what is farm tourism definition

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• Human Nutrition and Food Safety
• Local Foods and Communities

AgriTourism

Agritourism is a form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining or educating the visitors while generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.[National Agricultural Law Center.  Agritourism - An Overview [nationalaglawcenter.org] .]

Selected Resources

Agritainment [psu.edu].

Opportunities and considerations for starting an entertainment venture on your farm.

Agritourism [agmrc.org]

Identifies agritourism businesses; discusses management, marketing and risk management issues; and provides related resources and links.

See also: Best Management Practices in Agritourism [agmrc.org] .

Come and Get It! What You Need to Know to Serve Food on Your Farm [misa.umn.edu]

A toolkit and roadmap to help farmers start an on-farm food service venture.

Growing Your Brand [msstate.edu]

Training modules, tools and guides to help you understand your market and create a marketing plan.

A Guide to Successful Agritourism Enterprises [uvm.edu] [pdf, 15 MB]

A comprehensive guide for starting an agritourism program, including information on assessing resources, creating a business plan, goal setting, record keeping and finances, as well as safety and risk management and marketing.

Vermont Agritourism Collaborative [uvm.edu]

An extensive collection of material pertinent to all aspects of agritourism including guides and factsheets, videos, tools, information contacts, funding resources, and more.

Key Tools and Products

Extension training for agritourism development.

The program teaches how to minimize farm safety risks, manage liability, mitigate financial risk, and improve marketing strategies.  It features workshops, webinars, web-based resources, videos and factsheets.

Agritourism - An Overview

The National Agricultural Law Center defines agritourism and provides background, examples, and related legal issues.  

Alternative Crops and Enterprises for Small Farm Diversification

Information about how to grow diverse crops, raise multiple animal species, or employ other techniques to minimize the risk of any farming endeavor.

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What is agritourism and why is it growing so fast?

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Agritourism is a type of tourism that is increasing around the world. With the increasing popularity of niche tourism , coupled with a growth in the desire to make our travels more sustainable , it is no surprise that the agritourism industry has grown significantly in recent years. But what exactly is agritourism and how does it work? Keep on reading to learn more….

What is agritourism?

Definition of agritourism, types of agritourism, direct-to-consumer sales, agricultural education, hospitality , entertainment , the advantages of agritourism, the disadvantages of agritourism, agritourism in the philippines , agritourism in the uk, agritourism in australia, agritourism in india, further reading.

Agritourism is a type of experiential travel . It involves doing something on your trip or holiday, and therefore experiencing the country or destination more so (and more deeply) then if you simply visited on a relaxing holiday. More specifically, agritourism involves doing something that is related in some way to agriculture.

Agritourism takes many different forms and comes in many different shapes and sizes. Some examples include:

• Wine/vineyard tours
• Glamping/camping
• Quad biking
• Horse riding
• Fruit/flower picking
• Volunteer tourism
• Animal farms parks/safari parks
• Staying in a homestay located on a farm
• Educational visits
• Relaxation retreats
• Hunting trips
• Rural weddings/events
• Farmer’s markets
• Bird and wildlife watching
• Nature centres

Agritourism comes with economic benefits for travellers and for other tourism stakeholders (farmers, ranch owners and so on). In fact, it is necessary for the survival of some small farms. It diversifies farmers’ income streams, meaning they are able to make money outside of their regular season. By farms offering agritourism opportunities, too, surrounding areas and local communities see an increase in people visiting or passing through. This of course means an economic boost for rural areas and is an example of a positive economic impact of tourism !

Agritourism is also a more eco-friendly and immersive way to travel. It allows people to have experiences they may not get elsewhere, meet local people, see ‘off the beaten track’ locations and more. Agritourism can open our eyes to more sustainable practices, and this is very important in 2021. With the rise of ecotourism, it is no surprise that agritourism is becoming more popular as time goes on.

Agritourism is tourism that involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It of course comes from the term ‘agriculture’. This is the science or practice of farming, including cultivation of the soil for the growing of crops and the rearing of animals to provide food, wool, and other products. 

A further definition of agritourism by the North Carolina Agritourism Activity Liability Law states that it is: Any activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities, including farming, ranching, historic, cultural, harvest-your-own activities, or natural activities and attractions.

It doesn’t necessarily have to include travelling abroad. A simple visit to a petting zoo or local farm definitely counts as agritourism!

There are typically 5 types of agritourism. The Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development labelled these as:

• Direct-to-consumer sales 
• Hospitality
• Recreation 

I’ll dive a little deeper into each of these categories in the next section of this article. There are so many ways to experience and enjoy agritourism both in your local area and further afield. Sometimes – in fact, most of the time – you aren’t knowingly or purposefully participating in agritourism, but as there are so many examples you’ve probably been lucky enough to try one of them!

Below you can find out more information about each of the 5 types of agritourism based on the Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development definitions. There are likely to be examples that you have already experienced yourself, as well as others you might not have considered or even heard of yet…

This includes farm stands and ‘pick your own’ experiences. A farm stand is, as the name suggests, somewhere you can visit to buy produce directly from a farm. A farmers’ market is similar to this – somewhere you can visit to purchase goods from different farmers who have travelled to one location to sell their produce. This can range from eggs to cheese to meat. Farms also often have shops attached to them, selling produce as well as items from local crafters, makers and more. 

You can also visit farms to pick your own goods. In the spring this might be strawberries or other types of berries, and in the autumn months leading up to Halloween it’s all about pumpkin picking. If you’ve been to your local pumpkin patch with your little ones to snap some cute shots for Instagram (which is known as Instatourism , by the way), then you have participated in agritourism! And who could resist those gorgeous orange tones on the grid?

Did you know: the pick your own strawberries trend in the UK was pioneered by Ted Moult in 1961. He was a British farmer at Scaddows Farm near Ticknall, Derbyshire, who went on to become a radio and television personality.

School trips to local farms fall under this category of agritourism. You might also, as an adult, visit a farm and enjoy a guided tour where a farmer or farm assistant explains different aspects of the farming industry to you. This would be a type of agritourism as well as a type of educational tourism , although it is just a small part of agricultural education as a whole – for example, tertiary education locations such as Reeseheath College in Nantwich, UK.

In terms of agritourism as proper tourism , e.g something which involves travelling outside of your hometown for a holiday, this category is where it starts. From family-friendly interactive farms to relaxing adult only retreats complete with hot tubs, there are various different farm stay options across the world. You might take the kids camping somewhere with a petting zoo, or stay in a shepherd’s hut with your other half enjoying scenic views and milk in your tea courtesy of the cows on site. Farmstay.co.uk offers a huge range of accommodation on working farms in the UK, and this is likely to be replicated worldwide.

You can actually book farming holidays, too. This is where you rock up at a farm and work in exchange for accommodation! WWOOF , or the Worldwide Opportunities on Organic Farms, facilitate this globally. They connect travellers with farmers, and you can have a really affordable holiday this way. As long as you’re prepared to put the work in, that is! There are farms you can work on in Mexico, Portugal, Serbia, Myanmar and so many more incredible locations.

Hunting, horseback riding, meeting donkeys on the seafront… all of these are recreational types of agritourism. Whether you go on an organised hunt in a rural location or choose to ride a horse across the desert, these are types of agritourism. Hunting doesn’t just mean animals, either; you could go truffle hunting! Horseback riding is also something that is offered worldwide as a fairly standard tourist activity – from Petra in Jordan to the beaches in The Gambia , it is a great holiday activity. 

The final type of agritourism is entertainment. Although the above categories are entertaining in themselves, this is slightly different. The entertainment category includes hay rides, which are popular in the US especially and involve a hay-lined truck or tractor ride. Other countries have started to adopt this activity, and it is also popular when it comes to Halloween – haunted hayrides are a great way to celebrate spooky season.

Agritourism is a fantastic way for farmers to diversify their income and to make some extra cash. With increasing issues such as droughts or increased competition, farmers are often susceptible to financial loss should they have a bad season. However, agritourism can be a great way to compensate for this!

Agritourism can have its disadvantages also. Tourists visiting farmland may have negative environmental consequences – trampling the ground or by frightening/displacing local wildlife. The introduction of agritourism can also take the attention away from traditional farm work. Over dependance on tourism is a bit problem in many parts of the world, and it is important that farm owners do not entirely abandon their traditional methods of making money… because should something happen to discourage tourists from visiting (an illness, political unrest, a natural disaster etc) then there would be no money coming in…

Examples of argritourism around the world

Agritourism takes place all around the world, with more and more agritourism businesses popping up all the time. Here are some examples:

Agritourism is popular in the Philippines. It has a gorgeous tropical climate that makes it well suited for this type of tourism, as well as fertile soil and plenty of natural resources. Their natural resources are abundant, and the people are lovely. Agritourism in the Philipines is a rich and fruitful experience, leaving you with lasting memories and a whole new view of this part of the world. According to Kapwa, a Filipino travel company, some of the country’s most popular agritourism activities include “vegetable- or fruit-picking, sampling of local wines, planting rice or root crops, visit to organic farms, milking cows, riding carabaos, catching fish, coffee bean picking, farm-to-table dining, and more.”

As mentioned earlier, farm stays are really popular in the UK. Being a country so full of towns and cities, people find it novel to stay somewhere more rural. With travel restrictions in place during the COVID pandemic, staycations (many of which were in rural areas) in popularity across the UK. From shepherd’s huts to glamping to cosy cottages, there are plenty of agritourism options across the UK.

Another place that sees a lot of agritourism is Australia . This is because second-year visa requirements say : to earn the right to a second year visa you must work in one of Australia’s more remote areas – the kind of places where travelling to the nearest town takes about as long as travelling to a whole other country in Europe. The job must be paid (in the past voluntary work was eligible) and the work hours must constitute a full-time job.

Farming work obviously falls into this category, and as hard as it is people say some of their best memories of Australia are from working on farms. It is a chance to meet other people who are travelling across the country, and you’ll feel proud of your hard work!

Farming is vital to India and its economy, and as such agritourism has been incredibly beneficial to tourism in India. You can stay on many of the working farms across this stunning country. From milking cows to lazing in a hammock, walking through plantations and learning how to cook with produce from the farm itself, there are so many amazing opportunities when you enjoy what India has to offer in terms of its booming agritourism industry.

If you have enjoyed reading this article, I am sure that you will love these too:

• Niche tourism: What, why and where
• Educational tourism: Everything you need to know
• Ecotourism in Costa Rica: Where to go and why
• MICE tourism: A simple explanation
• What is an eco lodge? | Understanding tourism

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Agritourism Is the Concept of Vacationing on a Farm—Try It Out at These 10 Pastoral Properties

The terms "agritourism" and "farm stay" are often used interchangeably. Whatever vernacular you assign to the purpose-built experience, though, know that this booming part of the ecotourism sector delivers something from which so many of us could benefit: more time outside, and the opportunity to experience an agrarian way of life. And it appears to be here to say: According to market research , the nearly $6 billion market size of agritourism, as of 2021, is predicted to grow at a rate of 11.4 percent through 2030.

“Agritourism is becoming so in demand because of our collective desire to return to a slower, more natural way of life. It ultimately comes down to our well-being." —Peyton Cypress, Farm Manager, Southall

“Agritourism is becoming so in demand because of our collective desire to return to a slower, more natural way of life. It ultimately comes down to our well-being. What environment is going to make us feel our best? When people start asking themselves these types of questions, many arrive at the idea of a farm with fresh air and beautiful scenery,” says Peyton Cypress , Farm Manager at Southall , in Tennessee. It’s also increasingly popular as a family vacation that teaches kids the importance of agriculture and treating Mother Nature with respect and, of course, lets them interact with adorable animals.

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Agritourism is within the nature-centered-vacation canon of glamping , treehouse hotels , and immersive nature experiences , but with more of a focus on getting your hands dirty and learning practical skills in a rural setting. Unlike other types of nature-oriented tourism that are curated to fulfill a vacation fantasy, the agriculture component is the foundation of a true agritourism, and the tourism aspects come second.

That means chores need to be completed—whether that’s feeding chickens, milking cows, pulling weeds, or harvesting crops—and guests have the option to join in, whether by collecting your own eggs for breakfast or pulling potatoes from the ground to make dinner. Hard work also has plenty of payoffs besides a sense of accomplishment—including the serotonin-boosting benefits of getting in touch with nature and animals , seeing where your food actually comes from (maybe even having a hand in that process), and escaping the tech-fueled daily grind.

Farm stays don’t tend toward the super luxurious (with a few noteworthy exceptions). But that doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be sleeping in a barn alongside barrels of hay on an agritourism trip. Most places offer comfortable accommodations, ranging from modest rooms with shared bathrooms to beautifully decorated farmhouses. Guests typically also have access to eco-conscious activities (like foraging and horseback riding), farm-to-table dining, and, in some cases, even sustainable spa treatments

If you’re ready to roll up your sleeves, get to work, and reap the myriad rewards, you might be interested in learning about 10 pastoral properties around the world that stand out in the ever-growing field of agritourism—and will surely plant the seed for your next nature-driven getaway.

10 agritourism farms around the world to know about

1. liberty hill farm (rochester, vermont).

Vermont's first green agritourism enterprise, Liberty Hill Farm , a family-run dairy farm in the picturesque town of Rochester, has been welcoming tourists for nearly 40 years, many of whom return many times over to milk cows, bottle-feed calves, and go hiking in Green Mountain National Forest. The hearty breakfast of farm-fresh eggs and cheese, as well as a home-cooked dinner keep agritourists properly fueled. After a day filled with outdoor activities, guests can watch the sunset from a rocking chair on the porch and catch some quality zzzs in a cozy room inside the 1825-built Greek Revival main house.

2. Beach Plum Farm (Cape May, New Jersey)

Drive two miles west of historic downtown Cape May and you’ll find Beach Plum Farm . To reap grounding benefits of fostering a deeper connection to nature and farm life, chores here include feeding animals, collecting eggs, planting, and harvesting. There are interactive classes on topics such as beekeeping and flower-arranging in season. The property is also well known for farm-to-table dinners. Besides hands-on educational experiences, enjoying the fresh air, and eating delicious food, guests have the opportunity to snooze soundly in cottages and hemlock beam barns.

3. Babylonstoren (Simondium, South Africa)

One of the oldest Cape Dutch farms in South Africa, Babylonstoren has a huge garden with vegetables, stone fruits, citrus, herbs, and even a prickly pear maze. Gardener-led walking tours to see the plants, bees, ducks, and chickens are available.

Babel, an old cowshed turned farm-to-fork restaurant, boasts one of the best and most bountiful breakfast spreads ever. Expect house-made granola, wood-fired country bread, hand-churned butter, pressed juices, and hyperlocal honey. Guests can hunker down in cottages with fireplaces and clawfoot tubs. Bathrooms here are stocked with hand-picked aromatherapy herbs. And nature-driven spa treatments round out the wellness offerings.

4. Southall (Franklin, Tennessee)

For travelers who crave a little luxury, Southall is an upscale farm resort not too far outside of Nashville worth checking out. The picturesque property offers gardens, greenhouses, a lake, apiaries, forest trails, and refined accommodations that make it an extremely relaxing atmosphere for stressed-out city dwellers to learn about and reconnect with nature. The farm-to-table experience ranks among the highlights for foodies keen to understand the journey from ground to plate—and then taste the proverbial fruits of their labors, as prepared by a talented chef. Many folks also gravitate toward pollinator programming that includes bee-hive tours and honey tastings.

5. Beltane Ranch (Glen Ellen, California)

Sonoma continues to lead the regenerative agriculture charge in the United States. Beltane Ranch , a sixth-generation operation in Glen Ellen, stands at the forefront of the movement. Efforts—which go well beyond sustainably to restorative practices that will benefit the land for generations—include using free-range chickens for pest control, composting initiatives, maintaining wildlife corridors, planting cover crops, and employing sheep (aka “woolly weeders”) to promote soil fertility. Besides the applaud-worthy ecological endeavors, this 105-acre agricultural preserve is a wonderful place to unwind under the shade of ancient oaks, stroll through the vineyards and heirloom gardens, sip estate-grown wine, sample olive oil, and rest in a landmark inn.

6. São Lourenço do Barrocal (Alentejo, Portugal)

Another plush yet pastoral choice, São Lourenço do Barroca is a family-operated agritourism that dates back more than 200 years. The sprawling plot comprises a 19th-century farmhouse, spa, stables, scenic trails, a winery, an organic garden, and a farm-to-table restaurant that sources vegetables, fruits, and olive oil grown and produced right on-site. Guests have the opportunity to participate in a spate of activities, such as horseback riding, cycling, bird-watching, and stargazing (the estate sits within the Alqueva Dark Sky Reserve ). Overnight options include rooms, suites, and cottages—all refurbished, but still true to traditional craftsmanship with elements like terracotta floors.

7. Tabula Rasa Farms (Carlton, Oregon)

Situated in the heart of the Willamette Valley, Tabula Rasa Farms is rooted in sustainability and respect for the land and its creatures. It’s well regarded for humane, grass-fed beef, heritage-breed pork, and pasture-raised laying hens. The plant-based set will find plenty to satisfy thanks to the regenerative approach to agriculture that yields fresh, flavorful vegetables. Farms tours to meet all animals, learn about rotational grazing, and witness water conservation efforts first-hand are a huge hit. For overnight guests, there’s a hilltop farmhouse with sweeping vistas and a fitness center.

8. EBBIO (Tuscany, Italy)

EBBIO , an organic and sustainable farmhouse surrounded by an evergreen forest in Tuscany, is beloved among visitors who love foraging for wild asparagus and edible flowers. Truffle hunts lure travelers between September and November. With essential-oil making, cooking classes, jam workshops, art therapy, horseback riding, and farm chores like feeding chickens, the enriching on-site activities never seem to end. The ecologically oriented estate also hosts yoga retreats.

9. Mountain Goat Lodge (Salida, Colorado)

Tucked away on 20 acres at the foot of the Sawatch Mountain Range in the high desert of Colorado, Mountain Goat Lodge invites visitors to interact with dairy goats (and even bottle-feed kids). More than just simply looking adorable and bringing a smile to guests’ faces, these cute critters supply milk for housemade Greek-style yogurt, chevre, fresh mozzarella, feta, and paneer—all of which is up for grabs at breakfast. The cheese-making workshops are wildly popular. Guests can also learn new skills to bring back home by taking classes on raising backyard chickens and goat husbandry. When it’s time to call it a night, cozy rooms and suites await.

10. Cucumbi Farm (Alentejo, Portugal)

A soulful reflection of the agrarian roots and spirit of Alentejo, every aspect of Cucumbi Farm ties to the untouched region it calls home. It’s rustic and relaxing, with an emphasis on returning to simplicity. There are expansive fields to explore, crops to harvest, sheep and chickens to feed, and a saltwater pool to cool off in between chores and strolling the enchanting grounds. While the whitewashed apartments and suites—which don’t have TVs in order to help guests fully embrace the slower pace and unplugged nature of things—are all named after animals that reside on the herdade.

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Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education Program

Agritourism.

University of California researchers define agricultural tourism (agritourism) as any income-generating activity conducted on a working farm or ranch for the enjoyment and education of visitors. It includes the interpretation of the natural, cultural, historic, and environmental assets of the land and the people working on it.

