One extra farm was supported within the "From City to Village" agro-ecotourism project

The next farm was supported within the framework of the "From City to Village" agro-ecotourism project of the Ministry of Agriculture. The beekeeping farm in Gakh region was reconstructed, the area for bee milk production was fenced and the farm was landscaped. In order to increase the level of service, the farm was provided with a number of equipment and items.

Minister of Agriculture Inam Karimov got acquainted with the implemented work at the "Honey House" beekeeping farm in Lakit village of the region and attended the presentation of agro-ecotourism projects. The ceremony was informed about the implementation work within the "From City to Village" project, the impact of this social project on the development of agrarian tourism, increased employment in rural areas, increasing farmers’ incomes.

Speaking at the event, Minister Inam Karimov said that as a result of the successful policy pursued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev, our country entered a new stage of development. Against the background of economic diversification, agriculture has been developing rapidly in recent years, becoming one of the country's priority areas. The development of agriculture also stimulates the development of areas such as education, employment, innovation, trade and tourism. For this reason, the Ministry implements a number of socially oriented projects in the direction of socio-economic development of the regions. One of these projects is the "From City to Village" agro-ecotourism project aimed at the formation of rural tourism through the development of the agricultural sector.

Agro-ecotourism is an activity that draws the attention of people from around the world to rural areas, existing farms and the protection of the environment. Azerbaijan’s favorable geographical location, rich biodiversity and ecosystem, as well as modern infrastructure create favorable conditions for the development of agrarian tourism. Within the framework of the "From City to Village" project, support is provided for the construction of agro-ecotourism facilities in the regions on the basis of modern standards. Appropriate support has already been provided to 5 such farms.

Then the Head of "Honey House" farm Badraddin Hasratov, the Head of "Biogarden" farm Etibar Nuriyev, the Head of "Lakeside Garden" farm Ramtik Alizade, the Head of "Honey Kindergarten" farm Anar Mammadov presented their farms. During the presentation, the sides exchanged views on the implementation work to develop agro-ecotourism in Azerbaijan and gave recommendations to farmers.

At the end of the event, certificates were presented to the women involved in the trainings within the "Azerbaijani Women with Agrarian Activity" project. The purpose of the project is to stimulate women to be engaged in beekeeping, to provide relevant training to women interested in this field, to provide them with beekeeping equipment as part of a social project.

The event was attended by representatives of the FAO, the State Tourism Agency, the Azerbaijan State Agrarian University, the Gakh District Executive Power, and farmers trained in the agro-ecotourism module.

It should be noted that the "From City to Village" project is implemented under the corporate social responsibility program with the support of “Pasha Holding”.

To date, more than 200 farmers applied to join the "From City to Village" project. During the inspection of the farms of the applicants, 97 of these farms were considered suitable for agro-ecotourism. Foreign and local specialists trained 115 farm owners in the construction of agro-ecotourism facilities, and organized tours to more than 40 farms. About 900 tourists, including 170 foreign tourists, took part in these tours.