Global Journal of Management and Business Research, F: Real Estate, Event and Tourism Management, Volume 22 Issue 3

farm tourism industry is considered small scale but has potentials given the existence of stakeholders that can help farmers to develop their farms operate as a farm tourism site and lure visitors who can contribute to economic development. The perceptions simply imply that all stakeholders need to play significant roles so that more coordinated farm tourism development can be achieved. The fact that tourism demands a more systematic approach more than any other agencies requires a strong foundation for its development. b) Profile of Stakeholders i. Farm Profile The results of the study show that the seven (7) farms included in the study offer diverse crops (Table 2). They offer unique farm tourism experience given the variety of activities that tourists can enjoy. Out of the seven (7) farms, there are two which can be considered as ‘Gem Farms’, farms planted with a specific crop which serves as its banner product. These are the Bicol Strawberry Farm known for its high-quality strawberry production and the MikeLiz Integrated Farm known for its dragon fruit plantation. Most of the farms show a very good fusion of agriculture and tourism. Another notable feature is the farms’ product innovation which shows a great potential in attracting tourists and visitors. The MikeLiz Integrated Farm based on its profile, offers unique products from its farm produce. This displays good characteristics of a farm tourism site by making use of what is inside the farm and turn them into unique and profitable products. Considering the accreditation status of farms, it is noteworthy that currently, only Sonrisa Farm was granted an accreditation by the Department of Tourism (DOT) as a farm tourism site. Nonetheless, some are already certified in Good Agricultural Practices (GAP), Organic Agriculture, recognized as Learning Sites of the Agricultural Training Institute (ATI) and Farm School of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA). These are indications that farms are either integrated or diversified, specialized farm producing a specific commodity, or it demonstrates a special technology. In addition, only the Iriga City Organic Agrciulture Learning Farm (ICOALF) is owned and funded by the government and the rest are small family farms which affirm the statement in the previous part that most of farm tourism sites in the Philippines are still privately owned and operated. Thus, collaboration of stakeholders is much needed, otherwise, farms will just be operating independently without the participation of other stakeholders. c) Profile of the Government Agencies Cited in Section 8 of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Farm Tourism Development Act of the Philippines, is the creation of a Farm Tourism Development Board composed of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), and the Academe. These agencies are expected to take the lead in crafting and in the implementation of policies, projects, and activities toward the development and promotion of the industry. Table 3 shows its mandate as a government institution and their plans and current initiatives. In general, it is good to affirm that each of the major agencies has taken initial steps to at least help the farmers appreciate the value of farm tourism, expand partnerships, and develop the industry in general. However, from the profile, there is no stated activities and projects which show collaborative effort between the four of them. This implies that there is a need for a comprehensive strategic action plan which will involve stakeholders and other line agencies and can guide them address their needs, share resources, expand network, and explore possible options to develop the industry in Camarines Sur. Governance among stakeholders is an important element to consider in the development of the industry. It is important to note that sustainable tourism development cannot be achieved without governance because of its nature; that of fostering common goal by collective action (Zeijl-Rozema, Cörvers, Kemp, & Martens, 2008). Table 5 shows the summary of the functions and roles of each stakeholder or national agencies as stated in the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the RA 101816. d) Profile of the Local Government Units (LGUs) Topcu (2017), underscored the importance of farm tourism industry as a sector for the development of the locals who are dependent on farming. Thus, it requires initiatives from the LGUs. are the Tourism Office and Municipal Agriculture Office (MAO) in seven municipalities where selected farm tourism sites are located. They were profiled since they are two important pillars of the Local Government Units (LGUs) because of their mandates on tourism and agriculture development. The findings show that efforts of the LGUs on farm tourism, do not focus much on farm tourism. Nonetheless, there are plans for implementations. The data show that there is still a need for collaboration between the two offices at the local level and a comprehensive understanding of their roles and functions being the pillars off arm tourism development at the LGU level. e) SWOT Analysis of Municipalities Table 5 shows the SWOT analysis of each municipality included in the study. It highlights the resources of the municipality which they can capitalize and areas which needed attention. Strengths include the Governance Framework for Farm Tourism in Camarines Sur, Philippines 18 Global Journal of Management and Business Research Volume XXII Issue III Version I Year 2022 ( ) F © 2022 Global Journals Table 4 shows the profile of two offices which