The Agricultural Marketing Resource Center (AgMRC) provides a list of business activities that it categorizes as agritourism. Examples of agritourism activities include but are not limited to U-Pick farms, on-farm markets, pumpkin patches and corn mazes, outdoor recreation, farm stays, demonstration farms and more. The purpose of these enterprises is multi-faceted. As the U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) describes it: “farmers and ranchers rely on the natural resources of their land - the soil, water, air, plants, wildlife, and scenery - to keep their family on the farm and the farm in their family.” Agritourism can play a role in maintaining the land’s resources and enable the development of a more sustainable food system.

**This page gives general information about agritourism as an important part of sustainable agriculture.  If you are interested in learning about our Agritourism program, which includes resources, training, and a website for farmers to promote their operations, visit our  agritourism website. 

Agritourism activities can provide the supplemental income necessary to allow for the preservation of small and mid-scale farms, ranches, and rural communities. It can be promoted as an outlet for local residents and tourists to experience direct contact and interaction with agriculture and natural resources. Increasing public interaction with local farms and ranches can promote an understanding and appreciation for the working landscapes that help maintain or enhance natural resources.  

Long-term agritourism sustainability depends on preserving the quality of the nature-based environment that includes productive agriculture. The AgMRC outlines seven best management practices for an agritourism business  – authentic experience, educational experience, customer service, adequate facilities, safe and accessible environment, community relations, and planning for a financial future. Many agritourism operators express a desire to educate visitors or as a tool for community outreach as some of the key motivating factors in implementing and managing their tourist-focused activities. The vast majority of the US population is not directly engaged in agriculture; agritourism efforts provide an opportunity for these individuals to engage with their local food system. These types of interactions may empower individuals to make more sustainable food and lifestyle choices and can increase the extent of rural advocacy among city dwellers.

Permitting issues, environmental health regulations, and liability or insurance concerns were the three most prominent factors limiting the implementation of agritourism. The UC Agricultural Issues Center found that the permitting system was overwhelmingly viewed by farm operators as misleading, time-consuming, or costly ( AIC Issues brief ). In order to obtain clearances, permits, and licenses, operators must follow a planning and permitting process that addresses land-use development, environmental health and safety, licenses and taxes, and direct marketing. Rules and regulations for agritourism operations vary by county, increasing the potential for miscommunication or misunderstandings within the system. Refer to the California Agritourism: Permits and Regulations webpage for information on the best approaches for meeting the regulations required to begin and sustain an agritourism operation.  

University of California Contributions - Research

UC has engaged in a variety of research initiatives and programs aimed at promoting the development of sustainable agritourism. To investigate the political, social, and economic characteristics of agritourism in California, researchers from UC Cooperative Extension and the UC Small Farm Program performed an extensive survey of farmers engaging in various agritourism practices in 2009. With this information, researchers are able to better understand the needs of California agritourism and create outreach programs to assist in the development of the sector. The UC survey team focused on determining the types of activities that farmers were engaged in, marketing techniques, management and staffing practices, profitability, and the characteristics of typical visitors. Detailed survey information was published in UC ANR’s quarterly journal, California Agriculture: California agritourism operations and their economic potential are growing.  

The survey determined that more than 2.4 million visitors participate in agritourism activities yearly. Although the California wine business plays a critical role in the agricultural economy of the state, the survey only included small wineries (those producing fewer than 10,000 cases annually) that were also engaged in non-wine-related agritourism activities. It is estimated that the wine industry attracts an additional 21 million tourists spending $2.1 billion each year within the state. More information on the California wine business can be found on the  Wine Institute’s website  or through the  UC Davis Viticulture and Enology  department.  

The survey found that 68% of farms offering agritourism activities were considered a “small farm” by the USDA. These farms operate with gross annual sales of less than $250,000. Income diversification is a crucial aspect for small-scale farms to maintain economic viability. Supplementing traditional production with agritourism practices can help buffer seasonal fluxes in farm income and market volatility. Roughly 75% of the survey respondents indicated that they were motivated to implement agritourism practices as a method of increasing profitability. In a different study to better understand the market and resources realistically available to farmers, UC researchers studied the  economic impacts of agritourism . This report found that especially at the urban-rural interface, agritourism provides economic incentives for growers, opportunities for product diversification, and helps to educate the public about the importance of supporting local agriculture.

UC Contributions - Outreach and Community Involvement

To meet the needs of small-scale farmers in California the UC Cooperative Extension established the UC Small Farm Program in 1979 which operated as a statewide program of UCANR until 2009. This program developed field and marketing research aimed at the needs of small-scale farmers who may not be reached by traditional extension programs ( Small Farms Program 15 yr report ). Small Farm Advisors continue to work from county-based Cooperative Extension offices and are organized as the  UC ANR Small Farms Network .

In addition to ongoing extension efforts by program coordinators and county advisors, UC has several publications to assist farmers and ranchers in establishing agritourism into their businesses. In 2006 Desmond Jolly, with the UC Small Farm Center, published  A Handbook for Planning and Managing Agritourism and Nature Tourism Operations . ANR offered a 2011 revised edition of  Agritourism and Nature Tourism in California . Written by UC Cooperative Extension advisors, Holly George and Ellie Rilla, this book is used as a teaching guide by the statewide agritourism workshops.

Agritourism efforts are now housed at UC SAREP under the direction of  Rachael Callahan , the Statewide Agritourism Coordinator. She manages the UC SAREP Agritourism program’s website and writes the  California AgTour Connections e-newsletter . The website provides news, fact sheets, and additional resources including the  UC Agritourism Directory and Calendar .

Callahan helps organize workshops, classes, and lectures, such as the   Agritourism Intensive   three-session course designed to familiarize small-scale farmers with the regulations and management needs of agritourism operations. Callahan mentions there have been at least 2,000 ranchers and farmers who have participated in these workshops, which provide opportunities for participants to meet the visitor bureau and the county staff, attend field trips and start their own business and marketing plans. Since 2011, the UC Small Farm Program and then UC SAREP has worked with partners to provide resources, such as summits, trainings and guides for agritourism operators. Examples of projects include Agritourism Intensive Trainings ,  Building a Farm Trail Project , a guide for  Marketing Regional Farms and Wineries , and  Regional Agritourism Summits (2017) .

UC Resources

The UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources maintains a  directory of agritourism operations  in the state of California.

The UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program houses an  agritourism program t hat works with county-based UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, provides resources for agritourism operators and hosts California's statewide directory and calendar of agritourism operations.

The  California AgTour Connections e-newsletter  is a chance for growers, agritourism operators, county staff, tourism professionals, and others to keep up with news and information.

Contributors: Leigh Archer, Bev Ransom, Mariah Coley

How to cite this page UC Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. 2017. "Agritourism." What is Sustainable Agriculture? UC Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources. <https://sarep.ucdavis.edu/sustainable-ag/agritourism>

• Agritourism: where agriculture and tourism meet
• Community development

A corn maze. Barn weddings. A tour of a bison ranch.

Today the public is seeking authentic, on-farm experiences that can extend from well-known activities, such as a pick-your-own berries on-farm, to an overnight stay in a yurt in a sheep pasture and duck hunting on the edge of a farmer’s pond.

All of these on-farm activities are part of agritourism, which is most simply defined as where agriculture and tourism meet. Often this entails attracting visitors on-farm to experience its location or products, but the variety of possibilities and farmer ingenuity consistently presses the boundaries of the term.

What is the value for farmers and communities?

For some farmers, agritourism may be a source of new revenue to diversify business. For others, inviting visitors on the farm to see daily operations may help better educate the public about agriculture. Whatever the reason, however, whenever a visitor and farmer share a positive exchange, good things happen.

For rural communities, agritourism can play an important role in business and community development. On-farm businesses provide an avenue for local business development and can attract visitors — and their spending — to the communities. In addition, they can help define a local identity or preserve rural amenities and character.

MN Statute 604A.40 defines agritourism :

“Agritourism activity” means activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows organizations or members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment, charitable, or educational purposes, to view, enjoy, or participate in rural activities, including, but not limited to: farming; viticulture; winemaking; ranching; and historical, cultural, farm stay, gleaning, harvest your-own, or natural activities and attractions. An activity is an agritourism activity whether or not the participant pays to participate in the activity.

Is agritourism right for my operation?

Similar to investigating any additional enterprise, you must decide how an agritourism venture will complement your current activities. Agritourism can be as simple as hosting an early childhood class to see farm animals or as complex as developing a posh farm-to-table dining business.

Connecting with educational resources, associations, and agencies that support agritourism activities in Minnesota is a great way to start and explore possibilities, anticipate risks, and build connections with other operators. An open exploration should provide tangible ideas of how agritourism plays out in “real life” and give a grounded view of how to get started.

Come and Get It (a guidebook for on-farm food service) provides assessments and questions to provoke your thinking:

• What is my current schedule like?
• Is there synergy with other farm operations?
• Where is the bulk of my current time and commitment to this operation going?
• What is the appeal of your farm to visitors? How do you present your farm to visitors?

These questions related to risk management, food safety, and customer service are key to examine before launching even the simplest on-farm event to make sure you and your visitors have a positive experience.

Use the links and information in the below section to help plan for and promote agritourism. 

• United States Small Business Development Administration offices are located around the state and offer free business consulting.
• Come and Get it Guide, Serving Food on the Farm is a guidebook produced by the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.
• Building a Sustainable Business booklet is available from the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.
• Farmstay Manual is a publication of the Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture.
• Iowa State University’s Agricultural Marketing Resource Center provides a comprehensive set of information and resources for agritourism.
• Minnesota state statute provides limited immunity from liability for farmers that host agritourism activities.
• Starting a food business roadmap is a Minnesota Department of Agriculture resource to help people navigate licensing and regulation requirements for starting a food business.
• Minnesota Department of Agriculture provides a searchable licensing and inspections list.
• Legal considerations are summarized at FarmCommons.
• National Agricultural Law Center provides agricultural and food law research and information.
• Making your farm safe for youth provides unique challenges. This Farm Safety for Youth fact sheet from University of Minnesota Extension provides ideas and guidance.
• Mitigate the risks for those that come in contact with animals or animal waste on your farm by reading this Animal Contact in Public Settings fact sheet from University of Minnesota Extension.
• Handwashing and Farm Safety resources are available from the Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH).
• Those serving food on their farms should have standard operating procedures approved by their food service inspector. The standard operating procedures for food service by University of Minnesota Extension can be helpful.
• Safer Farm Animal Contact Exhibits (Safer FACEs) online training is available through the Minnesota Department of Health.
• Integrating safety into agritourism provides walkthroughs, checklists and resources to help ensure the safety and health of your visitors.
• Minnesota Grown is the Minnesota Department of Agriculture’s marketing program for Minnesota farms and farm products.
• Explore Minnesota is Minnesota’s tourism promotion agency.
• Marketing in a digital era toolkit , a guide from the Center for Rural Enterprise Engagement, helps those in agriculture develop a successful marketing plan.

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Linking local farmers with hotels and restaurants

Sharing of agricultural heritage: visits to old plantations or agricultural museums.

Local gastronomic festivals and culinary traditions.

Farm-based activities: rural bed & breakfasts, observation of crop management, farm animal feeding, milking and cheese making.

Tourist routes that combine the knowledge of natural landscapes with the way of life of the communities visited.

Community-based initiatives: village fairs, community markets and food trails

Why support agritourism in the Caribbean?

The Caribbean is one of the most tourism-dependent regions in the world, with tourism earnings accounting for over 60% of GDP in some countries. However, despite the significant benefits of tourism, linkages between tourism and other economic sectors, such as agriculture, are often weak. As a result, the benefits of tourism are not distributed widely, particularly in rural areas where poverty rates are highest.

Promoting agritourism is a strategy to enhance the linkages between tourism and agriculture, and to strengthen rural economies in the Caribbean. By supporting local agriculture and food production, agritourism can help to improve food security, reduce dependence on food imports, and create new income and livelihood opportunities for rural communities, while promoting sustainable agriculture practices and environmental stewardship.

Moreover, the hotel industry in the Caribbean represents a huge potential market for locally sourced goods, which can enhance the authenticity of the tourism experience. By promoting agritourism, the Caribbean can showcase its unique and diverse agricultural products, cultural heritage, and rural landscapes, while also providing visitors with a more authentic and sustainable travel experience.

Home > Farm > Agritourism > What is Agritourism?

What is Agritourism?

Have you ever heard of agritourism? What exactly does it mean? Agritourism is where agriculture and tourism meet to provide you with an amazing educational experience, whether it be a tour of a farm or ranch, a festival or cheese-making class. Farmers, ranchers and wineries turn their land into a destination and open their doors to the public in order to teach more about what they do.

See more:  5 Incredible Farm Stay Destinations Around the U.S.

Agritourism is becoming an increasingly popular industry in almost every state. Destinations across the country offer unique experiences ranging from picking your own fresh fruit at an orchard and trying your hand at calf roping to hayrides at a pumpkin patch. There are tons of unique activities waiting to be explored.

Some farmers turn their working farms into destinations to help educate the public about farming. Others do it as a way to supplement income in the off-season. But no matter what the reason, every farm has something unique to offer guests. So if you’re heading out on a vacation or long weekend soon, be sure to scope out agritourism destinations in the area.

Looking for the perfect destination? Check out some fun and educational spots from around the country:

Grape Expectations: Arkansas Wine Industry Encourages Agritourism Fun on the Farm at Mississippi Agritourism Destinations A Sip and a Swig at Wisconsin Wineries and Breweries The Scoop on Ohio Agritourism Visitors Experience Life of the Farm in Kentucky Georgia Agritourism Brings Southern Hospitality

Join the discussion and tell us your opinion.

[…] Farm Flavor offers more reasons to do agritourism. […]

[…] Offering farm stays or agrotourism experiences can transform your hobby farm into a rural retreat. With the right setup and marketing, city dwellers looking for a slice of country life could become your regular guests. Imagine waking up to the sounds of chirping birds and fresh countryside air. Indulge in farm-fresh meals and immerse yourself in the tranquility of nature. A farm stay experience is the perfect opportunity to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. […]

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Agritourism – An Overview

Agritourism is a field that is growing in popularity as producers try to diversify and increase profits.  By combining agriculture and tourism, agritourism offers new sources of revenue but also presents potential problems and legal complications to agritourism operators.

“Agritourism” Defined

Simply stated, agritourism could be thought of as the crossroads of tourism and agriculture. Stated more technically, agritourism can be defined as a form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining and/or educating the visitors while generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.

Regardless of the exact definition or terminology, any definition of agritourism should include the following four factors:

• combines the essential elements of the tourism and agriculture industries;
• attracts members of the public to visit agricultural operations;
• is designed to increase farm income; and
• provides recreation, entertainment, and/or educational experiences to visitors.

The term “agritourism” is often used interchangeably with “agri-tourism,” “agrotourism,” “farm tourism,” “agricultural tourism,” or “agritainment.”

Examples of Agritourism

Agritourism operations exist throughout the United States and the world. They  range from small operations that function on a seasonal basis and offer limited consumer services to large operations that operate throughout the year and provide numerous consumer services. Common examples of agritourism include:

• pumpkin picking patches;
• corn mazes;
• U-Pick operations;
• petting and feeding zoos;
• cut-your-own Christmas tree farms;
• dude ranches;
• demonstration farms;
• agricultural museums;
• living history farms;
• on-farm farmers’ markets;
• winery tours and wine tasting;
• rural bed & breakfasts; and
• garden tours.

Examples of actual agritourism operations can be easily located through routine internet searches and through web sites, such as  agritourismworld.com , that provide comprehensive databases of agritourism operations throughout the country.

Importance of Agritourism

Agritourism presents a unique opportunity to combine aspects of the tourism and agriculture industries to provide a number of financial, educational, and social benefits to tourists, producers, and communities. Agritourism gives producers an opportunity to generate additional income and an avenue for direct marketing to consumers. It enhances the tourism industry by increasing the volume of visitors to an area and the length of their stay. Agritourism also provides communities with the potential to increase their local tax bases and new employment opportunities. Additionally, agritourism provides educational opportunities to the public, helps to preserve agricultural lands, and allows states to develop business enterprises. While agritourism may create new potential revenue streams, it also presents new legal issues for farmers and landowners.

Legal Issues

Landowner/operator liability.

Liability is a significant concern for farmers, ranchers, and others who operate agritourism enterprises.  Simply stated, a landowner who opens his or her land to the public faces the risk that he or she could be considered liable if an entrant is injured while on the property.

The duty of care owed to someone who is on a landowner’s property has traditionally depended on whether the entrant is classified as a trespasser, a licensee, or an invitee.  The classification of invitee is the most relevant to agritourism operators, though either of the other two categories could apply under certain circumstances.

Trespassers are persons who are on the land without the landowner’s permission.  As a general rule, landowners owe trespassers no duty of care except to avoid intentionally injuring them.  However, children who are trespassers may be owed a higher duty of care depending on the situation and jurisdiction.

A licensee is someone who is on the property with permission but does not provide any economic benefit to the landowner, such as a hunter or fisherman who does not compensate the landowner for access to the land.  Generally, licensees must be told of hidden dangers and the landowner owes a duty of care to not act in a way that would harm the licensee.

Invitees are persons who enter upon the premises with the permission of the landowner or operator.  Invitees provide an economic benefit to the landowner or operator and are owed the highest duty of care.  The landowner must warn invitees of potential dangers and must keep the premises relatively safe for them.  The term “invitees” not only includes paying customers at the agritourism operation but may also include employees that are staffing the event.  This heightened standard for invitees necessitates the creation of a risk management plan to address issues before they become a problem.

For more information regarding landowner liability issues, visit the  Landowner Liability Reading Room.

Agritourism Statutes

Many states have passed agritourism statutes that may create an affirmative defense to lawsuits brought by injured customers.  Generally, these statutes protect against “inherent risks” associated with running an agritourism operation, such as the condition of the land and building.  Many have an exception disallowing their use if the operator is negligent or grossly negligent in the running of the agritourism business.  It is important to read the state statute carefully because many require certain steps before an agritourism operator may use the statute in defense.  Many states require that agritourism operators post warning signs with specific language that is included in the statute.  Failure to comply with the agritourism statute may limit its usefulness as a defense.

For more information regarding these laws, visit the  Agritourism State Laws Compilation Map.

Animal Welfare Act

Animals used strictly for agricultural purposes are exempt from regulation under the Animal Welfare Act (AWA).  However, the AWA is applicable when animals are exhibited, even if the animals are farm animals.  According to the Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS), the USDA agency that administers the AWA, the exhibition of animals includes petting zoos, roadside zoos, trained animal shows, and educational displays.  An agritourism operator who uses animals for exhibition purposes should be aware of the potential application of the AWA. For more information regarding animal welfare, please visit the  Animal Welfare Reading Room.

Other Considerations

Agritourism enterprises may involve a variety of other legal issues, depending largely on the activities involved and the laws of the state where the business is located.  Producers who provide food stands or restaurants must consider local food safety and public health laws that may apply and laws governing liquor licenses if alcohol is served on the premises.  For more information on food safety, please visit the Food Safety Reading Room .   In addition, agritourism operators should be aware that many of their activities may not be covered by standard farm insurance policies and that additional liability coverage may be needed to cover injuries arising from agritourism activities.

