What is Agro-tourism?
Agro-tourism is a branch of eco-tourism, with local or native agriculturalists receiving visitors who may simply observe, but more usually will actively participate in, the growing, harvesting and processing of locally grown foods, with farmers providing home-stays (hotel accommodation is also available) and educational or work experience opportunities.
When responsibly managed, agro-tourism directly benefits local farmers by providing them with additional income, as well as encouraging them to continue practicing traditional farming methods which are environmentally friendly. At the same time, agro-tourism gives predominantly city-dwelling visitors from the developed world the chance to experience the direct contact with the land which their own cultures lost long ago. Few other types of tourism are able to offer the inter-cultural exchange and mutual understanding – gained through shared, physical work – experienced by those who participate in agro-tourism.
Its extraordinary geographical range makes Peru a unique destination for agro-tourism. From coastal deserts to the permanent snows of its great peaks and the teeming life of the Amazon lowland forest, Peru boasts 84 of the world’s 104 life zones, making it one of the world’s biological diversity “hot spots”.
Agro-tourism in Peru
Accommodation is in first class hotels close to the areas visited, although in some more remote areas only more basic, though still comfortable, hotel accommodation is available. We can also provide home stay accommodation with rural communities (upon request).
The highlands:
In the Andes, where almost every valley presents a distinct micro-climate, there exist more than 4000 types of potato, while in the Sacred Valley of the Incas alone there are at least 70 varieties of corn. Other crops also typical of the Andean region include protein rich cereals and grains such as kiwicha, quinua and tarwi. Although irrigation and special crop strains developed centuries ago have increased yields, the high altitudes of the Andean region limit most crops to just one harvest per year.
When to come:
The ideal season for agro-tourism in Peru’s Andean region is from December to March, when crops such as potatoes and corn are harvested.
How many days should we plan to stay?
In the Andes we organise visits of between 5 to 15 days to the traditional highland communities who are the inheritors of the agricultural genetic processes begun by the Incas.
The coast:
Peru’s coast is more than 3000 kilometres long and is one of the most arid places on Earth. However, this desert coast is crossed by 52 rivers that flow from the Andes to the Pacific, and for thousands of years they have been harnessed by humankind through complex irrigation systems which have widened agricultural frontiers and created fertile oases. For centuries before the arrival of the Spanish, peanuts, beans, cotton, chilli peppers, squash and many other crops were cultivated in these desert oases, and these were supplemented in the colonial period by grapes, sugar cane and rice, and in the 20th century by new cash crops such as asparagus.
Today, visitors to Peru can experience life on coastal smallholdings, as well as visiting local vineyards where both wine and pisco are produced.
When to come:
In most areas there are two or even more harvests per year due to irrigation techniques. However, to combine your visit with the highland harvest season we recommend that you time your visit from December to March.
How many days should we plan to stay?
We can organise visits of from 5 to 15 days, including the city of Arequipa and its surrounding countryside, as well as the pre-Inca agricultural terraces of the Colca Canyon.
Tropical forests:
The Peruvian Amazon is, of course, a great natural laboratory, with many scientists claiming that the destruction of the rainforest is leading to the disappearance of many plants unrecorded by science. In a five-day visit to the lowland forests of Peru, as well as enjoying the flora and fauna of the most biologically diverse region on Earth, we will be able to visit smallholdings where cash crops such as Brazil nuts, citrus fruits, cassava, cacao and rubber have been traditionally cultivated. Agro-tourism is an important way of encouraging traditional land use in this fragile ecosystem, where slash and burn and land clearance for non-traditional crops and cattle farming destroys thousands of hectares of forest each year.
When to come:
As we mention above, we recommend you combine a visit to the Andes, coast and tropical forests by planning your visit from December to March.
How many days should we plan to stay? We recommend programs of from 5 to 7 days, including hikes deep into the rainforest to observe its fauna and flora.
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