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From Farm To Sky: Cameron Highlands’ “Hanging Gardens” Lead Agricultural Tourism Revolution – But For How Long?

From Farm To Sky: Cameron Highlands’ “Hanging Gardens” Lead Agricultural Tourism Revolution – But For How Long?

While the farm has successfully merged agriculture with tourism, offering hands-on experiences and Instagram-worthy views of terraced plots, it operates in a legal grey area.

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In the misty heights of Bertam Valley in Ringlet, Cameron Highlands, a seven-story vertical farm known as “Sky Farm Bertam Valley” has become the latest symbol of how this agricultural heartland is reinventing itself for survival.

The towering structure, requiring a 4×4 vehicle to access due to its steep terrain, represents more than just an innovative farming solution – it’s a glimpse into the future of agricultural tourism in Malaysia.

Self-made terraces: The ‘hanging gardens’ of Cameron Highlands – meticulously engineered multi-level terraces that Khoo carved into the hillside at his own expense. These impressive agricultural platforms, built without government support, showcase farmers’ determination to maximize rugged terrain while preventing soil erosion.

For farmers like Khoo Lai Siang, 52, this transformation couldn’t come soon enough.

Having arrived in Ringlet at 17 to follow her sister’s footsteps, Khoo has witnessed the changing landscape of Cameron Highlands agriculture over his 27-year tenure in Bertam Valley.

Farmer’s pride: Khoo gestures across his farm, where traditional agricultural wisdom meets modern farming methods. As both a working farm and an emerging agritourism destination, this plot represents the evolution of Cameron Highlands agriculture – adapting to changing times while navigating complex land regulations and market demands. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

Adapting to Survive: From Pure Farming To Agritourism

Speaking to TRP, Khoo said the rising operational costs include the RM450 per acre that farmers pay to Pahang Corporation.

The traditional farming model alone can no longer sustain us.

Diverse harvest: Khoo inspects his maize crop, demonstrating how highland farmers diversify beyond traditional vegetable crops. This agricultural variety helps protect against market fluctuations and crop failures – a time-tested strategy that also happens to create more satisfying experiences for farm visitors.

The vertical farm, charging a modest RM10 per visitor for guided tours, has become more than a production facility.

It’s transformed into a tourist attraction complete with a rest area serving homemade ice pops and curry puffs – a strategic pivot that helps farmers like Khoo, a father of three, supplement his agricultural income.

Green tapestry: Rows of lettuce create a living carpet of varying green hues at Khoo’s farm, demonstrating the precision and planning required in modern highland agriculture. This orderly scenery, while a mark of efficient farming, has also become an unexpected photo opportunity for urban visitors discovering the aesthetic side of agriculture. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

The farm offers city dwellers a chance to experience farm life firsthand, including glimpses into the daily routines of migrant workers who form the backbone of Malaysia’s agricultural sector.

Visitors can participate in vegetable harvesting activities, making it an ideal destination for families seeking an educational escape from urban life.

Hidden processes: Khoo’s migrant workers clean out used hydroponic cups and remove old husk material – a behind-the-scenes task most people would never witness if not for agritourism. Such glimpses into real farming operations give visitors a deeper appreciation of the labour and processes behind their vegetables.

When Farming Lights Create Highland Magic

The exhilarating 4×4 vehicle ride to the farm has become an attraction, adding an adventure tourism element to the agricultural experience.

For a unique dining experience, guests can enjoy traditional steamboat meals served on scenic terraces that offer panoramic views of Bertam Valley below.

@shinichikeesoon ##cameronhighlands #agritourism ♬ Harry Potter Fantasy Magic School(1007285) – Hamo

As the sun sets, the landscape transforms into an ethereal scene, with thousands of yellow light bulbs illuminating the terraced farms.

At night, certain farming operations, like controlling the flowering of crops such as chrysanthemums, utilize lights to maintain optimal growth conditions.

It’s a necessary measure to stimulate crop growth that has become an unexpected tourist attraction in itself.

Twilight toil: Farm lights pierce the purple dusk over Cameron Highlands, creating a mesmerizing contrast between nature’s fading colours and man-made illumination. These evening lights signal the extended working hours of farmers, who often tend to their crops well beyond sunset. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

The Uneasy Marriage of Tourism and Tradition

This shift towards agritourism reflects a broader trend in Cameron Highlands, where farmers diversify their revenue streams.

The traditional model of purely wholesale vegetable production is giving way to a more integrated approach combining agriculture with tourism experiences.