Agritourism operations may also face issues with zoning restrictions, building codes, compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act, taxation, and business permits.  Zoning restrictions are an issue that many new agritourism operators do not think about, but disputes with neighbors caused by increased traffic, noise, etc. have led to costly litigation.  The Agritourism Reading Room contains resources addressing these topics and many others; however it is important to note that agritourism operations face many unique challenges because of location and the type of services that they offer.

Defining the Bounds of Booming Agritourism

•  Jessica Guarino, Renata Endres, Tyler Swanson, and Bryan Endres
• Department of Agricultural and Consumer Economics
• University of Illinois

Traditions of seasonally visiting pumpkin patches, harvest-your-own operations, and other on-farm activities are well worn into our cultural practices. Beyond the communal and educational elements these operations evoke by providing the public a hands-on connection to food and agriculture, the agritourism industry has grown substantially over the past decade in response to economic pressures on both farmer and consumer as well as growing interest in locally produced food. [1] Agritourism operations offer income diversification opportunities to farmers while simultaneously providing community members with recreational, educational, and entertainment prospects. Because the nexus between agriculture and tourism presents the public with unique opportunities, many states have or are considering efforts to encourage the industry’s development via various types of legislation. Legislation limiting liability for certain activities intrinsic to agritourism is among the most common. To provide liability exemptions to agritourism operations, though, scoping and defining the bounds of agritourism is necessary.

The USDA does not have a formal, regulatory definition for agritourism, but describes it as “a form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism in order to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining and/or educating the visitors and generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner.” [2] The first national law defining agritourism was passed in Italy in 1985 and “focused on overnight stays that support the restoration of farm buildings and the diversification of income sources for the working farms in rural areas.” [3] Since then, both agritourism as a practice and its definition have greatly expanded, encompassing many elements of both tourism and agriculture.

Several studies across disciplines and continents have attempted to synthesize a definition of agritourism, and while many definitions of agritourism remain, the literature reveals some core components. Tourism studies literature provides one of the broadest agritourism definitions, describing it as “an entrepreneurial endeavor with the purpose of attracting visitors to the farm,” and allows for a five-class theoretical typology of agritourism operations: “nonworking farm agritourism; working farm, passive contact agritourism (e.g. bed and breakfast on a current farm); working farm, indirect contact agritourism (on-farm dining); working farm, direct contact, staged agritourism (e.g. appreciation of farm demonstrations; and working farm, direct contact, authentic agritourism (e.g. participation in farm chores).” [4] Unfortunately, these wide-ranging definitions make developing a legal definition allocating liability exemptions challenging.

In addition to the widely recognized economic benefits agritourism operations bring farmers and surrounding communities, recent research defining agritourism highlights the environmental and cultural resiliency aspects available through agritourism, including “fostering wildlife habitat improvement and water conservation, preservation of rural heritage and reconnection with agrarian culture, and increasing employment of family and non-family.” [5] Much of the literature on defining agritourism highlights its fluid nature, highly dependent upon the “type of setting . . . type of activity or interaction . . . and level of authenticity: the means of presenting or experiencing the agricultural reality.” [6] Despite considerable research devoted to delineating the distinction between agricultural tourism and other rural/countryside tourism, many definitions of agritourism functionally encompass elements of both. [7] Accordingly, a legal definition of agritourism would not want to exclude or unduly limit these critical environmental and cultural resiliency characteristics.

Federally, a bill was introduced in the House of Representatives on January 13, 2022, to create a Department of Agritourism. [12] This bill, also known as the “Accelerating the Growth of Rural Innovation and Tourism Opportunities to Uphold Rural Industries and Sustainable Marketplaces Act” or “AGRITOURISM Act” defines agritourism by the experiences it provides:

• Education , such as school tours, garden and nursery tours, winery tours, historical agricultural exhibits, and hops and micro-brewery tours;
• Outdoor recreation , such as river activities, mountain biking, horseback riding, wildlife viewing and photography, fee fishing and hunting, wagon and sleigh rides, cross-country skiing, game preserves, and clay bird shooting;
• Entertainment , such as concerts and special events, culinary experiences, festivals, fairs, interaction with farm animals, and weddings;
• Direct sales , such as on-farm sales, farm stands, agriculture-related crafts and gifts, u-pick operations, u-cut tree farms, wineries, breweries, cideries, distilleries, and cut flowers;
• Accommodations , such as bred-and-breakfast inns, farms and ranch vacations, yurts, sheep wagons, and guest ranches; and
• Dining on a farm. [13]

Further, the proposed AGRITOURISM Act explicitly names some of the benefits that agritourism operations offer, including “educational opportunities for children and families”; “supplemental income for owners of agricultural enterprises, which are often small or family-run businesses”; “economic development in rural communities”; “preserve agricultural heritage”; and “help farms diversify.” [14] The interest in devoting an entire department to the promotion and regulation of agritourism indicates its rising importance.

At the state level, legislation limiting liability for a variety of industries is well-established. Agritourism operations are especially vulnerable in instances where a visitor may be hurt while performing on-farm activities, including “picking produce, feeding livestock, climbing on straw bales, engaging in recreational activities, and riding on wagons, tractors and horses.” [15] Lawsuits can be economically devastating for an agritourism enterprise, making legislation providing immunity from liability in certain instances helpful to farmers in managing financial risk. [16] The results of a 2021 survey conducted by the University of Vermont Tourism Research Center noted that nationally, nearly 80% of respondents listed concerns about agritourism liability issues as a challenge to them as operators; an additional 80% of respondents listed the cost and availability of insurance as another challenge. [17] Without legislative immunity, lawsuits against agritourism operators turn on more uncertain and amorphous analyses, including whether the operator acted with “reasonable care” or the “open and obvious” doctrine that protects landowners from liability for injuries resulting from clear dangers like aggressive animals at petting zoos or falls off hay rides. [18]

In Illinois, a bill creating an Agritourism Liability Act has been introduced twice to the state legislature, but both times the legislative session ended before the bill was voted on. [19] Similar to other state-level civil liability laws covering or directly addressing agritourism, [20] the Illinois Agritourism Liability Act would protect farms by granting immunity from liability for certain activities closely connected to the agritourism operation. [21] The bill defines “agritourism activity” broadly as any activity carried out on a farm or ranch that allows members of the general public, for recreational, entertainment, or educational purposes, to view or enjoy rural activities . . . [including, but not limited to]: farming; ranching; historic, cultural, and on-site educational programs; guided and self-guided tours; animal exhibitions; farm festivals; corn mazes; harvest-your-own operations; hayrides; fishing; and camping. [22]

Additionally, the bill provides “that an agritourism operator is not liable for injury or death of a participant resulting from the inherent risks of agritourism activities if the agritourism operator posts the required warning notice,” as well as “provides that a participant assumes the inherent risks of an agritourism activity by engaging in the agritourism activity.” [23] Despite the lack of action by the state legislature, the Agritourism Liability Act continues to garner support from various stakeholders such as the Illinois Specialty Growers Association and Illinois Farm Bureau. [24] Though agritourism presently lacks liability immunity for agritourism’s inherent risks, Illinois currently has limited liability acts for similar educational and entertainment experiences like horse riding through the Equine Activity Liability Act. [25]

As agritourism operations continue to expand in Illinois and across the nation, and as legislatures consider liability exemptions, it is important to carefully consider the scope and impact of the law. Legislation and implementing regulations should “clearly articulate which activities are subject to immunity provisions as well as the steps required for operators to secure immunity from liability (e.g., waivers, warning signs).” [26] Absent this clarity, the law could create more litigation regarding the scope of exemptions rather than providing relief. It is also important to consider what economic benefit, if any, likely accompanies these exemptions. Whether legislation limiting liability for agritourism operations reduces insurance costs (and by how much) and if immunity from liability deters lawsuits has yet to be studied. Further research into the economic impact of liability limitations on agritourism operations, as well as the social and political ramifications (e.g., whether legislation merely signals state support or has an actual impact), will hopefully illuminate this data.

[1] Defining and Regulating Agritourism, Trends in State Agritourism Legislation 2019-2020, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems, University of Vermont, https://www.vermontlaw.edu/sites/default/files/2021-04/Defining-and-Regulating-Agritourism.pdf.

[2] National Agricultural Library, Agritourism and Farm Tours , U.S. Department of Agriculture, https://www.nal.usda.gov/legacy/afsic/agritourism-and-farm-tours (last visited Feb. 8, 2022).

[3] R. David Lamie et al., Agritourism Around the Globe: Definitions, Authenticity, and Potential Controversy , J. of Ag, Food Systems, and Community Development (2021).

[4] Carla Barbieri, Assessing the Sustainability of Agritourism in the U.S.: A Comparison Between Agritourism and Other Farm Entrepreneurial Ventures , J. of Sustainable Tourism (2012); Sharon Philip et al., A Typology for Defining Agritourism , Tourism Management (2010).

[5] Sara Brune et al., The Influence of Agritourism Experiences on Consumer Behavior Toward Local Food , J. of Travel Research (2021), https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0047287520938869.

[6] Thomas Streifeneder, Agriculture First: Assessing European Policies and Scientific Typologies to Define Authentic Agritourism and Differentiate it from Countryside Tourism , Tourism Management Perspectives (2016).

[7] See, e.g. , Id.

[8] Ark. Code Ann. 2-11-103. Defines Agritourism as “an interactive or passive activity carried out with

or without payment to an agritourism activity operator on a farm, ranch, or agribusiness operation related to agriculture, food production, historic traditions, or nature watching conducted by an agritourism activity operator for the education, entertainment, or recreation of participants. It includes without limitation a farming or ranching activity, the viewing of historic, cultural, or natural attractions, a harvest-your-own activity, nature-watching,

and an activity involving an animal exhibition at an agricultural fair.” Id.

[9] Defining and Regulating Agritourism, supra note 1.

[10] R. David Lamie et al., Agritourism Around the Globe: Definitions, Authenticity, and Potential Controversy , J. of Ag, Food Systems, and Community Development (2021).

[11] R. David Lamie et al., Agritourism Around the Globe: Definitions, Authenticity, and Potential Controversy , J. of Ag, Food Systems, and Community Development (2021).

[12] H.R. 6408, 117 th Congress, 2 nd Sess., https://www.congress.gov/117/bills/hr6408/BILLS-117hr6408ih.pdf

[15] Peggy Kirk Hall and Evin Bachelor, Agritourism Immunity Laws in the United States , The National Agricultural Law Center (2019), https://nationalaglawcenter.org/wp-content/uploads/assets/articles/Agritourism-series-Immunity-laws.pdf.

[17] Lisa Chase et al., Agritourism and On-Farm Direct Sales Survey: Results for Vermont , University of Vermont Extension (2021), https://www.uvm.edu/sites/default/files/Vermont-Agritourism-Collaborative/VT_Survey_Report.pdf.

[18] Hall, supra note 14; Peggy Kirk Hall and Ellen Essman, Recent Agritourism Litigation in the United States , The National Agricultural Law Center (2020), https://farmoffice.osu.edu/sites/aglaw/files/site-library/AgritourismLitigationHallFinal.pdf.

[19] IL SB458, https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4315&GAID=15&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=108&GA=101

[20] Defining and Regulating Agritourism, supra note 1.

[21] IL SB458, https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4315&GAID=15&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=108&GA=101

[23] IL SB458 https://www.ilga.gov/legislation/BillStatus.asp?DocNum=4315&GAID=15&DocTypeID=HB&SessionID=108&GA=101

[24] See, e.g. , https://www.specialtygrowers.org/agritourism-liability-act.

[25] 745 ILCS 47

[26] Defining and Regulating Agritourism, supra note 1.

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Rural Tourism

Rural tourism has a high potential to stimulate local economic growth and social change because of its complementarity with other economic activities, its contribution to GDP and job creation, and its capacity to promote the dispersal of demand in time (fight seasonality) and along a wider territory.

UN Tourism understands Rural Tourism as "a type of tourism activity in which the visitor’s experience is related to a wide range of products generally linked to nature-based activities, agriculture, rural lifestyle / culture, angling and sightseeing.

Rural Tourism activities take place in non-urban (rural) areas with the following characteristics: i) low population density, ii) landscape and land-use dominated by agriculture and forestry and iii) traditional social structure and lifestyle".

Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism

With the vision of making tourism a positive force for transformation, rural development and community wellbeing, UN Tourism launched the ‘ Best Tourism Villages by UN Tourism ’ initiative.

It seeks to advance the role of tourism in valuing and safeguarding rural villages along with their associated landscapes, knowledge systems, biological and cultural diversity, local values and activities (agriculture, forestry, livestock and/or fisheries), including their gastronomy.

Tourism and Rural Development: Understanding Challenges on the Ground – Lessons learned from the Best Tourism Villages by UNWTO Initiative

  Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective

Tourism and Rural Development: A Policy Perspective - Results of the UN Tourism Survey on Tourism for Rural Development to Member States

Compilación de buenas prácticas del turismo indígena – Enfoque regional sobre las Américas

UN Tourism Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development

  UN Tourism Recommendations on Tourism and Rural Development – A Guide to Making Tourism an Effective Tool for Rural Development

AlUla Framework for inclusive Community Development through Tourism

The Framework provides guidance and inspiration to all governments, as well as all other key stakeholders in the tourism sector – including regional and local governments, the private sector, industry associations, civil society, communities and tourists – with the aim of fostering a truly holistic and integrated approach to inclusive community development through tourism.

  AlUla Framework for inclusive Community Development through Tourism

  AlUla Framework for inclusive Community Development through Tourism – Executive Summary

International Rural Tourism Development – An Asia-Pacific Perspective

  International Rural Tourism Development – An Asia-Pacific Perspective

Winter is here! Check out the winter wonderlands at these 5 amazing winter destinations in Montana

• Travel Tips

What Is Agri-Tourism?

Published: December 12, 2023

Modified: December 28, 2023

by Vonny Hudgins

• Sustainability

Introduction

Welcome to the exciting world of agri-tourism! If you’re looking to explore unique and off-the-beaten-path travel experiences, agri-tourism offers a perfect blend of adventure, education, and sustainable tourism. As a form of niche tourism, agri-tourism allows visitors to delve into the agricultural lifestyle, offering them a chance to learn, engage, and appreciate the beauty and essence of rural communities.

Agri-tourism goes beyond traditional sightseeing, offering travelers an immersive experience where they can actively participate in farming activities, taste local produce, and understand the intricacies of sustainable agriculture. Whether you’re a nature lover, a food enthusiast, or an aspiring farmer, agri-tourism has something to offer that will captivate your senses and leave you with lasting memories.

This form of tourism not only benefits travelers but also acts as a catalyst for local economies. It provides opportunities for farmers and rural communities to diversify their income streams, promote their agricultural heritage, and create a sustainable future. Moreover, agri-tourism fosters a deeper connection between urban and rural areas, promoting understanding, appreciation, and support for local agricultural practices.

In this comprehensive guide, we will explore the world of agri-tourism, including its definition, different types of activities, benefits, challenges, successful ventures, and how you can start your own agri-tourism business. So, fasten your seatbelts and get ready for an exciting journey into the heart of agri-tourism!

Definition of Agri-Tourism

Agri-tourism, also known as agricultural tourism or farm tourism, is a form of tourism that involves visiting farms, ranches, and other agricultural establishments to experience and engage in various agricultural activities. It provides travelers with an opportunity to learn about farming practices, interact with animals, participate in crop harvesting, and gain insight into sustainable agricultural techniques.

At its core, agri-tourism is about connecting people with the land and giving them a firsthand experience of agricultural life. It offers a break from the hustle and bustle of city life, allowing visitors to appreciate the peacefulness and serenity of rural environments and the hard work that goes into food production.

Agri-tourism activities can vary widely, depending on the location and type of agricultural operations. Some common activities include fruit picking, vegetable harvesting, wine tasting, dairy farm visits, horseback riding, tractor rides, and farm-to-table dining experiences. These activities not only entertain visitors but also educate them about the process of food production and the importance of sustainable farming practices.

Agri-tourism is not limited to traditional farms alone; it can also encompass other areas of agriculture, such as vineyards, orchards, fishing farms, and livestock ranches. It can take place in both rural and peri-urban areas, providing opportunities for both local and international tourists to experience the rural way of life.

One of the key principles of agri-tourism is sustainability. It emphasizes the need to conserve natural resources, maintain biodiversity, and promote the responsible use of land. By engaging in agri-tourism, travelers not only support local farmers and businesses but also contribute to the preservation of rural landscapes and agricultural heritage.

Overall, agri-tourism is a unique and immersive way to experience agriculture, connect with nature, and gain a deeper understanding of the food we consume. It offers a chance for travelers to engage in hands-on activities, learn from local farmers and experts, and develop a profound appreciation for sustainable farming practices.

Types of Agri-Tourism Activities

Agri-tourism encompasses a wide range of activities, each offering a unique and memorable experience for travelers. Let’s explore some of the common types of agri-tourism activities:

• Farm Visits: This is the foundation of agri-tourism, where visitors have the opportunity to explore working farms and learn about various agricultural practices. They can interact with farm animals, observe crop growth and cultivation, and gain insight into the day-to-day life of farmers.
• Pick-Your-Own: Many farms provide the opportunity for visitors to pick their own fruits, vegetables, or flowers. This hands-on activity not only allows travelers to participate in the harvesting process but also ensures they enjoy the freshest produce straight from the field.
• Food and Wine Tastings: Agri-tourism often involves sampling local food and beverages, giving travelers a taste of the region’s culinary specialties. This could include wine tastings at vineyards, cheese tasting at dairy farms, or farm-to-table dining experiences where visitors enjoy meals made with fresh, locally sourced ingredients.
• Farm Stay and Accommodation: Some agri-tourism destinations offer farm stays, allowing visitors to experience the authentic agricultural lifestyle by staying overnight on a working farm. This provides a unique opportunity to immerse oneself fully in the farming experience, from waking up to the sounds of the animals to helping with daily chores.
• Educational Workshops: Many farms organize educational workshops and classes to teach visitors about various agricultural practices. These workshops may focus on topics such as organic farming, beekeeping, cheese making, or sustainable agriculture. Travelers have the chance to learn from experts in the field and gain new skills.
• Festivals and Events: Agricultural festivals and events are a popular form of agri-tourism. These celebrations often coincide with important milestones in the farming calendar, such as harvest festivals or grape stomping events. Visitors can join in the festivities, enjoy live music, taste local delicacies, and experience the vibrant culture of rural communities.
• Outdoor Activities: Agri-tourism destinations often offer a wide range of outdoor activities to engage visitors. This can include horseback riding through scenic trails, hiking or biking in agricultural landscapes, birdwatching, fishing, or even farm-based adventure activities like zip-lining or corn mazes.

These are just a few examples of the diverse range of agri-tourism activities available. The specific activities may vary based on the location, climate, and agricultural practices of the region. Regardless of the activities chosen, agri-tourism offers a hands-on, educational, and enjoyable experience that connects travelers with the land and the essence of rural life.

