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Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultural education through school visits, hospitality services like overnight farm stays, recreational activities such as hunting and horseback riding, and entertainment events like hayrides and harvest dinners. These activities provide an additional source of income for farmers and help sustain small-scale farms.
Agritourism benefits surrounding communities by drawing tourists to rural areas, stimulating local economies, and fostering a greater appreciation for agricultural practices and local food systems. Many countries have embraced agritourism, implementing programs and initiatives to support and promote this sector.
A 2018 article published in the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development classified agritourism activities as falling into one or more categories: direct-to-consumer sales (e.g., farm stands, u-pick), agricultural education (e.g., schools visits to a farm), hospitality (overnight farm stays), recreation (e.g., hunting, horseback riding), and entertainment (e.g., hayrides, harvest dinners). [1] Most agritourists spent time visiting farm stands, picking fruit, or feeding animals; others may navigate a corn maze or do a farm stay, assisting with chores or agricultural or ranch work. [2]
Agricultural tourism has become a necessary means for many small farms’ survival. By diversifying business operations, farm operators are able to ensure a more stable income. This is because agritourism activities can occur during times of the year that crops may not be in season, and by providing a completely separate stream of income. [4] Some studies have found that agritourism operations often benefit their surrounding communities by drawing tourists to the area. The economic boost by the increase in traffic can be beneficial to rural areas in need of diversified streams of income. [5]
The development of agritourism was of high importance in the process of revitalization of rural life in Armenia. Apart from participation in agricultural activities and farming, some more notable activities specific to Armenia are winemaking and carpet weaving. [6]
There are also agricultural festivals and farmer's fairs organized every year, like the "Dolma" festival, "Barbeque (Khorovats)" festival, "Gata" festival, and many more. [6]
85% of India's population is directly or indirectly dependent on agriculture and allied activities. [7] Similarly, agriculture accounts for 26% of India's GDP. [7] Maharashtra and Kerala are the states in India that are taking advantage of the potential of agritourism. In Maharashtra Agritourism is promoted by the Agri Tourism Development Corporation. [8] Kuttanad, Wayanad, Palakkad and Idukki are some of the important agricultural areas in Kerala. The 'Green Farm' project launched by the Government of Kerala is aimed at promoting agro-tourism in Kerala. [9] Apart from Kerala and Maharashtra, Nagaland and Sikkim are also successful agri-tourism states. [10]
Since 1985 agritourism in Italy is formally regulated by a state law, [11] amended in 2006. [12]
Starting in 2013 Italy has used a sector trademark, “Agriturismo Italia”, [13] accompanied by a new system of classification of farms with accommodation.
The trademark, which distinguishes farms regularly operating in accordance with existing laws and regulations, shows a sunflower enclosing a farm.
The classification (from 1 to 5 marks) represents the level of comfort, the variety of services and the quality of the natural environment that each farm is able to offer.
This system was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture, [14] in cooperation with all regional and national agritourism associations.
The national system thus offers an overall guarantee which still takes account of specific regional characteristics.
In Israel, historical agricultural practices attract visitors to sites such as Ein Yael, Neot Kedumim, and Kfar Kedem. These locations showcase traditional methods like terraced farming and ancient irrigation. Tourists can engage in activities such as grape stomping and olive pressing. [15]
Israel's agriculture features crops like grapes, olives, dates, and wheat, which have historical significance. The Wine Route and Olive Route in the Mate Yehuda and Yoav regions allow visitors to explore small wineries and ancient and modern oil presses. The Dagon Museum in Haifa displays the history of grain cultivation from ancient times to the present. [15] Binyamina, known for its citrus groves, and Kibbutz Ein Gedi near the Dead Sea, which demonstrates desert farming techniques, are also key agritourism sites. [15]
For insights into the development of modern agriculture, tourists can visit the Dubrovin Farm museum and the Museum of Pioneer Settlement at Kibbutz Yifat. These sites depict the establishment of Israel's agricultural infrastructure in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. [15]
Pakistan is an agricultural country and agriculture is a vital sector of Pakistan's economy. About 65% of people live in rural areas and directly or indirectly relate to profession of agriculture. Agriculture in Pakistan accounts 21% of total GDP in the economy. Pakistan has natural resources for agriculture, like fertile land, four seasons, and a natural flow of water canals from north to south, including dams, barrages, headwork, canals, and distribution channels.
