainability of Agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A rated as Moderately Encountered with overall weighted mean of 3.21.
A Proposed Development Plan was crafted and presented and focusing on the sustainability of Agri-Farm Tourism in terms of products, services, marketing activities, and linkages, which includes the Key Result Areas, Objectives, Programs/Activities, Strategies, Persons Involved, Time Frame, Budgetary Allocation, Source of Budget, and Performance Indicator. The proposed development plan was rated as Highly Acceptable with overall weighted mean of 4.32. The computed F-value is 0.00207 is lower than the critical value of 3.89 with 2 and 12 with the degree of freedom at 0.05 level of significance. Hence, there is no significant difference on the acceptability of the proposed development plan as assessed by farm owners, LGU employees and visitors. Therefore, the hypothesis is accepted.
Therefore, it can be concluded that farm owners, Local Government Unit employees and visitors assessed the Agri-Farm Tourism in Region IV-A as sustainable. The findings is similar in an article published by Spire Research (2018) entitled The Rise of agri-tourism in the Philippines which discussed that the country's Department of Tourism in collaboration with the United Nations Development Program implemented the Philippine Tourism Master Plan that focuses on sustainable agri-farm tourism in 1991. The plan was very much confident as Philippines has the potential for agri-farm tourism because of its natural resources, biological diversity and cultural heritage. It can easily be cultivated from the Master Plan as it becomes profitable and sustainable to economy, culture and tourism.
In terms of variables specifically the products of the selected Agri-Farm Tourism sites located in Region IV-A are offering a dining experience for visitors to try and realized the importance of organically grown fresh meals from farms and to the purpose of bringing agriculture and tourism to its visitors. Dining experience is also another product that helps increase the profitability of Agri-Farm Tourism. Another literature of Simes (2018) mentioned that eating and learning about the food that nearby producers have grown and offering tours, classes and products for sale are just some of the specific activities that patrons can enjoy. Same goal that farm tourism teaches people and that is to be educated in agriculture industry. The implication of the results as to services of the sites, Agri-Farm tourism is practicing an eco-innovation technique for sustainability because of the Farm-to- Table  Concept wherein locally produced are utilized for dining experience. The result is somewhat similar with the study conducted by Shang, Chen, Kuang and Wei (2017) where small-scale farms combine agricultural products and tourism into an eco-innovation strategy. The different stakeholders consist of on-farm and downstream enterprises along agricultural supply chains. Downstream enterprises represent a traditional agri-food supply chain that is referred to as farm-to-table or farm-to-fork. In terms of marketing activities, it is very much important for a farm turned into an Agri-Farm Tourism site to undergo Accreditation from Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Training Institute where farms practice organic farming and marks as a Learning Site (LS) and Department of Tourism as a tourist farm destination. In this way, farm sites are considered reliable places where visitors can enjoy and appreciate nature safely. Antonio (2018) shared also that sustainable agri-farm tourism can be achieved through provision of trainings, technology demonstration, establishment of farm business advisory services and the production and distribution of Information, Education and Communication. The implication of the results of the last variable called Linkages validated that Agri-Farm Tourism sites must have a partnership with the Department of Education and Higher Educational Institutions. This practice enables Agri-Farm Tourism impart the knowledge and skills in agriculture to individuals how to grow and produce organic products and livestock and those who would like to engage in this kind of venture. Indeed, Agri-Farm Tourism generate income by means of entertaining visitors from these educational institutions and can maintain its sustainability. A similar article presented by Gayo (2019) characterized agriculture as cultivating and harvesting urban visitors, school and other groups, and tourists (local and foreign), all eager to have a unique rural and agricultural lifestyle experiences. He mentioned about Agri-education which includes travelers associated with school education programs, agricultural exchanges, and farming organizations.
The problems encountered resulted that organic fresh fruits pick from the farm were the top problem by the respondents because of the seasonal issues these produce are being grown as a result where respondents are not enjoying the Agri-Farm's products. In a similar literature published by Concept New Central (2018), there are challenges/ problems that farm owners need to resolve. Tourism Secretary Puyat posited from the article that to realize the potential of turning a small land area to an agri-farm site, one has to take risk by getting out of his comfort zone. An entrepreneurial mindset is needed in the crucial part of tourism that include marketing; lectures and workshops that will left visitors with knowledge and application in their own places; renting equipment and transporting crops to the local markets and; arranging tours. She added that a decent accommodation, amenities and toilet facilities must be prioritize for farm tourists to achieve satisfaction and delight on their farm tour experience and stay.
Based from the findings of the study, a Proposed Development Plan was presented and crafted focusing on the sustainability of Agri-Farm Tourism in terms of products, services, marketing activities, and linkages that preserve the environmental, social, and cultural aspects and will have economic growth of Region IV-A. The Proposed Development Plan was designed to help farmers, farm owners and locals of Region IV-A achieve sustainability of Agri-Farm Tourism in the area in terms of products and services having vast and abundant lands for agriculture. The plan was also presented for Agri-Farm sites to implement and practice different marketing strategies in promoting recreation and education through farm tours, accommodation and packages, seminars and trainings. Similarly, appropriate linkages were also part of the Development Plan with a cooperation from the government sectors like the Department of Tourism, Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Training Institute, Department of Education, Commission on Higher Education and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority , public and private enterprises like grocers, hotels, restaurants, and hospitals which will benefit on the significance of growing and eating organic fruits, vegetables and livestock animals. In these ways, Region IV-A will not only have a progressive economy but they will be known to have preserved their environment, society and culture.

Recommendations
As a recommendation, the owners and management of these Agri-farm tourism sites should consider improving the business with strong emphasis on the products, services, marketing activities and linkages to attain higher assessment rating from Very Good to Excellent. Agri-Farm Tourism planners, farm owners and Local Government Unit employees should give emphasis on Agri-farm Tourism offer as to products and services, extent of marketing and linkages, and its sustainability to keep the agrifarm tourism business. It is also suggested that regular gathering of feedbacks from visitors be collected to know more of their expectations and preferences.
The problems encountered as to the products, services, marketing activities, and linkages must be given prompt attention to avoid any possible negative effect on the business of Agri-farm tourism in Region IV-A.
In terms of products and services, farms should offer variety of Agri-Tourism related products and services to provide wide choices to the visitors. To reach wider market, Agri-farms must intensify marketing activities. These kind of enterprise must establish as well linkages with industry that are connected to Agri-farm Tourism produce. Sustaining these Agri-farm sites anchor on the laws regarding Agri-farm Tourism that provide sustainability assistance to Agri-farm Tourism. Specific suggestions addressing the problems encountered are laid down at the proposed development plan.
The Proposed Development Plan may be adopted in order to improve and achieve sustainability of Agri-Farm Tourism in Region IV-A in terms of products, services, marketing activities, and linkages, and contribute to economic benefits of the local residents.
A parallel study may be conducted with the same variables but different groups of respondents and setting to validate the reliability of the findings.
The host community, and local government units should support Agri-Farm Tourism in the community for its environmental, cultural, social and economic benefits. They should jointly collaborate and develop tourism products and activities without sacrificing the way of rural life.