AKMOLA REGION – As curiosity in rural or agricultural tourism grows, the Kazakhstan Association of Agro and Rural Tourism (KAART) and the United Nations Growth Programme (UNDP) organized a collection of coaching seminars in rural areas to teach farmers about the benefits of sustainable agro and rural tourism.
The Kazakh countryside with its breathtaking huge steppes, forests, lakes, and pristine pastures might present an excellent journey vacation spot for journey vacationers who prefer to go off the crushed observe. Picture credit score: Adobe Inventory.
Greater than 100 farmers participated in the seminars adopted by an informational tour on Dec. 2.
The Kazakh countryside with its breathtaking huge steppes, forests, lakes, and pristine pastures might present an excellent journey vacation spot for journey vacationers who prefer to go off the crushed observe. The subsequent step is to show rural residents agrotourism expertise, which might enhance the area’s tourism potential and assist to make extra earnings for farmers.
Based on Khalida Tulegenova, KAART president, agrotourism highlights rural communities’ potential by showcasing their pure and historic options, customs, means of life, gastronomy, crafts, and creativity.
“It’s anticipated that in the close to future extra and extra city residents will favor these excursions. Our activity is to organize the villagers for the correct group and method in this trade, which in flip is an extra supply of earnings and growth of rural areas,” mentioned Tulegenova.
The informational tour alongside villages in the Akmola Area provided the villagers a chance to showcase their native delicacies, the historic sights, and the nature that surrounded them.
The Sokolov household craft cheese manufacturing unit
The primary vacation spot is “Sokolov’s cheese” household craft cheese manufacturing unit in Katarkol village which is almost 250 kilometers or a three-hour journey away from the capital Astana.
When Sokolov speaks of cheese wanting down at the 31-month-old Montasio cheese, one can discover he has nurtured an enormous ardour for it. Picture credit score: Sali Sabirov, UNDP.
Ruslan Sokolov and his spouse based the manufacturing unit in 2018, which has since expanded to supply round 38 varieties of cheese utilizing Italian know-how. The manufacturing unit can course of as much as one ton of milk per shift.
Sokolov confirmed the guests round his small manufacturing unit and shared his story and his ardour for cheese. In a single half of the manufacturing unit, guests might see a machine for mixing and urgent freshly made cheeses. Subsequent door, a cool storeroom crammed with wood racks of cylindrical molded cheeses.
When Sokolov speaks of cheese wanting down at the 31-month-old Montasio cheese, one can sense his ardour for his craft. Fontina cheese, cheese with truffle, Switzerland’s calling card – belper knolle cheese sprinkled with black pepper – all of it may be discovered on the cabinets of Sokolov’s cheese manufacturing unit.
His ardour for cheese was discovered in the pursuit of self-actualization. “As rural folks, we have now at all times had a farm in the household, at all times had a cow. In 2018, I simply began making an attempt issues out. I discovered data on the web, purchased a sourdough starter, and began making cheese in a pot. I initially preferred the outcome. Then I spotted that I needed to study as a result of in any other case, you possibly can go astray,” mentioned Sokolov, describing his first experiments with cheese.
He professionally discovered to make cheese from an Italian grasp and continues to grasp his expertise by attending numerous worldwide trainings and masterclasses. Pure starter cultures from France, unpasteurized milk from an area farm, and no synthetic merchandise make for a real, mature farmhouse cheese.
Sokolov sells cheese domestically, however he mentioned that many guests, together with foreigners, come to purchase his cheese. “Cheese lovers come to go to us fairly continuously. We maintain tastings for them. Lots of overseas vacationers come. Just lately vacationers from Denmark visited, and an English reporter,” mentioned Sokolov.
Aliakbarov – a hereditary horse breeder
Zhylkybay Aliakbarov from Karabauyr village, little doubt, has enthusiasm for horses, for nation dwelling, and for farming.
For vacationers, Aliakbarov provides the greatest kymyz (fermented mare milk) and a picture-perfect expertise of using a horse in the surroundings of Maloe Schebach’e lake. Picture credit score: Sali Sabirov, UNDP.
His household has farmed in these lands, progressively refining horse breeding and all the by-products a horse can present for a few years. After a life-long expertise working with the animal, he has a radical understanding of methods to handle them and what unbelievable advantages horses can provide to folks.