UAE unveiled a pioneering plan in 2023, aimed at revamping the agricultural industry, opening up an array of opportunities for farmers to diversify their income streams to promote agritourism. [16] The 'UAE Agritourism Program' allows people to experience conventional and modern agricultural practices at animal and crop farms, whilst aiming to increase the demand for locally grown produce. [17] A new agritourism hub is also expected to create thousands of new jobs. [18]
Through the Small Farm Center at the University of California, "Agricultural tourism or agritourism, is one alternative for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities. Some forms of agritourism enterprises are well developed in California, including fairs and festivals. Other possibilities still offer potential for development". [19] The UC Small Farm Center has developed a California Agritourism Database that "provides visitors and potential entrepreneurs with information about existing agritourism locations throughout the state". [20] An example of agritourism in the U.S. may be Tanaka Farms.
According to a 2011 article in the journal Tourism Planning and Development, agritourism has become economically important to the agriculture sector in North West England, as farmers seek to diversify their income streams. [21]
A farm is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used for specialized units such as arable farms, vegetable farms, fruit farms, dairy, pig and poultry farms, and land used for the production of natural fiber, biofuel, and other commodities. It includes ranches, feedlots, orchards, plantations and estates, smallholdings, and hobby farms, and includes the farmhouse and agricultural buildings as well as the land. In modern times, the term has been extended so as to include such industrial operations as wind farms and fish farms, both of which can operate on land or at sea.
England Rural Development Programme was the instrument by which the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) fulfilled its rural development obligations in England, as set out by the European Union. It is derived primarily from Council Regulation European Union Regulation No. 1257/1999 and the related successive implementing Commission Regulations.
A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism.
Puerto Carreño, translation English: Puerto Carreno, lit. 'Port Carreno' is the departmental capital city, and a municipality combined of the department of Vichada in the Llanos of Colombia located on the Orinoco River. Puerto Carreño is best-known as a tourist gateway to hundreds of adventure, ecological and sustainable tourism destinations, it is well-known for peacock bass fishing on the Vita River, Indigenous artisans from the Orinoquia, as a river port trade center, and as a frontier settlement that has become the capital of the second largest department (province) in Colombia.
A smallholding or smallholder is a small farm operating under a small-scale agriculture model. Definitions vary widely for what constitutes a smallholder or small-scale farm, including factors such as size, food production technique or technology, involvement of family in labor and economic impact. There are an estimated 500 million smallholder farms in developing countries of the world alone, supporting almost two billion people. Smallholdings are usually farms supporting a single family with a mixture of cash crops and subsistence farming. As a country becomes more affluent, smallholdings may not be self-sufficient. Still, they may be valued for providing supplemental sustenance, recreation, and general rural lifestyle appreciation. As the sustainable food and local food movements grow in affluent countries, some of these smallholdings are gaining increased economic viability in the developed world as well.
Junnar is a city in the Pune district of the Indian state of Maharashtra. The city has history dating back to the first millennium. The nearby fort of Shivneri was the birthplace of Maratha king Shivaji, the founder of the Maratha Empire. Junnar was declared the first tourism taluka in Pune district by the government of Maharashtra on 9 January 2018.
Farmers' suicides in India refers to the event of farmers dying by suicide in India since the 1970s, due to their inability to repay loans mostly taken from private landlords and banks. India being an agrarian country with around 70% of its rural population depending directly or indirectly upon agriculture, the sector had a 15% share in the economy of India in 2023, and according to NSSO, around 45.5% of country's labor force was associated with agriculture in 2022. Activists and scholars have offered several conflicting reasons for farmer suicides, such as anti-farmer laws, high debt burdens, poor government policies, corruption in subsidies, crop failure, mental health, personal issues and family problems.