Benefits of Agri-Tourism

Agri-tourism offers a multitude of benefits, both for travelers and the local communities. Let’s explore some of the key advantages of engaging in agri-tourism:

• Educational Opportunities: Agri-tourism provides visitors with valuable educational opportunities to learn about farming practices, sustainable agriculture techniques, and the importance of locally sourced produce. It offers a chance to bridge the gap between urban and rural communities and raise awareness about the journey of food from farm to table.
• Cultural Exchange: Agri-tourism encourages cultural exchange between visitors and local communities. It offers a glimpse into the way of life of farming communities, their traditions, and their unique cultural heritage. Travelers have the opportunity to interact with farmers, learn their stories, and gain a deeper appreciation for the local culture.
• Sustainable Economic Development: Agri-tourism acts as a catalyst for local economic development, especially in rural areas. It provides an additional revenue stream for farmers, helping to diversify their income and reduce dependency on traditional farming practices. It also stimulates the growth of local businesses such as farm shops, restaurants, and accommodations, creating employment opportunities and contributing to the local economy.
• Preservation of Agricultural Heritage: By engaging in agri-tourism, travelers actively contribute to the preservation of agricultural heritage. Farms and agricultural landscapes that may otherwise have been abandoned or converted for other purposes are maintained and protected. This helps to preserve biodiversity, protect natural resources, and ensure the long-term sustainability of farming practices.
• Enhanced Rural Infrastructure: The growth of agri-tourism often leads to improvements in rural infrastructure. Local communities invest in better transportation, accommodations, and facilities to cater to the needs of visitors. This not only benefits agri-tourism but also improves the quality of life for residents in the area.
• Promotion of Sustainable Practices: Agri-tourism promotes the adoption of sustainable farming practices. Farmers who engage in agri-tourism often prioritize environmentally friendly techniques such as organic farming, water conservation, and renewable energy. This helps to protect the environment, reduce carbon footprints, and preserve natural resources for future generations.
• Support for Local Farmers: Agri-tourism provides direct support to local farmers and agricultural businesses. By purchasing local produce, participating in farm activities, and supporting farm shops, visitors contribute to the livelihoods of farmers and help ensure the sustainability of their operations. This support is crucial for the survival of small-scale farmers and the maintenance of local food systems.

These benefits make agri-tourism a win-win for both visitors and the communities they engage with. By embracing agri-tourism experiences, travelers not only gain valuable knowledge and memorable experiences but also play a vital role in supporting sustainable agriculture and rural communities around the world.

Challenges of Agri-Tourism

While agri-tourism offers numerous benefits, it also comes with its fair share of challenges. Let’s explore some of the common challenges faced by those involved in agri-tourism:

• Seasonality: Agri-tourism activities often depend heavily on seasonal factors, such as crop harvests or specific farming practices. This can lead to fluctuations in visitor numbers and revenue, making it challenging to maintain a stable business throughout the year. Farmers must carefully plan and diversify their offerings to attract visitors during slower seasons.
• Regulatory Compliance: Agri-tourism activities, especially those involving food and animal interactions, need to comply with various regulations and health and safety standards. Farmers must ensure they meet all legal requirements, which can be time-consuming and costly. Failure to comply with regulations can result in fines or the closure of agri-tourism operations.
• Infrastructure and Amenities: Developing the necessary infrastructure and amenities to support agri-tourism activities can be a challenge, particularly in remote rural areas. Access to reliable transportation, accommodation options, and facilities like restrooms and parking can be limited. Farmers and communities need to invest in improving infrastructure to make agri-tourism more accessible and appealing to visitors.
• Market Competition and Branding: In the highly competitive tourism industry, standing out from the crowd can be difficult. Agri-tourism destinations need to focus on effective branding, marketing, and promotion to catch the attention of potential visitors. Differentiating themselves from other forms of tourism and highlighting their unique offerings is crucial for success.
• Understanding Visitor Expectations: Each visitor has different expectations and interests when it comes to agri-tourism. It can be challenging to cater to a diverse range of preferences and provide experiences that align with visitor expectations. Farmers must invest time in understanding their target audience, conducting market research, and tailoring their activities to suit the interests of their visitors.
• Weather and Climate: Agricultural activities are heavily influenced by weather and climate conditions. Unpredictable weather patterns, extreme weather events, and changing climatic conditions can disrupt farming schedules and impact the availability of certain agri-tourism activities. Farmers must be prepared to adapt their offerings and manage visitor expectations during such situations.
• Balancing Farming with Tourism: Engaging in agri-tourism requires farmers to find a balance between their farming operations and the demands of tourism. This can be challenging, especially during peak visitor seasons when both farm work and hosting visitors require attention. Farmers often need to carefully manage their time and resources to ensure the success of both aspects of their business.

Despite these challenges, with proper planning, creativity, and a commitment to quality experiences, agri-tourism operators can overcome these obstacles and build successful, sustainable businesses. By addressing these challenges head-on and continuously adapting to the changing landscape, agri-tourism can thrive and continue providing enriching experiences for both travelers and the agricultural industry.

Examples of Successful Agri-Tourism Ventures

Agri-tourism has gained significant popularity in recent years, with numerous successful ventures emerging around the world. Let’s take a look at some inspiring examples of agri-tourism ventures that have found success:

• Promised Land Dairy Farm, New Zealand: Promised Land Dairy Farm in New Zealand offers visitors a unique hands-on experience of farm life. Guests can participate in milking cows, feeding animals, and even join a guided tour of the working farm. The farm also offers farm stays, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in the daily activities of the farm while enjoying scenic countryside views.
• D’Aunoy Plantation, Louisiana, USA: D’Aunoy Plantation in Louisiana, USA, is a prime example of agri-tourism in a historical setting. This plantation offers visitors the opportunity to learn about the cultivation and processing of sugarcane, a staple crop in the region. Visitors can explore the plantation, witness sugarcane harvesting, and taste freshly squeezed sugarcane juice.
• Penang Tropical Fruit Farm, Malaysia: Located in Penang, Malaysia, the Penang Tropical Fruit Farm is a popular agri-tourism destination. The farm offers guided tours where visitors can learn about a wide variety of tropical fruits, taste exotic fruits, and witness the fruit harvesting process. The farm also hosts educational workshops to promote sustainable farming practices.
• Monte Vibiano, Italy: Monte Vibiano in Italy is an organic vineyard and olive farm that has successfully embraced agri-tourism. The estate offers wine and olive oil tastings, vineyard and olive grove tours, cooking classes, and farm-to-table dining experiences. Visitors have the opportunity to learn about organic farming practices and enjoy the stunning countryside surroundings.
• Agrodome, New Zealand: Agrodome in Rotorua, New Zealand, is an award-winning agri-tourism attraction. The farm showcases New Zealand’s agricultural industry and offers an entertaining and educational experience. Visitors can enjoy live farm shows, watch sheep shearing demonstrations, and interact with friendly farm animals. The Agrodome has become a must-visit destination, providing an authentic taste of rural New Zealand.
• Burrow Farm, United Kingdom: Burrow Farm in the United Kingdom has found success by offering pick-your-own fruit and vegetable experiences. Visitors can immerse themselves in the farm surroundings, pick their own produce, and enjoy the freshness and flavor of farm-fresh fruits and vegetables. The farm also hosts events and picnics, allowing visitors to make lasting memories in a scenic rural setting.
• Fazenda Catucaba, Brazil: Fazenda Catucaba is a working farm in Brazil that offers guests an oasis of tranquility and a taste of sustainable agriculture. Visitors can stay in rustic farm cottages, explore the beautiful countryside, and partake in farm activities like cheese making and horseback riding. The farm embraces eco-friendly practices and focuses on preserving the natural environment.

These examples highlight the diversity of agri-tourism ventures and the range of experiences they offer. These successful ventures combine a deep understanding of the agricultural industry, a passion for sustainability, and the ability to create engaging and educational experiences for visitors. They serve as inspiration for aspiring agri-tourism entrepreneurs looking to create their own unique and successful ventures.

How to Start an Agri-Tourism Business

If you’re passionate about agriculture and want to share your farming lifestyle with visitors, starting an agri-tourism business can be a fulfilling venture. Here are some essential steps to help you get started:

• Identify your niche: Determine what makes your farm unique and what type of agri-tourism experiences you can offer. Whether it’s pick-your-own fruit, wine tastings, farm stays, or educational workshops, find a niche that aligns with your expertise and resources.
• Develop a business plan: Create a comprehensive business plan outlining your goals, target market, marketing strategies, financial projections, and operational details. A well-thought-out plan will serve as a roadmap for your agri-tourism business.
• Assess legal and safety requirements: Research and comply with all legal and safety requirements related to agri-tourism activities. This may include permits, licenses, insurance, food handling regulations, and health and safety guidelines.
• Enhance the visitor experience: Focus on providing unique and memorable experiences for your visitors. Consider offering guided tours, hands-on activities, or educational workshops. Invest in proper signage, informative displays, and storytelling to engage and educate your guests.
• Market your agri-tourism business: Develop a strong online presence through a website and social media platforms. Use high-quality photographs, videos, and compelling content to showcase your farm and the experiences you offer. Collaborate with local tourism agencies, hotels, and restaurants to reach a wider audience.
• Build partnerships: Collaborate with other local businesses, such as restaurants, wineries, or accommodation providers, to create packages and cross-promote your offerings. These partnerships can enhance the visitor experience and expand your reach in the tourism industry.
• Invest in infrastructure: Assess and invest in the necessary infrastructure and facilities to support your agri-tourism activities. This may include picnic areas, restroom facilities, parking spaces, or accommodations if you plan to offer farm stays.
• Train your staff: If you have employees or plan to hire staff, ensure they are properly trained to provide excellent customer service and engage with visitors. They should have a solid understanding of agriculture, your farm’s history, and the experiences you offer.
• Obtain feedback and evolve: Listen to visitor feedback and continuously strive to improve the visitor experience. Regularly assess your agri-tourism offerings and make necessary adjustments to meet changing visitor expectations and market demands.

Starting an agri-tourism business requires careful planning, attention to detail, and a passion for sharing your agricultural knowledge with others. By following these steps and staying committed to providing exceptional experiences, you can create a thriving agri-tourism venture that connects visitors with the beauty and essence of rural life.

Agri-tourism offers a unique and enriching travel experience that allows visitors to connect with agriculture, nature, and rural communities. It provides an opportunity to learn about farming practices, taste local produce, and gain a deeper appreciation for sustainable agriculture. As we have explored, agri-tourism offers numerous benefits, including educational opportunities, cultural exchange, sustainable economic development, and the preservation of agricultural heritage.

While agri-tourism has its challenges, such as seasonality, regulatory compliance, and infrastructure requirements, many successful ventures around the world have demonstrated the potential for this form of tourism. Examples of agri-tourism destinations like Promised Land Dairy Farm in New Zealand, D’Aunoy Plantation in Louisiana, and the Penang Tropical Fruit Farm in Malaysia have found success by creating immersive experiences that showcase unique aspects of their agricultural practices and local culture.

If you’re considering starting your own agri-tourism business, it’s crucial to identify your niche, develop a solid business plan, comply with legal requirements, and focus on enhancing the visitor experience. By effectively marketing your venture, building partnerships, investing in infrastructure, and continually evolving based on visitor feedback, you can create a successful and sustainable agri-tourism business.

Agri-tourism not only provides an opportunity for travelers to explore and appreciate the agricultural world but also plays a significant role in supporting local farmers, promoting sustainable practices, and contributing to the economic growth of rural communities. By engaging in agri-tourism, travelers become ambassadors for responsible tourism and help preserve the agricultural heritage for future generations.

So, whether you’re looking to pick your own fruits, sample local wines, or experience the daily life of a farmer, agri-tourism invites you to embark on a journey that connects you with the land, fosters cultural exchange, and provides enriching experiences that will stay with you long after the trip is over. Embrace the world of agri-tourism, and get ready to discover the beauty, flavors, and stories of the rural landscapes that sustain us all.

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What is Agritourism? 15 Reasons to Love Agritourism

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Last updated on June 29th, 2023 at 02:44 pm

H ave you heard of agritourism, otherwise known as agricultural tourism, agro-tourism, or farm tourism? Whether you are familiar with the term or just hearing about it for the first time, you might be curious to learn more about agritourism. Agritourism can help align your travels with sustainable tourism principles while simultaneously revitalizing rural economies and deepening your cultural connections while traveling.

Likely, you’ve already participated in agritourism, but you might have no known what agritourism was at the time. Agritourism includes tourism activities on rural agricultural lands, such as U-Pick farms, corn mazes, camping among vineyards, or staying in a bed-and-breakfast farmhouse with a local host. While not an entirely new concept, agritourism plays an increasingly important role in diversifying and revitalizing rural economies, connecting people with rural culture and traditions, and fostering sustainable tourism. 

In this comprehensive guide to agritourism, I’ll answer “what is agritourism?” by exploring different types of agritourism in practice, reviewing tips for sustainable agritourism, exploring some of its benefits with 15 reasons to try agritourism, and diving into how to plan your next adventure! Also, be prepared for lots of photos of wine and vineyards – I don’t know why, but I seem drawn to wine agritourism the most. I mean, who doesn’t want to drink amazing wine you can’t find on any shelf, while stuffing your face with local cuisine, connecting with locals, and looking at these stunning views??

Make sure you read the following articles, which provide more context into some of the terms described in this post:

• Learn about sustainable tourism’s three pillars 
• Unpack economic leakage in tourism

WHAT WE’RE COVERING

What is Agritourism?

Importance of Agritourism

Sustainable Agritourism

Examples in Practice

15 Reasons to Love Agritourism!

Discuss and Share

• Agritourism is tourism activities that happen on a rural farm, orchard, vineyard, or another agricultural venue.
• They include things like farm stays, wine tastings, honey sampling, or berry picking farms.
• When conducted properly agritourism is a great sustainable travel option.
• It can create economic diversification for farms, foster cultural connections, and help connect people with agriculture and the natural environment.

What is Agritoruism?

Agritourism happens worldwide – from the rolling grapevine-filled hills of Tuscany to the cheese producers of Franche-Comté, the corn fields of the midwest United States, The Australian Bushlands, the rice fields of Bali, the coffee farms of Karnataka, and township farms in South Africa. 

Each of these regions likely has its definition of agricultural tourism, but there are common elements that can help us understand agritourism. Essentially, agritourism is the intersection of tourism and agriculture. Rural landowners invite visitors to engage in activities, such as camping, wine tastings, or berry picking on their farms, ranches, orchards, vineyards, etc., to generate extra revenue and diversify in a changing climate.

Agritourism can be part of local tourism, which would involve a day trip out to a nearby pumpkin patch. Or, it can be an aspect of international tourism, like traveling to another country to visit their vineyards. Both options greatly impact smaller communities and positively create cultural connections.

To be sustainable, agritourism should involve education and be conducted mindfully to connect visitors with food production and rural culture and incentivizes sustainable farming practices. 

Rural tourism and agritourism go hand-in-hand as many people who visit agricultural areas will pass through or stay in nearby rural nature or towns. Some experts identify the main components of agritourism that contribute to the three pillars of sustainability as:

• Participating in traditional agricultural activities without damaging the surrounding natural environment (Environmental).
• Paying to engage in activities such as berry or fruit picking, ranch experiences, sampling honey, wine tastings, supporting roadside produce vendors, or attending festivals and events like Halloween at a pumpkin patch (Economic).
• Extending your visit to stay overnight in a farmhouse, bed and breakfast, or camping on unused land (Social and Economic).
• Interacting with the landowners or agricultural laborers in exchange for a cultural and educational experience that connects non-farmers to food sources (Social). 

Agritourism has been common in Europe for decades. Those on pilgrimages and early tourists stopped at rural monasteries and farms to enjoy in-house beers and delicacies. The trend is increasing in North America and Europe, with an increasing interest in pumpkin patches and cultural heritage tourism.

Why is Agritourism Important?

Agricultural communities and workers are under pressure in a changing landscape. In the era of globalization and urbanization , agricultural communities grapple with decreasing populations, low profitability, distrust in food production, and over-reliance on diminishing government funds. 

Many agricultural businesses and owners are responding by expanding into new markets to survive these challenges and changes. With tourism proving itself as a global economic powerhouse , the merger between tourism and agriculture seems like a practical path forward to diffuse mass tourism and support agriculture businesses. Smaller, high-cost producers can use tourism to help stabilize their revenue while connecting urban residents with rural life with environmental and food-related education. Beyond the economic importance, agritourism plays a role in cultural preservation by providing value to traditional lifestyles and customs.

Sustainability and Agritourism

Agritourism is considered a form of alternative tourism or a tourism activity that falls in the same realm as sustainable tourism. However, that doesn’t make agritourism sustainable by default. You, as the traveler, can take steps to ensure your next agritourism adventure checks boxes for all three pillars of sustainable tourism.

Environmental

Support eco-farming practices.

Do your research before you visit a farm, vineyard, orchard, or other agricultural business, and check if they follow an eco-friendly farming ethos. As someone who regularly visits vineyards, I will often review their website and look at their growing practices. I look for keywords like bio, organic, sustainability, and eco-friendly farming. 

I support farms and agricultural businesses that consider the environment by avoiding chemical pesticides, engaging in regenerative community-based practices, and growing food that aligns with the local ecology and seasonal climate. 

If you are a meat eater, look for places that are mindful of how they treat the animals considering their living conditions, welfare, and diet. 

An example of what I would consider a farm that goes above and beyond in its environmental consideration is Lowe Family Wine Co. in Mudgee, Australia. Take the time to read Lowe’s farming practices and environmental commitmen t to understand best practices for agritourism. 

Be respectful of the environment

You know the drill, respect the people and places you visit. Make sure you don’t leave behind waste or rubbish; bring your reusable water bottle and all that jazz.

Don’t pick, collect, trample, or harvest outside designated areas. 

Keep a safe distance from animals and do not feed them unless you are in a place where interacting with them is monitored with food provided by the farm.

Another idea is to see if you can take public transportation to the farm. Catching the bus or finding a train connection is a great way to reduce your impact on the natural environment. If you’re on a road trip like Ganesh and I often are, can you keep the car parked once you arrive at the farm? We always bring or rent bikes and prefer to explore the surrounding region by bike – we explored all of Bordeaux by bike – it was a great way to reduce our impact!

 Explore nearby nature

Rural farms are often located nearby or inside stunning natural landscapes that are well worth exploring. For example, you might enjoy a scenic hike through the German alps to indulge in bergkäse – the delicious mountain cheese made on Bavarian alpine farms.

Immersing yourself in local nature gives you insight into the cultural importance behind the agricultural delights. Take an extra day to go for a hike, view the birds, go for a bike ride, or sit on a bench and enjoy the scenic views around you. 

Declare yourself!

Most international airports will ask you to declare if you’ve been to a farm, interacted with livestock, or engaged in other agricultural activities. It is crucial to be honest on these forms and declare yourself if needed. 

I spent some time participating in agritourism in rural Brazil, and as I re-entered the U.S., I had to declare myself. It wasn’t scary; I just had to go through a special cleaning with my hiking boots. Invasive species can spread through seeds that stick to your boots, and livestock on farms can carry certain diseases that can transmit to humans. Declaring yourself can help prevent the spreading of diseases, pests, and invasive species commonly located on farms and in livestock. I think we all know by now we do not want another pandemic on our hands…

Take the time to learn

Even if you are stopping by the local orchard to pick some apples, take a minute to learn something! It could be as simple as what types of apples are grown in the area and if they are at risk from climate change or pests. What is unique about the geology and climate that makes apples in this region so great? Why is apple farming so crucial to the economic vitality of the region? What is the cultural significance of apples in the area? To find out all this information, look for information pamphlets or ask the local staff to help educate you! 