Valley vista: Khoo surveys his farm from its highest point overlooking Bertam Valley – a perspective that showcases both the breathtaking landscape and the challenging terrain that farmers have transformed into productive agricultural land through decades of investment and innovation. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

Visitors don’t just want to buy vegetables anymore, said Khoo, who modelled his agritourism venture after similar operations he observed during a study trip to Taiwan, where farms have successfully integrated tourism with agriculture for decades.

They want to understand how their food is grown, take photos for social media, and experience farm life. This new model helps us survive while educating the public about sustainable farming.

Welcoming change: A cheerful signboard and blooming sunflowers mark the entrance to Sky Farm Bertam Valley – a modern farmer’s bid to blend traditional agriculture with tourism appeal, even as such diversification efforts remain in regulatory uncertainty. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

The success of such ventures hints at a potential future direction for Cameron Highlands’ agricultural sector, though significant regulatory hurdles remain.

While tourism and farming could create a symbiotic relationship benefiting farmers and visitors, the current land status presents a major challenge as this innovative venture operates in a legal grey area.

Terraced solutions: Plastic sheets to protect steep hillsides from erosion. At the same time, multi-level terracing maximizes farming space – costly but necessary engineering solutions implemented by farmers like Khoo to tame Cameron Highlands’ challenging topography for agriculture. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

The land’s Temporary Occupation License (TOL) strictly permits farming only, creating uncertainty despite the venture’s popularity among urban escapees.

Khoo isn’t alone in this venture – across Cameron Highlands, farmers quietly diversify into agritourism, from strawberry-picking experiences to farm stays, all while facing the same regulatory uncertainties.

Social media harvest: Urban visitors strike poses among vegetable plots at a Cameron Highlands farm – what’s a daily routine for farmers and workers has become Instagram-worthy content for city dwellers, highlighting the untapped potential of agritourism in the highlands. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

How A 1960s Permit System Threatens Modern Farming’s Future

TOLs in Cameron Highlands have been contentious since their introduction in the 1960s.

Originally intended as a temporary solution for farming activities, TOLs have become a permanent fixture in Cameron Highlands’ agricultural landscape.

Sweet innovation: A rare grape farm in Bertam Valley offers pick-your-own experiences, illustrating farmers’ creative attempts to diversify income through agritourism. Though popular with visitors, such ventures operate in a legal grey area under land-use restrictions. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

However, their strict agricultural-only clause prohibits any form of commercial tourism activities, placing innovative ventures like Sky Farm Bertam Valley in a precarious legal position.

The TOL system’s limitations have become increasingly problematic as farmers like Khoo face mounting pressures:

  • Need for income diversification
  • Rising operational costs
  • Climate change impacts
  • Competition from cheaper vegetable imports
Self-funded access: Farm roads paved with concrete by farmers themselves – another example of essential infrastructure costs borne by the agricultural community rather than their landlord, Pahang Corporation. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

New Landlord, Same Old Problems

In 2019, when Pahang Corporation took over Cameron Highlands’ farmlands, farmers hoped the end of the TOL system would bring positive change.

Instead, they now face steeper costs – RM4,500 per acre annually – with no additional support for their evolving business needs.

Khoo showing the water piping system that farmers installed at their own expense to channel mountain water to their farms. Despite bearing the installation and maintenance costs, farmers still must pay Pahang Corporation for their water usage. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

The rental scheme legitimises the farmers’ status, but they’re still in limbo, said Cheng Nam Hong.

Cheng is a prominent figure in the local farming community in Cameron Highlands, serving as the Cameron Highlands Chinese Farmers Association’s vice-chairman.

He told TRP that the rental could be lowered, considering farmers bear all the costs of building roads, maintaining drainage systems, and soil conservation.

Challenging Terrain: A steep hillside being prepared for cultivation. Despite yielding fewer crops than flat land and requiring more intensive soil conservation work, these challenging slopes command the same RM4,500 per acre annual rent from Pahang Corporation as more productive terrain. (Pix: Fernando Fong)

The rental agreements need annual renewal at Pahang Corp’s discretion – the farmers’ heavy investments have no long-term security.

The situation exemplifies a persistent disconnect: while farmers seek innovative ways to survive, land policies – whether old or new – continue to constrain their adaptation to changing market demands.

Cheng discusses the impact of rental schemes on local farmers who maintain their own infrastructure while facing high rental costs. (Video: Fernando Fong)

READ MORE: Malaysia’s Highland Farmers Face Perfect Storm Of Challenges

This story was produced as part of the International Federation of Journalists’s (IFJ) Malaysia project, “Strengthening Malaysia Media for Change”.


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