The National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) is an All India Development Financial Institution (DFI) and an apex Supervisory Body for overall supervision of Regional Rural Banks, State Cooperative Banks and District Central Cooperative Banks in India. It was established under the NABARD Act 1981 passed by the Parliament of India. It is fully owned by Government of India and functions under the Department of Financial Services (DFS) under the Ministry of Finance.
Tourism in Nicaragua has grown considerably recently, and it is now the second largest industry in the nation. Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega has stated his intention to use tourism to combat poverty throughout the country.
Culinary tourism or food tourism or gastronomy tourism is the exploration of food as the purpose of tourism. It is considered a vital component of the tourism experience. Dining out is common among tourists and "food is believed to rank alongside climate, accommodation, and scenery" in importance to tourists.
Rural tourism is a form of tourism that focuses on actively participating in a rural lifestyle. It can be a variant of ecotourism, emphasizing sustainable practices and community involvement. Many villages can facilitate tourism because of the hospitality and eagerness of villagers to welcome or host visitors. The mechanization of agriculture has reduced the need for manual labor, leading to economic pressures on some villages and prompting young people to migrate to urban areas. However, a segment of the urban population is increasingly interested in visiting rural areas to experience and understand the rural lifestyle.
Agriculture is one of the main industries in Taiwan. It contributes to the food security, rural development and conservation of Taiwan. Around 24% of Taiwan's land is used for farming.
Responsible tourism is a relatively modern concept in the Kingdom of Thailand that took root in the late-1990s. It is underpinned by the belief that tourism should develop in a manner that minimizes negative impacts on local communities, and wherever possible ensure that a positive symbiosis exists between hosts and visitors. Responsible travel promotes a respect for indigenous culture, the minimization of the negative environmental impacts of tourism, active participation in volunteering to assist local communities, and the structuring of businesses to benefit the final service provider rather than an international agent.
A farm stay is any type of accommodation on a working farm. Some farm stays may be interactive. Some are family-focused and offer children opportunities to feed animals, collect eggs and learn how a farm functions. Others do not allow children. The term "farm stay" can also describe a work exchange agreement, where the guest works a set number of hours per week in exchange for free or affordable accommodation.
In the agricultural context, diversification can be regarded as the re-allocation of some of a farm's productive resources, such as land, capital, farm equipment and labour to other products and, particularly in richer countries, to non-farming activities such as restaurants and shops. Factors leading to decisions to diversify are many, but include: reducing risk, responding to changing consumer demands or changing government policy, responding to external shocks and, more recently, as a consequence of climate change.
Maharashtra State Agri and Rural Tourism Co-operative Federation Limited is a federation of agriculturalists and their co-operatives. Its scope of influence is Maharashtra an Indian state. It is also known by the acronym MART.
According to a study done by the National Work to Fight Desertification program, over 60 percent of the land in Lebanon is at risk of desertification. According to The World Bank, the country's arable land, having reached 23.5% of the country's territory during the years 1971–1973, fell to 11.1% in 2010 and, as of 2021, had risen to just 13.6%. Lebanon's land desertification spreads 60 kilometers, beginning at the edge of the city Baalbek and continuing to its border with Syria. Most studies on desertification in Lebanon have concluded that the area of northern Bekaa is the region most affected by this environmental issue.
Yuma Lettuce Days is an annual festival occurring in Yuma, Arizona during late February and early March. Due to the sunny desert climate and availability of water from the Colorado River, Yuma has become a major supplier of winter produce in the United States. This regional festival, like many regional vegetable festivals such as the Gilroy, California Garlic Festival or the Vidalia, Georgia Onion Festival, highlights a specific produce item that has become economically important for the area.
Saguna Baug is an agritourism centre and adventure park located in Neral, Raigarh, established in 1985. Saguna Baug Agri Tourism was given award for Rural Tourism on September 27, 2022 by Government of India on World Tourism Day.
Tanaka Farms is a family-owned and operated farm and produce market in Irvine, California. Its focus is not wholesale goods production but agritourism, mainly focused towards school-age children on field trips. It grows over sixty varieties of fruits and vegetables and does not use GMO seeds or unapproved pesticides. The organization also operates a sunflower field in Costa Mesa. Agritourism makes up about a third of the farm's income, with their produce stand and CSA program making up the rest.
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