Engage with the owners/workers

On that same note, take the time to connect with the owners and workers on the farm. When we camped on a vineyard in Italy, we made sure to chat (with lots of gesturing) with our lovely host as she made authentic home-cooked pasta. We learned a lot about the cultural significance of agriculture in Tuscany. Another time as we were in rural France camping at (you guessed it, a vineyard), we chatted with the owners, discussing the impact of climate change on wine production in Bordeaux. Before you leave, don’t forget to thank and appreciate your hosts for inviting you to share their livelihood and craftsmanship with you. 

Reduce Tourism Leakage

When visiting a local farm, it is pretty easy to reduce your tourism leakage. But, as a general rule of thumb, seek out more minor local agricultural producers to stop the leak. Read my guide on tourism leakage for an in-depth dive into this concept. 

Buy low-impact gifts

Taking a souvenir home from your agricultural farm visit is a great idea! To ensure it is a sustainable gift , stick to consumable items that highlight the region’s craft – locally sourced organic olive oil, a bottle of wine, organic jam, or even just a basket of strawberries in a paper carton all great ideas. 

If you can, avoid plastics, cheaply made trinkets like stuffed animals, or plastic Christmas decorations. What you take home should value the local artisans of the region. I love bringing home artisanal delicacies because I can invite my friends over and share all the amazing things I learned during my agricultural stay over a good meal.

Stay a while

Day trips are great, but can you stay overnight? Spending a night or two on location significantly boosts the economic contribution of your stay and the educational aspect. You will have the opportunity to dine on local cuisine and appreciate the surrounding nature. How much time should you stay? Staying at least one night has a huge positive impact. Some places may ask you only stay for 1-2 nights to ensure more people have the opportunity to visit and purchase goods. Other places will be delighted for you to stay for a whole week. Trust your gut and stay as long as possible to feel like you’re walking away having made an impact.   

Agritourism is popular in the Mekong Delta , but research shows that most people stay only for a short time, thus not spending much money resulting in low sales, little economic benefit, and a decline in the cultural authenticity of tourism activities. 

Go as rural as possible

According to the USDA , large establishments near urban areas record higher numbers of agritourism revenue than smaller rural farms. To maximize your benefits, seek out small, local, and family-owned options away from the city.

Agritourism in Practice

Agritourism occurs in rural areas worldwide, with many diverse activities. Some of the most well-known are pumpkin patches and corn mazes around the United States. However, many examples of agritourism foster a slow travel mentality, where you can stay on a farm for a few nights and truly immerse yourself in agricultural practices.

One of my favorite experiences was camping at a vineyard in Tuscany. Ganesh and reserved a spot for our campervan among the vines and lavender bushes of the rolling hills of Tuscany. Every evening we would join the other guests and sit on the large terrace of our host’s home to enjoy a home-cooked meal and the sunset of the grapevines. The owners would make us authentic handmade pasta and pair it with a selection of their delicious wines. We stayed for several nights, ensuring we had the opportunity to learn about Italian wine production, sustainability, and cuisine (social and environmental). We also spent lots of money on wine and olive oil (economic).  

France Passion is another example of excellent agritourism in action. Ganesh and I used the France Passion network during our campervan trip in 2021. We would stay on farms in places like Bordeaux and stock up on wine after an educational wine tasting (economic and environmental). During the day, we would ride our bikes and visit important cultural sites in smaller towns (economic and social). The France Passion network allowed campers and road-trippers a safe and comfortable place to sleep at night while boosting the economy of smaller communities.

15 Reasons to Love Agritourism

If you’re not convinced that agritourism is right for you, then I am sure these 15 reasons will make you fall in love with agricultural tourism.

1. Boost Agricutlrual Revenue

In an era of increasing urbanization, or people moving away from rural areas into urban zones, many rural communities struggle with a declining economy and population. Many of the younger generations will leave town in search of high-paying jobs. However, the rise in agritourism can provide an economic boost to both farms and the surrounding community by luring people in with higher-paying jobs.

In the United States, revenue from agritourism ventures was $950 million in 2017, providing some farms more than 5% of their total revenue . This number is much higher in developing economies or for small producers. Many small producers in the Mudgee wine region discussed how tourism transformed their business. Previously they would only sell grapes to larger wineries, but with increased tourism, they could sell their own bottled wine directly to consumers increasing and diversifying their income streams. 

When I was in India, we visited the coffee farms in Karnataka. As these farms opened their doors for coffee tastings and tours, we took advantage of sampling some fresh-roasted Indian coffee. This was an excellent way for these plantations to boost revenue.

2. Support Economic Diversification

As farms and agricultural ventures incorporate tourism into their business plans, they require more skilled workers in various jobs. For example, if a farm begins to host events like hay rides or olive oil tastings, it may hire an event planner or a marketing expert. These jobs often appeal to former residents of the small town that may have left to obtain degrees and higher-paying jobs in urban areas. 

When I was in the Okanagan Valley in Canada, we went to a family-owned vineyard that had diversified, opening a restaurant and gift shop. They also offered wine-tasting courses, hosted weddings, and offered walking tours through the vines. They mentioned several family members had returned to work in the family business as they were interested in marketing, management, customer service, or event planning.

3. Revitalize Rural Communities

Agritourism can breathe new life into nearby small towns. As more tourists visit farms and rural areas, they also require services such as cafes, restaurants, shops, and other attractions. Many rural communities near farms see an uptick in art galleries, local boutiques, bed and breakfasts, and food and beverage venues. 

Before we started a wine tasting on a small family-owned vineyard in Mudgee, we wanted some coffee. The winery’s owner sent us to the closest town to a small cafe. As we walked to the cafe, we noticed this formerly dying down was coming to life with new boutiques, shops, and coffee shops. 

4. Value Tradition and Culture

The increased number of tourists can incentivize a revitalization of traditional handicrafts, art, and skills. We partook in Italy’s slow food cultural tradition while staying at a winery in Tuscany. Slow food is the concept of savoring traditional authentic, and local cuisine. Fast food chains, commercial restaurants, and busy urban lives can all contribute to the decline of traditional food culture. By staying in the vineyard and eating dinner on location every night, we provided value to the slow food tradition in Italy. 

5. Support Diverse People in Business

Agritourism employment supports a diverse group of people. Traditionally, in some cultures, agriculture and labor might be male-dominated industries. The tourism aspect of agriculture can create jobs for women and the younger generation. Again, when we were in Italy, our host told us her husband worked all day in the vineyard while she used to manage the household. Since they opened up for agritourism, she was proud to bring additional value and revenue to her family by cooking, selling wine, and managing the campsites for tourism. 

Another one of my favorite examples is the Indigenous World Winery in West Kelowna, Canada. This is a 100% Indigenous-owned and operated winery and distillery. When we did a wine tasting on site, our host was a young First Nations woman. She paired our tastings with traditional stories from her culture and shared information about traditional land management and climate change. Our experience was a perfect example of creating a cultural connection, learning about the natural environment, and economically supporting diverse businesses.

6. Support Year-Round Employment

Agricultural work is often seasonal, so locals might leave to seek full-time employment elsewhere. By incorporating tourism activities, farms and agricultural businesses can provide more stable year-round jobs to community members.

7. Connect With the Origins of Your Food

Many people, especially those growing up near urban areas in developing economies, have a fundamental disconnect from their food. Even I, who grew up fishing and eating game meat, didn’t know much about the source of grocery store food.

When I moved to Bavaria, I learned that southern Germans have a unique connection to their food. When hiking, you stop and visit the working mountain farms for fresh cheese and local beer, and those opportunities allowed me to understand more about cheese and traditional lifestyles. 

Visiting farms, orchards, and vineyards is a great way to create a connection with your food. Doing this allows you to appreciate the sacrifice of both humans and animals in food production. I think it has made me a more grateful and empathetic person. 

8. Engage in Cultural Exchange

When traveling to large cities, you only see one side of a culture. Cultural norms can vary across urban and rural areas. To fully understand the places you visit you should see the city and the countryside. A great way to learn about a country’s rural and traditional cultures or even your home state is to get to know people working in rural agriculture. 

After living in Munich for seven years, I can tell you the people living in the city are very different from those living in small towns working on farms. I always loved taking the time to visit small agricultural festivals like the Almabtrieb . Doing so helped me learn about traditional Bavarian mountain life and gain a deeper understanding of Bavarian culture. 

9. Get Some Fresh Air

Agritourism activities are often outdoors and are a great way to get some fresh air in a low-intensity environment. If extreme hiking and biking aren’t your things, then perhaps getting outside to go strawberry picking is more your style. Getting away from the city to enjoy the fresh air will benefit your health and the rural areas you visit! The air quality is often much better in rural areas, and it is common practice to “get away” from urban centers to improve your health in many European countries. A visit to a rural area is often covered by German health care!

10. Create Lasting Memories

Agritourism activities, such as visitor experiences like petting zoos or corn mazes, are intangible but great for making memories. These are fun ways to enjoy wholesome fun with your family or friends. These experiences also make great zero-waste gift ideas. Next birthday, Halloween, Valentine’s Day, or Christmas, check what fun activities are happening at a nearby farm or orchard. Get a group of friends, round up the kids, or spend time alone with your partner for a fun day out of the city.

11. Stock up on Fresh, Local Products

My favorite way to get food is direct from the farm. When I am on a road trip driving through a rural area, I often stop and visit fruit stands. Driving across Albania, all my road trip snacks came from fruit stands or farm kiosks. During our family road trip through B.C. Canada, we had an endless supply of local cherries. The food is much healthier than chips and injects money directly into the farm. 

You might also visit a place that sells seeds for your garden. When I visited the Irish Seed Savers in Ireland, they were selling heirloom seeds of local plants that helped boost biodiversity and worked great in local gardens.

Another incentive is wine direct from the producer is much more affordable. Ganesh bought wine by the case load while road-tripping through rural Europe. Many vineyards we visited only sold directly to consumers on their property, making them 100% reliant on tourism.      

12. Learn New Recipes

When visiting the world’s largest pumpkin festival, dozens of recipes are circulating, ripe for picking. I stocked on pumpkin seasoning, which included a great recipe for roasted and stuffed pumpkin. This recipe is now a staple in my autumn cooking. Every time I made it, I remember all the great times I had exploring the pumpkin festival and my time living in Germany. 

13. Enjoy Slow Travel

I highly recommend trying out slow travel through rural areas. I love checking into a lovely local bed and breakfast and getting recommendations from the host about what to do and see. Ganesh and I spent some time in Napa just relaxing at the bed and breakfast in the heart of wine country. We planned on days based on local recommendations and made sure to stop and visit the small wineries and local favorites.  

14. Party At a Festival

If you prefer crowds and a more upbeat style of travel, plan your adventure around a festival. When visiting Mudgee, our family group booked a farmhouse for a week to coincide with the Mudgee wine festival. This allowed us to stay for a few days, maximizing our economic benefit while enjoying a fabulous wine festival, which was perfect for those at our party who wanted a lively experience. 

Most agricultural venues will have annual events or festivals. Look for regional wine festivals, harvest festivals, spring blossom events, and more!  

15. Stay in Amazing Accommodation

We booked a renovated farmhouse during our family trip to Mudgee in Australia. The rustic and cozy farmhouse had a great kitchen, so we could cook meals together using local produce we bought directly from the farm. Of course, plenty of Mudgee wine was circulating as we sat around the fire pit, star gazing and listening to the wild animals’ chatter in the distance. When we didn’t feel like cooking, we could walk over to the on-site restaurant so we could pair wine grown right outside our farmhouse with vegetarian-tasting plates. There were a handful of glamping pods on site for those traveling in smaller groups.

During our Swiss campervan road trip , we found affordable parking on a quaint Swiss farm with chickens, sheep, and bouncing baby goats. For those not traveling with a bed on wheels, cozy tree houses high up in the tree tops with sweeping views of the villages below.

Whether you book a large farmhouse, glamping pod, treehouse, campervan parking spot, or bed and breakfast, the accommodations found on farms are some of the best. They often abide by an eco ethos, are family-owned, and allow you to fully immerse yourself in a slow, rural life.

Agritourism is for Everyone!

My favorite thing about agritourism is that there is something for literally everyone. Family groups might enjoy a day out picking berries or going to a petting zoo. Groups of friends might enjoy wine-tasting events or attending a wedding on a farm. Couples might enjoy checking into a bed and breakfast for a long anniversary weekend. Sustainable travel advocates will enjoy staying a while in a rural area and enjoying slow travel and slow food. Solo travelers might like festivals to meet other travelers. 

Those passionate about local travel can support their local rural economies while enjoying easy-to-plan weekend trips. Those who love to seek far off destinations can

No matter your reasons for enjoying agritourism, supporting tourism in rural agricultural areas will benefit you, the farm, and the surrounding community in numerous ways. 

How to plan and book your next agritourism adventure

You might be wondering about the best way to plan an agritourism adventure. My top tip is to start local! Review tourism board websites in small towns near you and look for festivals, events, and activities. 

I suggest spending several days researching small towns and their tourism boards near the urban hub you are flying into for the international traveler. I always start by looking up what the local delicacy or regional cuisine might be. For example, Valencia, Spain, is known for sweet orange trees – if you are visiting Valencia, take some time to visit rural orchards and see if you can find a nice bed and breakfast that will serve you fresh orange juice every day!

Hopefully, these 15 reasons to try agritourism helped you fall in love with the idea. If you’re already a fan of agritourism, diving deep into planning a sustainable adventure will help you maximize your positive impact on your next. Agritourism is a wonderful way to incorporate variety during travel and see a different side of your destination outside the urban zones. Planning a sustainable agritourism adventure in your home state or the next country means your money will have a bigger impact on boosting rural economies, and you’ll gain a deeper understanding of culture, all while having a great time.

• Have you had an agritourism adventure? Tell me all about it in the comments! Think about how you had a positive economic, social, and environmental impact.
• Which of these 15 reasons to love agritourism sparked your interest in trying agritourism?

About the Author: Susanna Kelly-Shankar

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Wow! I had heard the term thrown around a lot, but I didn’t really fully understand what “agrotourism” meant. Thank you for the very helpful article. Here in the States, my husband and I have a membership to Harvest Hosts which connects campers to farms, vineyards, and other cool places. Your link to the ecotourism leakage further helped me understand how important it is to put money into the direct local economy. Thanks!

Harvest Hosts sounds awesome! We used something similar in France called France Passion that connected campers with farms. It is such a lovely concept of Agritourism!

I am totally with you on this! Some of my favorite experiences have been agritourism related (not that I really think of it as agritourism… I just like heading out to the countryside or to vineyards!)

If you ever find yourself in Cambridgeshire where I grew up, I have a feeling you’d like the strawberry picking as well as the quaint English village festivals.

p.s. Did you try the liquors at indigenous? We ended by buying their gin and whiskey – we liked it even more than their wines!

Cambridgeshire sounds lovely – I’ll add it to my list. And yes, we did try the spirits. We didn’t buy any but we went home with an awesome smoky merlot and a few bottles of their Syrah.

This is my favourite way to travel! I love to stay on farms and in guest houses in nature. Especially when there are animals around! Thanks for highlighting all the information here. Very informative!

It is a double bonus if animals are around! They place we stayed in Switzerland had many chickens and baby goats running around. It was awesome.

Love this piece of writing. I think as we travel we have an opportunity to influence the health of the planet and ourselves by choosing to support sustainable and kind land based production, I hope to visit some of the places you have mentioned in your article.

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One way to support agricultural economic development efforts in rural areas is to promote the diversification of farm-related activities. This typically takes the form of permitting the pursuit of value-added, agriculturally related, accessory commercial uses on working farms. The terms agricultural tourism or agritourism are commonly used to describe any activity incidental to the operation of a farm that brings members of the public to the farm for educational, recreational, or retail purposes.

Because many local zoning codes prohibit all undefined uses and activities, it is important for communities to specifically address agritourism uses in their plans and ordinances — both to allow farmers to integrate such uses into their operations and to control the potential negative impacts to rural character and agricultural practices that may result.

From this page you can search for resources that provide background, policy guidance, and examples of local plan recommendations and zoning standards for agritourism from across the country. And you can filter these search results by various geographic and demographic characteristics.

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About Agritourism

Many challenges to traditional farming economies, including development pressures, rising costs, and falling prices, have forced farmers to explore a wide range of options to maintain financial viability. One of these options is diversifying into agricultural tourism activities, including the direct marketing of farm products. Other agritourism activities are those that involve visiting a working farm for enjoyment of, education about, or involvement in farming activities.

Direct marketing of farm products to consumers allows farmers to gain the full value of their products and can be accomplished through on-site produce stands as well as value-added agricultural product processing and retail facilities. Educational or recreational agritourism uses can include farm tours, farm classes, farm stays, corn mazes, harvest festivals, and other similar events. Use of farms for special private events, such as weddings, receptions, or private parties, may also be considered as an agritourism use.

Planning and Zoning for Agritourism

For communities that wish to support and promote their local agricultural sectors through agritourism, a good place to start is to incorporate goals, objectives, policies, or action items within the comprehensive plan identifying agritourism as an important approach to strengthening the farming sector. This is typically addressed in an agriculture element, though it can be reinforced within the economic development element. Agritourism strategies can also be incorporated into functional plans, such as farmland protection plans or agricultural economic development plans.

Counties and municipalities may adopt zoning regulations that encourage agritourism and its accompanying economic benefits by allowing for these activities without imposing undue burdens or costs on farmers. Typically, this is done is by defining agritourism uses within the code and permitting them as accessory uses to primary agricultural uses within the zoning ordinance. Some communities add the general term “agritourism” to use lists, with more specific definitions and standards listed in a supplemental standards section. Alternatively, ordinances can list out different specific agritourism enterprises as either by-right primary uses, permitted accessory uses, or special or conditional uses to retain more control over such development.

Most agritourism ordinances limit such enterprises to “authentic” accessory uses that support and promote working farms to avoid the commercial development of tourist or recreational facilities incompatible with rural character that may eventually undermine the viability of agricultural operations. Specific development standards seek to mitigate undue impacts on rural agricultural districts and working farmland. Such standards may address minimum parcel sizes and maximum facility sizes, setbacks, parking, signage, noise, nuisances, and hours of operation.

Special events, such as festivals, weddings, concerts, or art shows, are often specifically addressed, as they have the potential for greater negative impacts on rural character and working farm operations. Ordinances may allow a certain number of special events of a limited size by right, but require special use or special event permits for larger or more frequent events. Provisions may include performance or operational standards addressing minimum parcel size, amplified sound, outdoor lighting, and the maximum number of guests allowed at events.

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Today’s front page, Wednesday, March 26, 2024

The rising industry of Farm Tourism in the Philippines

• BusinessMirror
• August 30, 2022
• 4 minute read

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What is farm tourism, the benefits of farm tourism, farm tourism in the philippines, answering why farm tourism is important: agriculture and tourism.

