India is a country of many realities. It has a history more than 5000 years old, it is a fount of traditional knowledge and a global hub of modern, scientific capability. The topography is unique with a coastline of more than 7,500 kms across three of its borders, crowned by the majestic Himalayas, with abundant biodiversity and the world’s largest rainfall system, the monsoon. India is a vibrant democracy of more than 1.25 billion people and it is one of the largest economies in terms of purchasing power parity. Over the last four decades, real per capita income has increase four fold and poverty has declined considerably; by nearly 20% just during the decade between 2005-20161. 

Yet, despite this remarkable progress, there is more work to do to enable equitable growth. Nearly 300 million people continue to be extremely poor and many experience chronic hunger. India’s public distribution system to provide food provisions to low income households is the world’s largest but, it remains afflicted by execution issues. Hunger in India is not caused by food shortage or conflict, as it is some other parts of the world. India achieved food self sufficiency a long time ago and has been a net exporter for at least 30 years. Food is available but, it is inaccessible to many people due to unemployment, low wages and a growing rural-urban income divide. 450 million people live as internal migrants, with an average 5-6 million people migrating every year since 20012. People from rural places, dependent almost entirely on agriculture migrate in search of better livelihoods because agricultural income is much lower in comparison to other sectors. If often means that they move alone in the hope of sending money to the families they leave behind. 

Redistribution of income and more balanced economic growth is important and there is no single solution. It needs multiple and multi-dimensional solutions, rooted in ground reality, funded through public and private investment and enabled by strong execution. In my view, one of these solutions is eco-agri-culinary tourism, even though I say it in a clumsy way at the moment. What does it mean? It is eco-tourism, in an agricultural setting, where local food and cuisine are the main showcase. How is this relevant for India? It is, for 3 reasons. 

One, India’s vast food heritage and numerous local food cultures are relatively less known and they must be showcased with pride.

India is amongst the world’s largest producers, consumers and exporters of milk, spices, rice, a wide variety of grains, fruit and other food produce. We tend to homogenise India’s regional culinary diversity and label food as ‘north Indian’ or ‘south Indian’, rarely if ever, recognising that there is also cuisine from India’s west and east ! In reality, cuisine varies widely across and within India’s 28 states and 8 union territories. Dal is a simple and powerful example of India’s food diversity. Tadka dal in some states, aamti in Maharashtra, sambar in Karnataka, different from sambar in Tamil Nadu; the lentils, the spices, the recipes vary and are closely tied to local agriculture, climate and culture, passed down from one generation to another. We tend to express the richness of our food cultures at home while only a handful of dishes have national and global recognition – masala dosa,  chana masala, butter chicken, palak paneer, rogan josh and such come to mind. But, they are not representative of the vastness and complexity of what forms the universe of Indian cuisine. From countless Indian communities emerge countless crops, ingredients, recipes, dishes and food cultures. They are often unknown to a broader diaspora of Indians in India, Indians abroad and people around the world who love Indian food and flavours.

Second, agriculture is the backbone of cuisine and India has extensive agriculture and tremendous capacity for tourism. Organised agri-culinary tourism has a large domestic and international market.

While most tourism involves viewing and visiting, agri-tourism i.e. tourist activity in an agricultural place involves participation in the life of a rural family, possibly some farming or food production and it enables people to acquire new skills and knowledge. Travel experiences in rural India are offered even today but, they form a largely unorganised sector and food does not always have a central role. That is interesting because eating a few times everyday is obligatory and eating on holiday is like consuming local heritage3. Gastronomy is integral to local culture and it is an important differentiator for tourism destinations. There is a natural relationship between land, climate and food and since food is communal, understanding the food culture of a place is essential to understanding the place. Agriturismo in Italy is a good example and in some part, a source of inspiration for me. Through my time in Italy, I visited many farms, vineyards, dairies, restaurants, food stores, meat producers. I experienced firsthand, their commitment towards sustainable forms of production, watched them create memorable culinary experiences for visitors and in turn, came to appreciate agriturismo as a model for balanced, inclusive, local growth. Italian agritourism has been an organised sector since 1985, to promote farm tourism, preserve and valorise agricultural territories and preserve heritage. More than 20,000 Italian farms operate as agriturismos, engaging in small-scale production, integration with the environment and enable visitors to understand Italian culinary arts. 

Agri-culinary tourism is hence, a powerful tool for promoting a place and it also stimulates local agriculture, food processing, retailing and raises quality, especially as the demand for safer and natural foods increases. It does not have to be restricted to restaurant guides and restaurants; it is much broader and includes visits to food producers, food festivals, participation in a range of food activities. There are numerous examples of sustainable gastronomy events such as the Melbourne Food & Wine Festival, Cheese the international festival hosted in Italy by Slow Food, the Bologna Slow Wine Festival amongst others. There is a growing interest in these experiences as travellers seek to spend more time away from the cities, are open to different food experiences and are discerning about the impact on the environment. Environmentally responsible practices are the urgent need of the hour for our planet. Hence, agri-culinary tourism is not adequate by itself, it must be eco-agri-culinary tourism. 

Finally, there is a virtuous and natural cycle between agriculture, food, tourism and development. India can create new avenues for rural development by turbocharging this cycle.