Even his identify Zhylkybay means “wealthy for horses.” “They gave me my identify as a result of I used to be born in a pasture amongst horses, and my father named me Zhylkybay in order that I’d have many horses and his superstition turned true,” laughed Aliakbarov.
At present, Aliakbarov owns not less than 500 horses in his village of solely 10 households.
There may be, he mentioned, a lot to admire about the Kazakh horse, however for him, the creature’s most lovely characteristic is its cleanliness.
“Traditionally, Kazakhs owned 4 varieties of livestock (camel, horse, sheep, and cow), amongst which, in my opinion, the cleanest is the horse. For instance, a horse drinks solely clear water, in contrast to cows.”
Their character, based on him, is as various as people’ and they’re amongst the most clever and proud animals. “Why is it mentioned that Kazakhs have the character of a horse? As a result of Kazakhs had been raised on horses, they acquired lots of upbringing from them. A baby who grows up using a horse will develop into a batyr (a hero), they are going to be very strong-spirited.”
Lengthy earlier than the introduction of up to date autos, nomadic Kazakhs protected their territories on horses and consumed all the by-products that include a horse, from meat to take advantage of. It was a easy weight-reduction plan that saved them wholesome, largely as a result of mare’s milk is a dietary powerhouse.
“A horse is a sacred animal: it’s a automobile in the event you journey it, its milk is drugs in the event you drink it, and in the event you eat it, its meat is good. Horse meat has very low ldl cholesterol in comparison with beef,” mentioned Aliakbarov.
His major occupation is promoting kymyz – a standard Kazakh drink comprised of fermented mare milk that has many well being advantages. It’s mentioned to trim blood sugar and hold levels of cholesterol at bay. Regardless of having a bitter style, it stays an important half of the Kazakh villagers’ diets.
“Over the summer season we are able to produce as much as 2.5-3 tons of kymyz. I promote kymyz to the close by resorts all 12 months spherical. I even have a promoting level in Kokshetau, however different folks in the village discover it exhausting to commerce their merchandise,” mentioned Aliakbarov.
Though the instant objective is to fulfill home demand, he’s researching and growing methods to develop the marketplace for kymyz. The issue is that it’s a drink that requires particular upkeep to protect its well being qualities.
“For a store, I’ve to decide on an individual who is aware of methods to retailer kymyz to protect its qualities. Somebody who is aware of at what temperature it ought to be saved, and at what time it is best to shake it. Kymyz loves motion. In any other case, after a day, the yolk (the fat) will separate,” mentioned Aliakbarov.
For vacationers, Aliakbarov provides the greatest kymyz and a picture-perfect expertise of using a horse in the surroundings of Maloe Schebach’e lake. Nonetheless, it’s not nearly the lovely views. Aliakbarov says that horse rides have advantages which might be good for psychological well being, in addition to for bodily well-being.
At Baimagambetov’s – a coastal countryside dovecote
The final go to for the day was to Zhanybek Baimagambetov, an area fancier who breeds dozens of pigeons in the yard of his small home in the coastal village of Akylbay.
Baimagambetov’s pigeon assortment counts over 20 breeds, together with Uzbeks, Ukrainian, Turkish pigeons, and a peacock-pigeon. Picture credit score: Sali Sabirov, UNDP.
Baimagambetov may be very joyful to debate pigeons. He’s fluent on the topic. “It isn’t a enterprise, though we all know they’re costly, it’s a interest,” he mentioned.
He talks about the nature of pigeons and their unstated loyalty to their homeowners. Yr-round he trains and flies his pigeons, and each time they’re launched, they arrive residence to land on the roof of his residence.
His partner confessed that she was not initially supportive of her husband’s interest, however “someday once I noticed him let one pigeon go up and maintain the different pigeon, and the pigeon got here again to his hand, I spotted that the expression ‘pigeon loyalty’ is true.”
His private assortment sports activities over 20 breeds, together with Uzbek, Ukrainian, Turkish pigeons, and even a peacock-pigeon.
“The provider pigeon can attain speeds of as much as 100 kilometers per hour. It takes years, even centuries to breed some of them. That’s the reason they’re extremely valued. Some pigeons value as excessive as $300,000,” mentioned Baimagambetov.
Lured by the high quality of life in the village and his interest, Baimagambetov transformed the residence that after belonged to his grandparents right into a home the place guests lease a personal room and share the frequent areas. Vacationers can get pleasure from the lovely surroundings of the close by mountains and the lake listening to fascinating pigeon tales from the proprietor of the home.