Agriculture and tourism play a huge role for our country, which is why farm tourism in the Philippines has begun booming. Dubbed as the country’s sunrise industry, farm tourism is a logical and refreshing new addition to the list of projects that generate additional income for Filipino farmers. It has also perfectly catered to the rising interest of many people to partake in the production of healthy food with their families.

By combining agriculture and tourism, the food farming industry has slowly opened more inclusive and sustainable opportunities for not only farmers, but institutions nationwide. Today, as food farm tourism continues to become a growing sub-sector of tourism, legislators and experts alike have turned their heads to develop the industry. Still, not everyone is familiar with farm tourism and its benefits.

In this article, we talk about farm tourism in the Philippines–from its importance to the many activities you can try when visiting these tourist farms.

Farm tourism is the business of attracting visitors to farm areas generally for educational and recreational purposes while encouraging economic activities that can provide both the farm and community additional income. The most famous example of farm tourism in the Philippines is perhaps the La Trinidad Strawberry Farm in Benguet. However, as a rising industry, more and more farms have started opening their gates to tourists.

There are many farm tourism activities that can be experienced when visiting rural farms. Children and adults alike can feed animals, collect eggs, do nature-based arts and crafts, try horseback riding, hike, eat meals with freshly cut vegetables, pick fruits and harvest vegetables, try new varieties of fruit juice or wine, create community-based products, or even stay overnight in the area. The activities vary, depending on the farm that is visited.

These quaint farms offer a charming change of pace from the hustle and bustle of urban living. Make no mistake–these farms are absolutely gorgeous still! Some can even be used as an intimate wedding venue for the introverted couple.

Sen. Cynthia A. Villar, chairman of the Senate Committee on Agriculture and Food, views farm tourism as one of the Philippines’ sunshine industries that can be pursued because of the agricultural nature of our economy.

She noted that farmers and fishermen need to diversify and supplement their agricultural incomes, and farm tourism is one creative way to achieve this goal. As a show of her support and enthusiasm for such projects, Villar continues to work on vital legislation and amendments to existing laws to complement this growing subsector of the tourism industry. She has even launched a farm tourism book to provide more information about the industry. It would seem that farmers somehow share this view as many farmers-turned-farm tourism operators reported that they were earning from this newfound activity more than from their usual harvest during a Senate hearing.

International School of Sustainable Tourism (ISST) President and Project Director Dr. Mina Gabor also supports the industry, stating that farm tourism camps focus on low-impact travel and empower local communities socially and economically.

“Farm tourism attracts visitors and travelers to farm areas, generally for educational and recreational purposes that encourage economic activity to provide farm and community income,” she said of the benefits of farm tourism.

Aside from the economic impact of farm sites, farm tourism sites also help promote tourism and products of the area, especially those produced and manufactured by the rural industries. This is a common practice worldwide. In fact, some of the famous tourist spots in Europe and the US are farms.

In Costa Rica, a famous coffee plantation has eventually put up one of the world’s best ecolodges where you can stay and wake up the morning after to visit the plantation and try your hand in picking coffee berries. It also has a wonderful restaurant that serves its famous varieties of coffee, sells soaps made from coffee, and other farm products.

In Italy you can rent a cottage situated in the middle of the farm. If you want to cook your own meal, it can provide the ingredients, like fruits and vegetables, that you can pick just outside your doorstep.

A common factor among these farms, no matter where they are located, is that many jobs and revenues generated for the community are sourced from this activity.

Farm tourism has spread nationwide and is slowly becoming a steady source of income and development. It is no longer confined to the usual tourist spots, but even in rural areas. Of course, farm tourism in Nueva Ecija and other agricultural regions are flourishing.

There are around 100 or more accredited and nonaccredited farm-tourism sites in the country, ranging from micro, small, medium and large sizes. Some of the most successful tourist farms, also called farm camps, in the country include: Sunflower Farms in Ligao City, Albay province; Rapha Valley in Don Salvador Benedicto town, Negros Occidental province; Dragon Fruit Farm in Burgos municipality, Ilocos Norte province; Dasoland in Dasol town, Pangasinan province; and the Disneyworld of Farming Systems of the Mindanao Baptist Rural Life Center Foundation Inc. in Bansalan municipality, Davao del Sur province. To date, there are still some developers and small businesses owners who are converting their old farms into farm camps as well.

Aside from Sen. Villar’s initiatives, President Aquino also signed Republic Act 10816, or the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016. Under the new law, a Farm Tourism Development Board shall be established to formulate plans and programs for the development and promotion of farm tourism in the country and shall set the overall direction for the implementation of the Farm Tourism Strategic Action Plan. At present, the current administration has expressed a desire to focus on both agriculture and tourism.

It’s no secret that rural economic conditions aren’t the best. Farmers and fishermen, more importantly, have very small earnings. Tourist farms and farm camps provide a creative way for Filipino farmers, fishermen, and agricultural workers to earn more without upending their daily routine and jobs.

The rising industry is still that–rising. However, with a little push and more education, farm tourism can be the answer to economic and cultural development in rural sectors. Time and effort will only tell the end results.

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The future of farm tourism in the Philippines: challenges, strategies and insights

Journal of Tourism Futures

ISSN : 2055-5911

Article publication date: 12 March 2021

This study aims to draw observations on the current status and potentials of the Philippines as a farm tourism destination and identify the underlying factors that inhibit farm tourism development. It intends to gauge the challenges that Filipino farmers face in diversifying farms and operating farm sites and uses these challenges in crafting strategies and policies for relevant stakeholders. It also provides Philippine farm tourism literature to address the limitations of references in the topic.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts an exploratory type of inquiry method and secondary data collection from various sources, such as published journal articles, news articles and reports, to gain insights and relevant information on farm tourism. The study also uses a threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths analysis approach to develop competitive farm tourism strategies.

The Philippines, with vast agricultural land, has the necessary base for farm tourism, and the enactment of the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016 bridges this potential. With low agricultural outputs, the country draws relevance for farm tourism as a farm diversification strategy to supplement income in rural communities. While having these potentials, crucial initiatives in physical characteristics, product development, education and training, management and entrepreneurship, marketing and customer relations and government support must be implemented. Farmers' lack of skills, training and capital investment potential to convert their farms into farm tourism sites serves as the major drawback. Thus, developing entrepreneurial and hospitality skills is crucial.

Originality/value

This work presents a historical narrative of initiatives and measures of the Philippine farm tourism sector. It also provides a holistic discussion and in-depth analysis of the current state, potentials, strategies and forward insights for farm tourism development.

• Farm tourism
• Agri-tourism
• TOWS analysis

Yamagishi, K. , Gantalao, C. and Ocampo, L. (2021), "The future of farm tourism in the Philippines: challenges, strategies and insights", Journal of Tourism Futures , Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JTF-06-2020-0101

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2020, Kafferine Yamagishi, Cecil Gantalao and Lanndon Ocampo.

Published in Journal of Tourism Futures . Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) license. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this license may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

The Philippines has one of the fastest growing economies in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) region, with an average growth rate of 6.3% (i.e. 2010–2016 coverage) and a 6.7% growth rate in 2017, as reported in the ASEAN Economic Integration Brief (2019) . As an agricultural country, 47% of its land area is intended for agriculture OECD (2017) with a recent reported sectoral growth of 2.87% in the third quarter of 2019 comprising primarily of crops and livestock, poultry and fisheries ( PSA, 2019 ) . As of January of 2018, about 10.9 million Filipinos were employed in the sector, which accounts for 26% of the national employment of the same month. This growth is insignificantly higher than its 25.5% share in January 2017. Unlike in the USA and Israel, where farmers are considered as middle-class citizens due to their high productivity ( Tarriela, 2016 ), which is ten times higher than the productivity of the country at 2.8%, Filipino farmers are still classified poor; thus, the need to provide them with a supplementary source of income. The country's agricultural sector has been underperforming since 1961. Globalization, industrialization and development encroachment are threatening small farms, as it is evident that farmers are forced to sell their lands and work due to industrialization ( Ghatak and Mookherjee, 2014 ). On this note, there is a need for Filipino farmers for the provision of the latest trends and technological advances in the field of farming to be on par with other ASEAN countries. .

In the Philippines, almost half of the population resides in rural areas that depend on agriculture as their primary source of income; among them are the indigenous people, landless farmers and fishermen ( Briones et al. , 2017 ). As an archipelagic country, it has diverse natural resources, rich cultural heritage, abundant agricultural produce and ideal sceneries. The country could access these resources in agriculture and address relevant issues vis-à-vis both the agriculture and tourism sectors. These components constitute an emerging type of tourism in the country, farm tourism – a sub-sector of rural tourism which focuses on providing an experience that endorses the very concept of farming and farm living ( Roberts and Hall, 2001 ). Rural tourism is defined as “a form of tourism that takes place in rural areas and involves the exploitation of natural and anthropogenic tourist resources of the rural area, and the conduct of social and economic activities that generate benefits for local communities” ( Dorobantu and Nistoreanu, 2012 ). It has recently been considered a viable approach to promote the countryside potentially and get the community involved ( Amir et al. , 2015 ). It is especially valuable in areas where traditional agricultural activities are decreasing ( Hoggart and Buller, 1995 ; Cavaco, 1995 ). The tourism and natural resource management literature are starting to take an interest in farm tourism because of its capability to provide potential benefits to local development ( Iorio and Corsale, 2010 ; Mastronardi et al. , 2015 ; Karampela and Kizos, 2018 ), especially with the alarming decline of the agriculture industry ( Kuo and Chiu, 2006 ). Ollenburg and Buckley (2007) pointed out that farm tourism enterprises are formed by the resulting combination of the commercial constraints of regional tourism, the non-financial attributes of family businesses and the inheritance nuances of family farms. Farm tourism paves the way to inclusive and sustainable agricultural and rural development as it opens possibilities for diversification of income for small-scale farmers while promoting sustainable agricultural systems and community involvement and participation (SEARCA, 2017).

The Philippines has enacted a national legislative measure, the Republic Act 10816 (R.A. 10816), popularly known as the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, which provides an overarching framework for developing and promoting farm tourism activities in the country. It defines farm tourism as “the practice of attracting visitors and tourists to farm areas for production, educational and recreational purposes”. It includes any agricultural or fishery-based activity for farm visitors, tourists, farmers and fisher folks who want to be educated and trained on farming and its related activities. Also, it provides a venue for outdoor recreation and accessibility to family trips. The country has set standards for the farm tourism industry and formalizes the industry players to boost sectoral growth through the promulgation of R.A. 10816 further. As farm tourism develops under the branch of nature-based tourism, it focuses on low-impact, nature-based and community-based activities involving the locals in ways culturally, socially and economically cultivating. In the Philippines, farm tourism accounts for 20%–30% of the overall tourism market ( Padin, 2016 ).

With the Department of Tourism (DOT) data, the country's tourism policy and implementation arm, more than 170 farm sites were accredited ( Talavera, 2019 ) and are mostly concentrated in the Luzon area, the Philippines' largest island in its northern part. Most travel agencies and tour operators in the country are not offering stand-alone farm tours but merely include one to two farm visits in their usual itinerary. As most of the tourism destination sites in the provinces are sun-sea-sand attractions, the country is less known for its agricultural sites. However, as roughly 40% of the land use is devoted to agriculture ( Talavera, 2019 ), developing and promoting these farm sites could not only generate additional revenue for the tourism sector but could also create some scale economies as crucial components and productive factors for farm tourism already exist, without altering the farm's orientation ( Veeck et al. , 2006 ). As the government is pushing for efforts to develop the farm tourism sector, more opportunities become available for local farmers to augment their income and diversify their lands. Thus, farm tourism does not only offer alternative tourist attractions in the country, but it also promotes agricultural farms and creates an outlet for farmers to sell their produce.

Despite such efforts of the Philippine Government for developing the farm tourism sector, several challenges remain roadblocks to development, and some directions seem to be counterintuitive. For instance, Montefrio and Sin (2019) noted that agritourism (i.e. farm tourism) in the Philippines is driven by a “complex elite network” of state and private entities which, along with uneven power dynamics, allows conditions favoring old and new landed elites while keeping marginalized small farmers at a distance. Addressing these challenges and attempting to offer possible strategies to overcome them require a country-level discussion that thoroughly provides an in-depth inquiry and analysis of the sector's current status and performance, along with managerial and policy insights on ways forward. Initiatives of this kind have been reported in the literature for decades. For instance, Pearce (1990) described the social aspects of farm tourism in New Zealand based on social situations analysis. Davies and Gilbert (1992) reported the development of farm tourism in Wales. From a gender perspective, Caballé (1999) brought insights from farm tourism in Spain. Potočnik-Slavič and Schmitz (2013) analyzed farm tourism development in nine European countries (UK, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Croatia, Slovenia and Ireland) and presented some major observations. Nematpour and Khodadadi (2020) examined the potential socioeconomic development of Iran with farm tourism as the driving force. However, despite such importance of conducting this report, such an initiative in the Philippines is lacking and presenting a rigorous discussion of the country's challenges and possible directions for developing the farm tourism sector becomes an imperative.

a historical narrative of Philippine farm tourism initiatives and measures;

an analysis of the potentials of the country as a farm tourism destination;

an inquiry on the underlying challenges that inhibit the country in developing numerous world-class farm sites in contrast to other sites in leading Asian countries; and

an in-depth investigation and analysis of the possible strategies, initiatives and policy insights of the relevant stakeholders (e.g. the government, farm tourism operators, among others) in addressing the challenges of farm tourism development.

Likewise, this study addresses the limitations of the collection of the relevant literature of Philippine farm tourism and intends to provide a rigorous investigation that will provide a reference work on the topic. Aside from the practical contribution of this work, analyzing the case of farm tourism of the Philippines offers an interesting set of insights to farm tourism as a domain field of study. First, farmers in the Philippines are generally classified as poor, and the agricultural output is relatively low despite having vast agricultural land. Secondly, the output of the tourism industry in the country is relatively low compared to other countries in the ASEAN region despite the presence of diverse natural resources, ideal sceneries, abundant agricultural produce and rich cultural heritage. Finally, the Philippine Government is committed to the development of farm tourism, and investments in various initiatives become evident. The nexus of these current socioeconomic and political conditions, along with various structural challenges, provides an interesting discussion on how farm tourism can be advanced in such an environment.

To address these gaps, this study used content data analysis from various literature, such as published journal articles, news articles and reports in drawing observations. This type of approach is ideal for gaining insights and in-depth information regarding the country's farm tourism. Content data analysis is a process used to describe written, verbal or graphic communications and creates a quantifiable description from qualitative data. Direct content analysis was adopted in sorting out the cases of the examined phenomenon, highlighting data, followed by labeling the highlighted information through predetermined codes. Data that were coded from the existing coding scheme would be given a new code. Direct content analysis foresees the variables of interest or the relation among variables determined through the coding scheme or relation between codes ( Mayring, 2000 ). It also uses the existing theory or prior research by identifying the critical variables in the coding categories ( Potter and Levine-Donnerstein, 1999 ). While we acknowledge the limitations of content analysis pertaining to data and information quality, the use of primary data sourcing methods (e.g. focus group discussion, interviews, surveys) may not be relevant at this point in Philippine farm tourism development as the sector is still relatively young with a limited pool of experts on the topic. The direct content analysis then generated the current status and challenges of the country's farm tourism sector. Some case illustrations in the local regions of the country were utilized to describe better the potential of farm tourism along with its corresponding challenges. This set serves as inputs to the weaknesses–opportunities (WO) analysis – a strategy design tool that is an extension to the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (SWOT) analysis. The leverage of the WO analysis lies in its capability of designing strategies that access external opportunities while reducing internal weaknesses ( Weihrich, 1982 ). Policy insights were then identified from the strategies generated by the WO analysis. The entire process of this work serves as a platform for developing an in-depth analysis of possible strategies and policy insights for farm tourism in the Philippines.

This paper is organized as follows. Section 2 discusses the background of farm tourism and its comprehensive benefits. Section 3 presents the current status and potentials of the farm tourism sector, as well as its challenges and strategies. Section 4 provides an in-depth “mini-maxi” strategies for addressing the sector's challenges. Policy insights are outlined in Section 5. It ends with a conclusion and discussion of the future work in Section 6.

2. Background of the study

2.1 farm tourism: background, issues and concerns.

With the onset of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), agriculture is considered the largest employer globally, which provides the livelihood for 40% of the current global population. Developing countries have barely 30% of the total agricultural production, while high-income economies have 98%, which suggests that enormous opportunities for developing countries like the Philippines are available in agribusiness. One of the targets of the Zero Hunger Goal of the UN SDGs is to double the agricultural productivity and income of small-scale food producers in 2030, particularly women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment. The eighth UN SDG, on the other hand, is to have a Decent Work and Economic Growth, which is targeting in the promotion of development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation and encourage the formalization and growth of micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises, including through access to financial services. The notion of farm tourism attempts to address these two important goals, as discussed in the current literature ( Iorio and Corsale, 2010 ; Mastronardi et al. , 2015 ; Karampela and Kizos, 2018 ). Like other countries, the Philippines has already made a significant step by promulgating the R.A. 10816, which provides a set of national policy guidelines on the development of farm tourism.

Tourism is a significant economic activity to the rural economies, characterized by low income from farming with defined economic opportunities ( Talbot, 2013 ). Developed economies viewed tourism as a response to employment and livelihood gaps in rural areas ( Sharpley and Vass, 2006 ). Due to the widespread impact of agriculture, in many countries, tourism is currently the focus of farm diversification ( Fisher, 2006 ; Garrod, 2011 ). Governments worldwide have recognized the need to encourage farm enterprises that provide alternative sources of income to address the threat of rural area desertion and agricultural neglect, resulting in farm diversification ( Hjalager, 1996 ). Farm-based tourism has been very successful in many parts of Europe and has increasing popularity in Canada, the USA and New Zealand ( Busby and Rendle, 2000 ). This movement is greatly attributed to the changing policy context of agriculture in developed nations ( Davies and Gilbert, 1992 ; Walford, 2001 ). These agricultural policies have experienced some fundamental changes over the past 50 years ( Sharpley and Vass, 2006 ). Agricultural policy reforms, as well as changes in social, political and economic conditions in Norway, for instance, have encouraged their farmers to diversify their farms to generate additional income ( Haugen and Vik, 2008 ).