The global tourism industry is estimated to surpass USD 8.9 trillion by 20264. International tourism is one of India’s largest foreign exchange earners, with USD 30B in 2020 and an annual growth rate of 5.15%. Domestic tourism is even larger, with 2.3 billion travellers each year and an annual growth rate of 25.3%. India’s rank as a tourism destination has gone up from 51 in 2001 to 23-24 (provisional) in 20205. This is good because tourism generates revenue and creates jobs in a variety of sectors. The manpower required in the industry is projected to increase from 800,000 people in 2018 to 11 million by 20256. However, the scale and variety of tourism experiences that India can offer far exceed what it offers today. India receives a mere 1.22% of all global tourist travel and 5% of all travel in Asia Pacific. The Indian central and state governments are upgrading hospitality education, investing in integrated development of destinations and conducting other programs under the Incredible India! campaign. India also a national rural tourism policy and guidelines for sustainable tourism, recognising the need for inclusive growth and minimising the negative effects of travel on the environment

Where can eco-agri-culinary tourism be implemented? It can be implemented everywhere in India but, let’s take the example of Karnataka, where I have been living for many years.

Karnataka is India’s sixth largest state, with 61% people living in rural areas. It has long been a hub for science and research and through recent decades, it has emerged as the Silicon Valley of the east. The IT industry alone, mostly operating out of a concentration of urban places, contributes 61% of the state’s GDP. Karnataka’s topography and biodiversity are amongst the most diverse – 300 km coastline on the west, home to one part of the UNESCO World Heritage Western Ghats biosphere, 4.3 million hectares of forest land, numerous waterfalls and lakes, large coffee plantations, extensive agricultural land of more than 11 million hectares with nearly 8 million small holder operational farms7. Cereals and grains are the principal crops, followed by sorghum (jowar), rice, sugarcane, cotton and groundnut. Across its long coastline, there are at least 276 recorded varieties of fish. Naturally, the food grown in the state finds a prominent place in Karnataka’s regional cuisines.

Jowar (sorghum), ragi (finger millet), rice are all staples across Karnataka but,  there are distinct regional variations in how they are cooked. The coastal regions of Mangalore and Karwar have abundant seafood in their cuisine while the Kodagu district has meat at the centre of the meal, especially pork. Parts of the state which had Jain settlements and those observant of Ayurvedic principles are vegetarian and in some places, continue to cook their recipes without onion, garlic and even tomato8. The point again is that Kanataka’s food goes far beyond idli, benne dosa, bisibele bhaat which are amongst the most popular dishes. 

Karnataka’s Tourism Policy 2020-2025 is progressive, with a vision to establish the state as a preferred tourism destination with safe, memorable and diverse high quality tourism offerings, in collaboration with tourism stakeholders and local communities, to create sustainable and inclusive socio-economic development for all. In effect, it is a state with all the elements for a thriving eco-agri-culinary tourism model, to preserve and promote diverse local food cultures and create avenues for rural development.

What will it take to turbocharge this virtuous cycle and what stands in the way? 

I met with organic farmers, food entrepreneurs, speciality restauranteurs, food writers, bed & breakfast places, professionals in the travel industry and NGOs working with rural communities. There is a resounding agreement that food should have a more central and more visible place in social and economic activity. But, there are challenges to overcome. For one, food is complex to work with because it is perishable. Consumer choices are influenced by powerful market dynamics and marketing which also means that consumers can often be unaware of local food varieties and their importance in the cultural and environmental context. Public and private investment in creating value added products and experiences is low. Training is necessary and above all, faster implementation of basic infrastructure like road access, sanitation and water. Hospitality, food and travel establishments need to play a bigger role, especially as they slowly emerge from the debilitating impact of the covid-19 pandemic. 

The challenges are real but, they are not unsurmountable. India has all the right elements – unparalleled heritage, administrative systems and modern capabilities to do big and complex things and an enormous domestic and international market for its cuisine. 

Eco-agri-culinary tourism can be implemented through:

• Earnest, practical implementation of national and state tourism policies which already lay down principles and guidelines on sustainability, regulation, infrastructure and investment support 
• Promotion of existing initiatives which are operating at the intersection of food, tourism and sustainable development
• Collaborative networks comprising of farmers, hoteliers, restaurateurs, chefs and NGOs who can identify and support local opportunities for small-scale food tourism projects

My view is that capability development and good facilitation is necessary to put this virtuous cycle into action. Standards will have to be created, tourist experiences will need to be designed based on local conditions and capacity for investment, investment capacity will need to be created, hospitality skills will need to be developed because not all farms will have the ability or the capacity to envisage and deliver a tourist experience, other farms may have to be engaged to supply part of the food produce, complimentary sectors will have to be engaged for marketing, promotion, transportation etc. I have a role to play in this cycle, to bring to bear my own experiences, my enthusiasm for India’s food cultures and food wisdom and ultimately, make a contribution, no matter how small, towards equitable growth. I will soon be getting to work. 

Footnotes (sources)

1. Studies published by World Bank, Oxford Poverty and Human Development Initiative (OPHI)

2. Internal Migration policy brief by Global Knowledge Partnership on Migration and Development (KNOMAD)

3. Tourism and Gastronomy, 2011, Anne-Mette Hjalager and Greg Richards

4. Travel and Tourism market overview

5. Tourism Statistics, 2020, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

6. Tourism Statistics, 2020, Ministry of Tourism, Government of India

7. Government of Karnataka statistics

8. Cuisine of Karnataka, 2020, Outlook Traveller in association with the Department of Tourism of Karnataka