A FARMING zone and an activity or adventure zone are the major areas for priority for the agri-tourism component of Agriya, the agricultural metropolis of Damosa Land Inc. (DLI) in Panabo City.
The mixed-use development project, which had its groundbreaking ceremony last Thursday, May 18, will allot around 10 hectares for the establishment of the agri-tourism component wherein the farming zone and the activity zone will be located.
A farm for bananas and other fruit-bearing plants, such as pomelo and mangosteen, will be put up in the area, which will feature edible and ornamental varieties of bananas. The guests will also have the chance to see how bananas are grown from start to finish. They will also witness how a variety of vegetables are grown into a farm and how it is used to be a part of edible landscaping.
“When you look at a banana, a lot of people see it as just a banana. But the kind of care and process that goes into growing a banana, it’s very complex... We want to educate the people about the importance of the industry and the importance of the people that actually worked towards giving us things such as bananas and other fruits,” said DLI vice president Ricardo Floirendo Lagdameo, who in a separate interview also said that they target to make agriculture “sexy and attractive” for the younger generation.
The farming zone, which is expected to be operational by early 2018, will also have crop mazes, a pick-pay-eat restaurant, and a farmer’s stand which will provide fresh produce daily to the surrounding communities.
The activity zone, or what the company coined as Naturetainment, will introduce extreme adventure features over a span of two years which would include Roller Coaster Zipline, Mountain Tubing, and Adventure Tower (rock climbing, rappelling, and free fall activities).
The first parts of naturetainment (the use of nature as entertainment) will be operational early 2018 and will prioritize features such as the Giant Swing, Earth Mound and Nature Playground, and Aerial Walk (with three levels of difficulty).
The objective of naturetainment is to invest on the agricultural heritage of Mindanao, bringing in adventure and recreational activities with educational twist through interactive activities on sustainable farming.
Majority of the traffic expected will come from the naturetainment guests. (JPA)