Farm tourism is expected to encourage employment in rural communities as well as the vitality and sustainability of these areas ( Davies and Gilbert, 1992 ; Garcia-Ramon et al. , 1995 ; Sharpley and Vass, 2006 ; Forleo et al. , 2017 ) and is considered as part of the shift in their economic base ( Blekesaune et al. , 2010 ). Garcia-Ramon et al. (1995) were optimistic by noting that while farm tourism generates new job opportunities, it contains a multiplier effect that supports other local economic sectors. Additionally, farm tourism is considered a value-adding activity for farmers as it strengthens the resource base of the farm, builds upon the farm and the competency of farmers and on what the farm means in terms of mentality and lifestyle ( Brandth and Haugen, 2011 ). However, tourism on farms is small-scale and economic viability is considered not always good ( Forbord et al. , 2012 ). One of the earliest opposing viewpoints about farm tourism was presented by Maude and Van Rest (1985) , which argued that farm tourism returns are small brought about by rigorous planning regulations. Hjalager (1996) also identified the tendency of farmers to give priority to traditional agriculture as one of the drawbacks. Sharpley and Vass (2006) added that the desire of farmers for the development of farm tourism is rooted in an employment concept, rather than from a diversification motivation. These conditions have changed for the past 30 years, and governments have sorted out some of its challenges. Nevertheless, farm tourism covers a variety of services and products, and the combination of production on agricultural products and tourism can lead to an advantage of increased and efficient use of labor on a farm ( Fleischer and Tchetchik, 2005 ). Additionally, extending the notion of Mastronardi et al. (2015) , farm tourism offers the opportunity to farmers to sell their produce directly to the consumers, thus reducing transactions with commercial intermediaries, which would, in effect, dramatically increase their profit margins. In this scenario of direct interaction, farmers implement direct marketing initiatives and new product introductions with minimal market risk while consumers benefit from direct information exchange, strengthening of social relations and availability of local produce at competitive prices ( Mastronardi et al. , 2015 ). However, it is argued that farm tourism still lacks a comprehensive body of knowledge and a theoretical framework ( Oppermann, 1995 ) since only a handful of studies have conducted rigorous investigations on this area.

As diversification to farm tourism is increasingly considered as a viable development strategy in promoting a more diverse and sustainable rural economy while countering declining farm incomes, one of the major challenges identified in the domain literature is the lack of additional business and entrepreneurial competencies of farmers, who by nature of the agriculture sector, have the dominant productivity-driven mindset ( Busby and Rendle, 2000 ; Haugen and Vik, 2008 ; Phelan and Sharpley, 2012 ). Pesonen et al. (2011) considered these entrepreneurs' roles and skills as fundamental for rural tourism as new products and services must be introduced to meet ever-changing market demands at competitive prices. The transition from farming (or tourism on farms) to farm tourism is considered difficult as farmers are mostly in isolation with tourism, with a lack of knowledge, expertise and training in the field ( Busby and Rendle, 2000 ). Interestingly, some works have pointed out that women have higher motivation for agritourism (or farm tourism) than men ( McGehee et al. , 2007 ; Haugen and Vik, 2008 ). Besides these entrepreneurial skills, other economic variables such as food service, direct selling, public subsidies and other external factors such as proximity to urban or cultural centers are also determinants of farm income performance ( Giaccio et al. , 2018 ). Most recently, Da Liang et al. (2020) highlighted the match between farm image and farm experience activities as contributory to positive tourist response in farm tourism sites. Some current areas of interest in farm tourism have extended to the inclusion of culinary tourism experiences in agri-tourism destinations ( Testa et al. , 2019 ), educational rural farm tourism ( Cornelia et al. , 2017 ), recreation on farms ( Barbieri et al. , 2016 ), the combined recreational-educational rural tourism on farms ( Petroman et al. , 2016 ) and cultural integration on-farm activities ( Prayukvong et al. , 2015 ), among others. Note that this list is not intended to be comprehensive.

2.2 Benefits of farm tourism

The tourism industry perceives farm tourism as a medium for the diffusion of tourists away from the gateway cities ( Ollenburg and Buckley, 2007 ). These areas allow easy access to potential tourists ( Garrod, 2011 ). In Taiwan, Thailand and Japan, tourists gather to farms and partake in activities such as rice planting and vegetable harvesting. The majority of the farms have increased their income, and consequently profit, by adding farm tourism activities in their operations ( Tew and Barbieri, 2012 ). Haghiri and Okech (2011) agreed that farm tourism activities in their countryside or province are generally viewed as alternative income sources, usually above the earnings from various on-farm activities. It aims to promote tourism in rural areas and balances development through economic dispersal and providing opportunities in the countryside. Gabor (2016) noted that farm tourism is an excellent example of inclusive growth for the local communities. Some reports from Australia, Taiwan, Thailand, the USA, Costa Rica and some European countries indicated that jobs and revenues are created in local communities through farm tourism activities.

Furthermore, farm tourism conserves and preserves the environment through the notion of sustainability and its nature- and community-based tourism concept. Recio et al. (2014) highlighted that while agriculture maintains the environment, farm tourism, on the other hand, enables the farmers to innovate and diversify their landscape for various purposes, and at the same time, protects the natural resources which would benefit tourism and other sectors. Aside from an environmental point of view, farm tourism also protects and promotes cultural traditions and develops a sense of pride and ownership to the locals while enriching the tourists' authentic cultural experience. At present, tourists yearn to embody the local rural experience and not merely become onlookers in the rural environment ( Cloke and Perkins, 2002 ). Farm tourism encourages visitors to experience firsthand the agricultural life ( Mansor et al. , 2015 ) and can be a catalyst for revival or strengthening rural traditions and culture. In farm tourism sites, tourists may know the differences and dynamics of culture of the locality, even with the tone or the accent of their dialect. This cultural impact of farm tourism and agritourism on a rural community is considered by Amelia et al. (2017) as the most important undertaking as it changes the cultural behavior and thinking of culture in contact with another culture.

Finally, farm tourism provides education about the importance and role of agriculture. The majority of the visitors are families with young children, community organizations and schools that set the significance of farm offerings in educating the public ( Tew and Barbieri, 2012 ). It creates a mutual learning experience when farmers share their abilities and affirm their role in the community. This notion was supported by Gabor (2016) by citing that farm tourism represents the business of attracting visitors to farm areas generally for educational and recreational purposes ( Gabor, 2016 ). It encourages the development of a symbiotic relationship between the farmers and the tourists ( Busby and Rendle, 2000 ). If properly planned and managed, farm tourism bridges the gap and creates a harmonious relationship between the rural and urban communities.

3. Findings

3.1 status of the philippine agricultural sector.

The Philippines has roughly 30 million hectares of land, of which 9.7 million are considered agricultural. The agricultural industry portrays an important role in the Philippine economy and the development of the country. However, the country has lagged by neighboring ASEAN countries. As shown in Figure 1 , the productivity rate of the country is lower than Indonesia, with 3.73%, Malaysia 4.10%, Thailand 3.21, Myanmar 3.67 and Vietnam 4.16%. Note that these countries have also invested in farm tourism ( Leh et al. , 2017 ; Ahmad et al. , 2018 ; Nguyen et al. , 2018 ). With exports related to agri-food, the country is also underperforming based on the 2014 data with US$6.7bn earnings in comparison to other ASEAN countries, as shown in Figure 2 . In 2014, the Philippines exported US$6.7bn worth of farm products but imported US$8.6bn for a deficit of US$1.9bn ( Dar, 2017 ). Thailand transported US$38.4bn in farm products the same year abroad and imported US$12.9bn with a surplus of US$25.5bn. Indonesia has US$38.8bn in farm exports and US$17.5bn in agricultural imports for a surplus of US$21.3bn, while Malaysia has US$26.2bn in farm exports and US$18.3bn in agricultural imports for a surplus of US$7.9bn. On the other hand, Vietnam US$24.8bn in farm exports and US$13.4bn in agricultural imports for a surplus of US$11.4bn.

Such low agricultural productivity can be attributed to some of the challenges that the agriculture industry is facing nowadays. At present, there are widespread conversions of prime agricultural land partly due to rapid urbanization and population growth. For instance, there is a growing need for housing projects, residential villas and commercial properties, which have led to the immense conversion of agricultural lands not just in Metro Manila but in key cities across the country ( Cabildo et al. , 2017 ). The development trajectory has been extended to Visayas and Mindanao (i.e. two of the largest group of islands in the country), causing a tremendous shift in land use patterns. The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Philippine Government agency for the distribution of agrarian land, distinguished Negros Occidental and Misamis Oriental (i.e. provinces in the country) known for vast sugarcane and coconut plantations accordingly were among the top ten provinces with the highest number of land conversions ( Cabildo et al. , 2017 ). With such foregoing conditions, agriculture has been stagnant ( Beus, 2008 ), and farm output has declined due to human and external factors. Due to the complementary nature of farm tourism to agricultural activities, it is recognized as an alternative activity to diversify economic growth ( Tiraieyari and Hamzah, 2012 ). Thus, as part of the diversification efforts of Philippine agriculture, farm tourism is a potentially vital key in sustaining economic and environmental security.

3.2 Farm tourism in the Philippines

Farm tourism started in the country in the 1990s. The DOT, the Philippine Government agency for tourism, has long seen the importance of farm tourism before the promulgation of R.A 10816. In 1991, DOT and United Nations Development Program (UNDP) worked together and developed a Philippine Tourism Master Plan, which aimed to develop tourism in a sustainable manner and farm tourism is on the list. DOT also spearheaded the Philippine Agri-Tourism Program as early as 1999. In 2002, DOT and the Department of Agriculture (DA) issued a joint circular order that identified the ten farm sites in the country. The DOT accreditation has set the minimum standards for all operations and maintenance activities to guarantee tourist satisfaction. Accreditation of farm sites is voluntary and shall be valid for two years. Farm tourism sites in the country are categorized into two: day farms and farm stays. Day farms are usually located near highways, while farm stays offer accommodations and dining experience. The accreditation is based on the minimum standard set by the DOT based on the following requirements: location, facilities and amenities, infrastructure, operation, safety and security and sanitation. Accreditation may be suspended or revoked for any violation of the standards. In 2012, a house bill in the Philippine Congress had been filed to promote farm tourism in the country by providing tax credits to registered activities to offset the expenses in venturing into farm tourism and provide technical assistance to farmers entering the business. In 2016, the bill was signed into law, the R.A 10816, or the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, which encourages, develops and promotes farm tourism. Subsequently, some provinces, including Bukidnon, Batangas, Tarlac and Tagaytay, are well recognized for their potential to become a farm tourism destination ( Nawal, 2013 ).

investment promotion and financing;

market research, trends, innovations and information;

accreditation of farm tourism camps;

market promotion and development;

agriculture and fishery research, development and extension;

institutional and human resource development; and

infrastructure support ( Makati Business Club (MBC), 2016 ).

The law also mandates to establish a Farm Tourism Board that shall recommend projects for funding opportunities through the DOT, the DA, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC) and other concerned government agencies concerning farm tourism development. The board is tasked to increase farm tourism awareness through relevant marketing campaigns. In cooperation with DA, DOT is mandated to accredit farm tourist sites that are voluntary and valid for two years. Historically, DOT has been accrediting farm sites since the 1990s under the provision of Executive Order No. 292, following the rules and regulations to govern the accreditation of farm sites. To further strengthen the institutionalization of farm tourism in the country, and to further solve the issues of hunger and poverty, and to sustain food security, the national convergent program was launched in line with R.A 10816. Lazara (2017) , a Philippine senator explaining that the essence of the law is for the government to recognize tourism coupled with agriculture could bring the value of agriculture in the economic and cultural development of the country, serves as catalysts of agricultural and fishery development and provide additional income to the farmers and fisherfolks. It also reiterated that the most important provision of the law is its encouragement to establish at least one farm tourism camp in every province (Lazaro, 2017).

3.3 Potentials of farm tourism

Cebu has a dynamic trade and commerce, particularly in agriculture, since it has a high demand for agri-fishery products driven by the numerous hotels, restaurants, fast-food chains, supermarkets and other corporate buyers Galolo, 2016 ).

The province is in an avian influenza-free region and can sell poultry products anywhere in the country and even abroad ( Galolo, 2016 ).

Cebu has a steady population growth and increases per capita consumption, furthering the demand ( Galolo, 2016 ).

Farm-based tourism is a good diversification strategy if farms are located or close in central districts and located near scenic attractions with several outdoor activities to enjoy ( Walford, 2001 ). Farm-based tourism works best in areas with high scenic and heritage values ( Walford, 2001 ) in which Cebu possessed along with the numerous cultural and natural attractions it is known for. Most vegetation comes from the southern part of the province in the municipality of Carcar City and Dalaguete, which is also known for its tourist attractions ( Lorenciana, 2014 ).

Opportunities are available for agriculture and fishery to flourish further in the province. However, like other provinces in the country, Cebu is not maximizing its full potential in this sector. Cebu is already a well-known tourist destination among local and foreign tourists, and inculcating farming with tourism can potentially alleviate the popularity of farming in the province. Such an approach encourages a sense of gratitude among tourists to the food they are taking in and inspires the youth to be more involved in the agriculture industry. Nevertheless, Cebu needs to manage and strengthen its agricultural and farm resources to reap low-hanging fruits in farm tourism.

3.4 Challenges and strategies of Philippine farm tourism

Amidst the potentials that the farm tourism sector has and the efforts that the Philippine Government has taken, the sector is possibly faced by impediments that are likewise experienced by other farm tourism sectors worldwide. Based on the reports gathered, some factors impede the growth of farm tourism in the country. A thematic presentation is shown here.

3.4.1 Physical characteristics.

The general concern of the farmers in the country is the erratic climate brought about by the possible effects of climate change, which is considered a threat to their crops ( Lorenciana, 2014 ). Furthermore, the country has limited agricultural lands and is worsened by the effects of industrialization through land conversions credited to the high popularity and demand for real properties such as housing and condominium development. Cebu, as a case in point, has mountainous topography that limits agricultural potential. Due to its strategic position, Cebu also has a highly urbanized image. This position curbs further expansion of agricultural development in the province. Most farms are small-family owned, commonly situated in upland slopes, paling compared to the farms in the Luzon area where the topography is generally plain.

3.4.2 Product development.

The DA has a positive outlook on farm tourism as a long-term solution to improve the quality of living of the farmers and fishers ( Villarin and Miasco, 2017 ). However, many farmers lack the necessary resources (i.e. financial, technical and human resources) in diversifying their farms into a farm tourism business ( Moraru et al. , 2016 ). This may be due to the limited and inequitable access of the farmers to the provisions of the government and the private sector for these resources. There is an insufficient number of farm tourism sites and poor consistency in the quality of farm tourism products demonstrated by a few farm tourism operations that are market-ready ( Moraru et al. , 2016 ). The majority of the farm sites in the country cannot compete with those in other Asian countries (e.g. Taiwan and Japan) due to its lack of innovation and marketing. This manifestation is also heightened by the lack of understanding and application of the contextual research of farm tourism supposedly carried out by Philippine universities.

3.4.3 Education and training.

There is an aging populace of farmers in the agricultural sector, and a critical need for succession becomes obvious ( Santiago and Roxas, 2015 ). Only a few people are engaging in agriculture nowadays. Agriculture has been typecasted as a low-level career in the country. The University of the Philippines-Los Banos, College of Agriculture, the top agricultural university in the country, reported that enrollment had declined drastically from 1980 with 51% enrollees down to 43% in 1995 to 4.7% in 2012 ( Cinco, 2012 ). In 2014, official reports highlighted that the average age of Filipino farmers is 57 years old, a few years before retirement ( Casauay, 2014 ). Furthermore, the young generations (i.e. millennials, generation X) witness their parents grow old and poor with farming and do not positively view agriculture as a lucrative career ( Alave, 2011 ). The PSA reported the most recent estimates that the farmers have the highest poverty incidence in the country, with 34.3% in 2015, closely followed by the fishermen at 34% ( PSA, 2017 ). These estimates are corroborated by the latest agricultural wage rate survey in 2018, which highlights that the average daily income of farmers is posted at Php 306 (roughly US$6) or a monthly rate of Php 8,000 (US$157) ( PSA, 2019 ). The positive outlook on agriculture can be bridged by increasing the farmers' per capita income that can be potentially addressed through supplementary income sources such as, including, among others, farm tourism. On this note, excellent education and skills development on farm tourism become crucial in the provision of marketable farm tourism products.

At present, the Philippine Government encourages the formation of farm tourism camps or farm schools all over the country to serve as avenues of learning for farmers. The two agencies (i.e. DOT and DA) are tasked under R.A. 10816 to lead in the establishment of at least one farm tourism camp in every province in the country. In 2012, the Philippine Congress enacted into law the R.A. 10618 or the Rural Farm Schools Act that promotes sustainable agricultural productivity and rural development by empowering the human capital in the countryside through access to avenues of learning suitable to the needs of the rural agricultural communities. The rural farm school curriculum is intended to follow the core secondary education curriculum of the Department of Education (DepED) with add-on courses highlighting agri-fishery arts. The last two academic years in the rural farm school educational system is designed to focus on integrative learning across all subject disciplines in the curriculum with an emphasis on farm entrepreneurship theory and practice and its promotion as a tool in cultivating local entrepreneurs, revitalizing rural economies and repopulating rural communities.

3.4.4 Management and entrepreneurship.

Phelan and Sharpley (2012) argued that the current dynamics of the farm tourism business require farmers to possess a certain degree of entrepreneurial skills that remain lacking among them. McNally (2001) and Grande (2011) suggested that farmers have great opportunities to cater to tourists, but they need the necessary skills to diversify their farms and accommodate tourists in a sustainable manner that does not affect their regular farming and create a new business venture. It is widely understood that entrepreneurial skills are among the most important aspects of modern-day farming ( Smit, 2004 ). Farmers are recognized these days as entrepreneurs that require new skills and capabilities to develop to become or remain competitive ( McElwee, 2006 ). In the Philippine context, the DA has taken steps to address the lack of entrepreneurial skills among farmers by encouraging local government units in identifying specific needs of farmers and addressing these needs by conducting seminars and training, which would highlight these required skills in farming ( Lorenciana, 2014 ). The concept of agripreneurship has also been in the limelight of the Philippine Government by incorporating it into the Philippine Agriculture 2020 Plan. Despite these efforts, Santiago and Roxas (2015) remained reserved and noted that one of the leading causes of failure of government efforts in agriculture has been on increasing productivity rather than on entrepreneurial initiatives. Santiago and Roxas (2015) noted that shifting from productivity to entrepreneurial activity would allow more selling on value-added produce than producing more of the same crops.

3.4.5 Marketing and customer relations.

Shifting from the traditional agriculture mindset to diversifying it towards farm tourism requires the necessary skills in marketing and customer relations among farmers. The majority of the farm tourism businesses lacks the training to render useful service, as well as marketing skills to the tourist ( Sharpley, 2002 ). Moraru et al. (2016) added that most farmers and their workers do not possess the skills to ensure success in farm tourism. There is limited relevant information provided to the farmers regarding tourism markets and trends ( Moraru et al. , 2016 ). Consequently, ineffective communication exists among farmers and the market in terms of promoting their farms ( Moraru et al. , 2016 ). There are also inadequate knowledge and skills in customer management ( Haghiri and Okech, 2011 ). These conditions are prevalent in the Philippine context ( ESFIM, 2009 ). At the micro and macro level, among the challenges that the country is facing are the lack of market information and the inability to analyze this information, poor transport infrastructures and poor farm product quality standards ( ESFIM, 2009 ). Most of these challenges are highly associated with the lack of marketing and customer relation skills of the farmers at the micro-level as they are mostly dependent on market intermediaries in selling their products. With the lack of farm to market access, farm tourism can bridge such limitations by providing opening opportunities for direct selling.

