The Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF) plans to start a new program of holding a practical workshop this autumn for the purpose of developing human resources of host farmers for promoting “Noh-Haku” or “farm stay tours” at rural areas in Japan.
Farmers and other rural residents with interests in beginning a “farm stay tour business” at their respective houses will be invited to participate in the workshop.
The participants in the MAFF special workshop are required to stay at a “developed area” of the farm stay tourism about one month, which has been successful in attracting a number of tourists to its rural community.
A dozen of participants are expected to join the first workshop without any charge, which is to provide the participants with opportunities to practically learn how to organize various events for tourists as well as give their guests warm hospitality.
“Noh-Haku” is a style of farmer house homestay tour for enjoying experiences of staying at a traditional rural house, harvesting fresh farm crops and green-tourism events.
If farm stay tour businesses are carried out by a whole rural area, MAFF expects, those businesses will have great potential as an energy source for the rural economic growth.
“Even if farmers grow their interests in Noh-Haku businesses, they rarely get a chance to learn how to operate the farm stay tours. MAFF’s workshop is aiming at supporting these farmers by providing them with opportunities to acquire practical skills for hosting tourists at their home by staying at rural areas successful in the Noh-Haku business,” an official of MAFF’s division of interaction between urban and rural areas told the reporter of the Japan Agricultural News.