Homestay Development is one of the key activities under Uttarakhand Cooperative Development Project (UKCDP). The UKCDP team is preparing a comprehensive plan for the development of sustainable homestays in Kumaon & Garhwal regions through Multipurpose Primary Agriculture Credit Cooperative Societies. Secondary & primary research on existing models, brainstorming sessions and stakeholder consultations are playing a key role as the learnings, best practices and key inputs from these exercises will be incorporated in the proposed model. A VC meeting was held on 13th June 2022 with COO of “Bakri chhap” – Mr. Yaatendra Mamgain. The organization have promoted “The Goat Village” concept and have transformed abandoned villages by establishing farm retreats / home stays, providing market linkages of indigenous farm produce. This ecosystem has promoted reverse migration of marginalized farmers. Likewise, theme based homestay models will be developed under UKCDP project incorporating themes such as agro eco tourism, goatery, fishery and dairy. Mr. Mamgain in this context shared his experience on USP, awareness campaigns, brand development, training & providing services, operations management, maintenance and sustainability aspects. The UKCDP team was instructed to study Pithoragarh and Uttarkashi models, finalize the ownership model and work out the financials for developing 40 homestays in the first year. It has been planned that nodal agency for both regions and an apex body in the state will be identified to channelize the funds and maintain the service quality across the targeted districts.
