The Role of Agritourism in Community Development
in the Village of Bangunkerto, Indonesia.
By David J. Telfer
Agritourism is receiving increased recognition in rural development strategies as part of a wider trend of expanding rural tourism. In order to evaluate the potential of agritourism generating community development, the initiatives taken by the residents of the village of Bangunkerto, Indonesia were examined. Located 20 km to the north of the city of Yogyakarta in the highly productive agricultural lands of Central Java, the community is utilizing local resources to attract tourists and to promote development. Altering their production to the more profitable salak (snake fruit) crop in 1980, the villagers have established a plantation centre for tourists, assisted by the Provincial Agricultural Department. The purpose of the project is not only to expose tourists to the natural environment but also to stimulate awareness and demand for the product thereby increasing local income and promoting community development.The site consists of a small guide centre, a small store, a dance platform, and a fishing pond with a viewing platform. Visitors can take a guided tour or are free to wander along the hand-made path through the plantation viewing traditional methods of cultivation. To foster community development, student guides from the twelve surrounding villages have been hired. The project co-ordinators want to build a home stay (small accommodation unit) and a swimming pool at the site. Across the road, locals have responded to the new opportunities and have set up a small market to sell salak to the tourists. The agritourism site is included on day trips for a Yogyakarta-based tour agent often combined with stops at nearby Prambanan and Borobudur temples. From September 1994 to May 1995 the monthly visitor totals at the site ranged from a high of 1076 in October 1994 to a low of 50 in February 1995. The majority of the guests were domestic tourists while foreign tourists only accounted for 20-25 visits per month. The money raised from entrance fees is used for staff salaries, the creation of new buildings, and to help pay for the harvest of the salak from the site.
In order to get a preliminary understanding of how their lives had changed since the introduction of tourism and the adoption of salak as the dominant crop, thirty-seven area farmers were interviewed through available sampling in June of 1995. A survey with fifty-four questions was developed divided into the following categories: demographics, agriculture and tourism, agricultural practices, marketing practices. Results indicate that the farmers are very positive toward the initiative in the community and wish to see it develop further. All respondents want more tourists to visit the site and have a positive feeling toward tourists. In addition, 89% feel that the agritourism project will create more jobs in the community and 87% feel that the project has increased the value of their land. Those who have more direct contact with the project, have a stronger belief that tourism is also leading to an increase in production and marketing of the product. The committee leaders want to maintain and control production and marketing locally. The survey also indicates that the respondents do not want to sell out to a private company as they want to keep a traditional atmosphere within the project.
This case study represents an initiative taken at the community level utilizing local resources to promote development. All aspects of the attraction are controlled at the local level and in doing so the operation has strengthened local identity along with the conservation of the natural environment. Cultural heritage has also been maintained through the performance of traditional dances at the site. While the project has not created a lot of income for the community directly from tourism, they are hoping to expand the facilities and markets. Although village life in Indonesia is very cohesive and may have provided the framework for this project to develop, this case study has implications for small rural communities in both developing and developed nations utilizing tourism as a development tool. These rural regions may learn from the level of co-operation and community involvement from this developing country example.
David J. Telfer is Assistant Professor at the Department of Recreation and Leisure Studies, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1.