3.4.6 Government support.

Moraru et al. (2016) pointed out that government support is crucial to farmers in harnessing their business growth and encouraging and educating the potential tourists about farm tourism. This presents a new challenge to the Philippine Government. The main landmark of the government's efforts on promoting and developing farm tourism is the enactment of the R.A. 10816 or the Farm Tourism Development Act of 2016, which highlights the provisions on creating the Farm Tourism Development Board, investment promotion, financing and incentives, market research and information, accreditation of Farm tourism camps, market promotion and development, agriculture and fishery research, development and extension, institutional and human resource development and infrastructure support. Less than five years after its promulgation, the policy has not been fully implemented down to the micro-level. Currently, DOT has accredited roughly more than 170 farm tourism sites in the country. Despite such efforts, the Philippine Government has not addressed crucial issues such as widespread public awareness of farm tourism and its benefits, poor understanding of farm tourism among relevant government agencies and limited marketing efforts exerted by the local government units, among others. As DOT accreditation is voluntary, operators become hesitant to undergo the accreditation process without enough understanding of its benefits farm tourism. Thus, public awareness is crucial at the outset of any marketing efforts. Furthermore, there is poor coordination of relevant government agencies in the promotion of farm tourism. For instance, the promotion of activities of local government units on farm tourism is often not coordinated with the DOT as a national tourism agency. Additionally, the local tourism offices highly depend on farm tourism operators' individual marketing efforts in promoting their sites.

4. Weaknesses–opportunities (WO) analysis

With the identified benefits in the current literature and the challenges faced by the farm tourism industry in the Philippines, a WO analysis is presented here. WO analysis is one of the distinct strategic groups of the threats, opportunities, weaknesses and strengths (TOWS) matrix developed by Weihrich (1982) . The TOWS matrix is an extension of the widely adopted the SWOT analysis that scans internal factors (strengths and weaknesses) and external environment (opportunities and strengths). The main objective of the TOWS matrix is to provide means in developing strategies based on the logical two-factor combinations of internal and external factors of SWOT. The WO strategies, also termed as a mini-maxi (competitive) strategy, are taking advantage to access external opportunities while reducing internal weaknesses ( Weihrich, 1982 ). Some relevant applications of the TOWS matrix include the Basel norms ( Kapoor and Kaur, 2017 ), strategic marketing ( Proctor, 2000 ), strategic choice ( Kulshrestha and Puri, 2017 ), strategy formulation ( Dyson, 2004 ; Wang and Hong, 2011 ; Dandage et al. , 2019 ) and strategic natural resources management ( Kajanus et al. , 2012 ). TOWS matrix has also been applied specifically in the tourism domain such as formulation of tourism destination development strategies ( Goranczewski and Puciato, 2010 ), strategic marketing planning for tourism ( Wickramasinghe and Takano, 2010 ), ecotourism development ( Hong and Chan, 2010 ; Asadpourian et al. , 2020 ) and strategy identification for a food firm ( Ingaldi and Škůrková, 2014 ), among other applications. Among the four strategic groups, the development of the WO strategies is deemed appropriate for creating development strategies for the farm tourism sector as the sector is mostly dominated by weaknesses but is operating in a favorable environment. Details for the WO strategies for farm tourism are provided in Table 1 .

With the given WO analysis of farm tourism in the country, strategies are developed to mitigate the weaknesses while advancing farm tourism opportunities. First is the promotion of urban and vertical farming in cities that address the limitation of agricultural land for farm tourism. Urban vertical farming produces food on vertically inclined surfaces and an agricultural technique that involves large food production mostly in high-rise buildings with controlled environmental conditions for fast growth and planned production ( Kalantari et al. , 2018 ). United Nations (2007) reported that the world population would rise to 9 million in 2050, mostly will live in urban areas. Thus, urban vertical farming can potentially aid the country or the locality in meeting the elevating demand for an agricultural product without additional farmlands. Urban vertical farming has been applied in Singapore, Japan, South Korea, Sweden, China ( Kalantari et al. , 2018 ), among others. Travel trends are dynamic with the changing market preferences and are paralleled with innovating products to maintain a competitive advantage. Farm tourists are characterized by a high educational level, with an age range belonging to millennials and generation X ( Dubois et al. , 2017 ). In generational marketing, millennials are adventurous and often travel for experiences ( Machado, 2014 ); thus, offering farm tourism as an alternative or additional attraction can benefit both farmers and the government. Therefore, government support for farm tourism is inevitable to harness its economic, socio-cultural and environmental impacts that will eventually enhance the performance of Philippine tourism. Traditionally, farms are more inclined to produce agricultural products as factual evidence of their productivity; however, with the diversification direction of farm tourism, these farms must conform to the operational needs of farm tourist sites. This conformity involves acquiring new skills to operate farm sites profitably. Training and seminars shall be initiated and spearheaded by relevant government agencies (e.g. DOT, local tourism offices, LGU) on enhancing the entrepreneurial skills, management and customer relation of the farmers that are projected to have a long-term positive effect on the success of farm tourist sites. These ventures are an ideal venue for information sharing on important data (e.g. market trends, market profile) that will capacitate farm tourism operators in understanding the market trends and tourist interests. Developing skills to novice players in farm tourism would potentially augment tourism performance in the country.

The strategy “research and development, and science and technology intervention to further develop farm sites and farm products” can be implemented by policymakers (i.e. the government) and the farm tourism sector (i.e. operators, NGOs). This strategy aims to address the insufficient number of farm tourism sites, poor consistency in the quality of farm tourism products and farmers' lack of entrepreneurial and marketing skills while accessing two opportunities: growing trend and tourist interest in farm tourism and increasing government support for farm tourism. With the emerging interests of tourists for farm tourism, an increase in tourist influx is expected, and farm operators could respond to such opportunity by establishing close coordination with the government and the academe to develop and implement R&D programs (e.g. research projects, seminar modules, training, workshops, benchmarking visits, among others) to advance the entrepreneurial and marketing skills of farmers. With universities spearheading the R & D programs, product research on enhancing farm tourism products could be implemented along with the farm tourism sector members. The financial and infrastructural requirements to support these activities could be bridged through increasing government spending for farm tourism to support the R.A. 10816. With R&D programs to improve farm tourism site accreditation and increased government support for such activity, there would be an expected increase in the number of farm tourism sites and strengthening public awareness for farm tourism.

Another strategy that the Philippine Government could initiate is to offer financial assistance to small farmers in diversifying their farms with tourism. Such a strategy takes advantage of increased government support for farm tourism and economic development dispersal direction to rural areas while curbing the insufficiency of the number of farm tourism sites and poor consistency in the quality of farm tourism products. Direct financial assistance could be possible in low-interest loans, tax incentives and tax holidays for farm tourism operators. Indirect aid could be in the form of free training and seminars on relevant topics such as technical skills as well as entrepreneurial and marketing skills for farm tourism. The government could also assist in the marketing and promotion of farm tourism sites and support for relevant infrastructure. The current trajectory of development in the Philippines is associated with dispersal to rural areas to decongest traffic and address overpopulation in highly urbanized cities. With financial support to small-scale farmers for farm tourism and the development direction toward rural communities, these farmers could capitalize on the propagation of farm tourism sites and enhance farm tourism products. Finally, creating and promoting farm tours to tourists and educational institutions could capture the opportunity of the growing trend and tourist interest in farm tourism and improved Philippine tourism performance while addressing the insufficiency of the number of farm tourism sites and poor consistency in quality of farm tourism products, and farmers lack entrepreneurial and marketing skills. With increased farm tours, potential farm operators could get attracted to invest in diversifying toward farm tourism, and those current farm operators would be obliged to improve the quality of their farm tourism products and to invest in human resource improvement in their soft skills (i.e. entrepreneurial and marketing skills).

5. Policy insights

This section outlines insights to stakeholders, including the government, farm tourism operators and other relevant tourism offices for policy formulation, resource management, strategic planning, among others. The promotion of urban agriculture through vertical and urban farming could address the issues related to the scarcity of agricultural lands. In 2013, there was a proposed Urban Agriculture bill in the Philippine Congress, which is supposed to institutionalize urban farming in highly urbanized areas to encourage the production, processing and marketing of food crops and livestock. The bill also advocates vertical farming, which involves indoor agriculture. However, it was not yet enacted up until the present. Vertical farming has been successful in Singapore, a small city-state, limiting its agricultural land ( Hui, 2011 ; Yusoff et al. , 2017 ).

To ensure the quality of delivering the farm tourism products and services, DOT accredits farm tourism sites that complied with the minimum standards set by the agency. However, the tourism products could be further enhanced through relevant actions on a macro level: (R&D projects are needed to spearhead farm tourism development, especially farm sites. Several Asian countries have already been very aggressive in their promotion and development of farm tourism, and contributions to economics, social, cultural and environmental have been evident. Tourism Infrastructure Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), the Philippine national government agency under the DOT tasked for the development, promotion and supervision of tourism projects in the country, and the Office of the Undersecretary for Tourism Planning of the DOT must be proactive in initiating research projects that would provide cutting edge information on market trends related to tourism and farm tourism. They also need to spearhead the development of more farm sites to strengthen not just the tourism industry in providing alternative attractions but also the agriculture industry. Close coordination between DOT, local government units and other government offices is vital for the success of farm sites in a local area. This coordination can be implemented through information and resource sharing to facilitate the efficient delivery of services. On the other hand, existing farm sites must address the basic needs of the tourists as required in the accreditation guidelines for farm sites. As small family farms have limited access to resources to invest in farm tourism, the government must support these farms by initiating activities which include offering an agriculturally oriented educational experience suitable for different ages, providing basic services, such as parking, signage and guides, and ensuring safety and security in farm sites.

In generational marketing, the millennials and generation X currently have the highest purchasing power and potential to educate later generations on appreciating farm tourism. These two generations are more inclined in experiential activities of farm tourism which highlights tourist experience, can encourage and enhance the appreciation of these generations to get involved in farming. Consequently, it can address the declining number of enrollments in agriculture academic programs in the country ( Cinco, 2012 ). The current educational system of the country should further impart great appreciation and value to the agricultural industry ( Briones et al. , 2017 ). Farm schools can become more attractive once they become accessible, most notably in rural areas, and if farming is perceived as a good income source. Locals can be taught modern farming techniques, which can uplift their livelihood and sense of satisfaction and make farming a viable option instead of moving to the urban cities for employment ( Torrevillas, 2016 ). Moreover, agriculture needs investment in skills development and training to create a new breed of agriculturists. Many academic and tourism experts are now tapping on the potential of farm tourism to alleviate poverty and promote agriculture courses in schools and universities. For instance, some farm tourism graduates from the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA), a state university in the northern Philippines, are currently involved in research and development efforts and are contributing to the promotion of Laguna farm sites, such as the Costales Nature Farms. Dar (2017) argued that empowerment and capacity development to harness the potential of human capital, such as skills enhancement of farmers and developing relevant educational curriculum and innovative pedagogy for various interest groups, are two crucial directions for the government. The outcome should be a farmer possessing qualities such as efficient producer, team player, scientist/technologist, businessman or entrepreneur and environmentalist. A case in point is the Costales Nature Farms, which is a multi-awarded farm site that has grown from a small family farm advocating organic farming in 2005 to the first farm site in the Philippines accredited by the DOT. The farm is visited for leisure and relaxation or education. Furthermore, the Costales Nature Farms is an accredited private extension service provider of the national government agencies for agriculture and tourism (e.g. Agriculture Training Institute, DA, DAR, DOT). It provides workshops on sustainable organic farming and farm tourism. The farm has partnered with renowned hotels and restaurants and supermarkets, and it became one of the major producers of high-value organic vegetables and herbs in the country.

The government should start conducting infomercials or information commercials about the value of agriculture. For instance, the government must pass a measure that would mandate all broadcasting and online media to allocate a certain portion of time a day to broadcast public service announcements and infomercials regarding laws, social welfare, public safety, procedures and other matters of national interest that could be an effective medium to disseminate information about agriculture. Although the government is offering undergraduate and graduate scholarships, this has been less appealing to the intended public due to the negative perception of a career in agriculture. However, if enhanced information dissemination on the diverse opportunities an agriculture career can offer is proactively undertaken, then the negative perception of the public about agriculture as a low income and low skilled career venture may be eradicated ( Whitmell, 2012 ). Changing perceptions through marketing and packaging agriculture to make it more appealing to the young generation would become necessary to the government. It is not just an issue in the country but other countries as well. Possible directions could be undertaken to increase the interest of the youth towards agriculture. The first is to have a social media existence. For instance, a Facebook page that aims to inspire the youth to be involved in agriculture can be developed, serving as a social forum and building agricultural networks. It may include inspirational stories of farmers to empower the youth. Second is through blogs, which are discussion or informational websites that can serve as a platform for information dissemination. A training, capacity building and promotion program can be catalyzed by sharing thoughts about agriculture. The third is having good public relations. There should be a good farming public relation by projecting more inspiring stories, personal satisfaction and incentives that can be gained from farming. The government should create an agriculture personality, such as employing celebrity ambassadors that embody the ideals of the farmers and serves as a role model.

The government has put forward comprehensive assistance programs for the farmers, such as training, initiatives and financial support, to convince the farmers and their children to stay in agriculture. This is possibly done by projecting that farming is a profitable enterprise. A relevant and emerging concept is advocating social entrepreneurship that pursues innovative ideas with the potential to solve a community problem. One successful social entrepreneurship case in the Philippines is the Gawad Kalinga Enchanted Farms (GKEF). Social entrepreneurs in GKEF adopted the concept to develop more agricultural projects and help curb the declining number of farmers. This movement has already attracted people worldwide and should be considered as a good benchmark for farm tourism. Additionally, as millennials and generation X are highly technology-oriented, to obtain more traction from these generations, the farm tourism sector must embrace the emerging trend of technological innovation. Approaches may include the incorporation of virtual reality in farm sites, development and selling of online packages (e.g. klook), increased digital visibility, among others.

The shift from the traditional agricultural productivity focus to entrepreneurial and service orientation in farm tourism further complicates the agricultural business processes of the farmers. This complexity requires assistance from the government sector in terms of soft skills, among others. Most farmers are well-equipped with farming skills and possess innate hospitality, mainly credited to the Filipino culture; however, they lack marketing and entrepreneurial skills. To address this gap, the following insights could be considered. First, R&D activities on the market are crucial to the success of the farm sites. The DOT and the DA must carry out initiatives to make this information on market trends and innovations in agriculture available to compete with other ASEAN countries offering farm tourism. Second, an inter-agency government collaboration may conduct training for the local farmers in customer relations management to better off their interaction with the tourists and ensure their safety and high-quality experience. Finally, the DOT may encourage travel agents and tour operators to create stand-alone farm packages, conduct farm tours and promote farm visits. Further encouragement of farm visits to universities to gain firsthand experience and learn the value of agriculture is an appropriate direction forward.

Lastly, proper mechanisms of integrating initiatives at the national level and local government units must be implemented to increase coordination for farm tourism activities. With the onset of the R.A. 10816, it is deemed appropriate that the country has an excellent national policy involving agriculture and tourism. However, the effectiveness of such a national measure is highly dependent on its implementation. Short- and long-term plans and controls must be developed to ensure that the goals and objectives of the measure are satisfied and the intended benefits to the general public are achieved. The local government units must also consider creating some initiatives and strive for linkages in their locality. Through the government-academe-industry linkages, knowledge transfers and collective to and from the academe to the industry are flourished, and more significant results (e.g. livelihood in the countryside, increased per capita income of farmers, sustainability, among others) may become visible in the long-term.

6. Conclusions and future work

Farm tourism is considered one of the drivers of Philippine tourism's growth with R.A 10816 along with the DOT farm site accreditation standards to ensure quality farm sites in the country. Intergovernmental collaboration and coordination are mandated in the said policy in developing, promoting and strategizing farm tourism in the country. With the current government initiatives, an increasing number of farm sites and farm tourists is projected. The research literature on farm tourism has been prevalent in developed countries and is undoubtedly scarce in developing countries. There are hardly any fundamental works on farm tourism in the Philippine context, such as the works of McDaniels and Trousdale (1999) , Recio et al. (2014) , Tuzon et al. (2014) and Lago (2017). This limitation about literature may have instigated the gradual growth of farm tourism amidst the vast agricultural land in the country. As such, this study provides relevant data on the potential of the Philippines as a farm tourism destination and the challenges that inhibit the country from developing profitable farm sites. The challenges highlight the physical characteristics, product development, education and training, management and entrepreneurship, marketing and customer relations and government support. This information is vital in mapping strategies through WO analysis (mini-maxi) as a competitive strategy of the TOWS matrix that intends to address the weaknesses while targeting the opportunities that could potentially enhance farm tourism status in the country.

Philippine agriculture plays a significant role in the Philippine economy, yet its performance is deemed low compared to other neighboring ASEAN countries as to its production rate, import rate and export earnings. The low productivity of agriculture is credited to the challenges faced by the industry. These challenges include rural areas are now slowly urbanized due to these developments credited to the growing population and demand for industrialization; farming has become stagnant with depleting farm product output as younger generations have perceived agriculture as an unremunerative career option; the climatic conditions, as possible effects of climate change, are considered as threats to farmlands; and the farmers have limited government and non-government access and provision to needed resources (i.e. financial, technical and human resources) to diversify farms into farm sites. As such, farms can improve economic performance by diversifying farms and offering alternative farm tourism activities. These limitations can result in poor consistency and quality and innovativeness of the farm sites. Farmers also entail acquiring skills other than entrepreneurial (e.g. customer relations, marketing). With this, the Philippine Government initiated the development of farm tourism camps or farm schools in the country as a venue for farmers to gain new insights. For instance, the DA and DOT have encouraged the local government units to identify the farmers' needs and be addressed through seminars and training. However, the unavailability of the market information and inability to analyze this information, as well as the poor transport infrastructures in most rural areas, contribute to the poor farm tourism quality. With this, the support of the government is crucial in honing the farmers to the improvement of farm tourism. The R.A 10816 is an aggressive move towards developing and promoting farm tourism in the country; however, the policy has not been fully implemented down to the micro-level since it was enacted in 2016. In summary, the main contribution of this study is the identification of challenges of the farm tourism sector in the Philippines and the corresponding strategies and insights to address these challenges. The findings contribute to the future of farm tourism in bridging the negative social outlook on employment associated with agriculture, at least in the Philippines. The promotion, development and education of farm tourism to the present and future generations could generate a proactive outlook on farming as an economic and social driver in advancing tourism and agricultural performance. The insights of this work can address the limited literature of farm tourism in the Philippine context. This work could catalyze farm tourism development research and foster talents in developing farm tourism.

The study has an exploratory approach and the findings of the study must be interpreted with limitations. Despite the limitations of the study, it yields strategies and policy insights that are valuable in the early stage of farm tourism. The study is qualitative research in nature and has used secondary data. The findings of the study have focused on the Philippine context and may possess the same conditions as other farm tourism sites in developing countries. This work is limited in providing a historical narrative and collection of relevant literature specific to the Philippine setting. Hence, future works in farm tourism in the Philippine context are encouraged to improve further the quality of farm tourism offerings in the country and other relevant countries. Quantitative research can be undertaken for primary relevant data that can be obtained. Future works may include identifying the challenges, strategies and insights to farm sites utilizing primary data generated from a case study, focus group discussion, interviews and surveys. Thus work must be continuously undertaken in the context of evaluating farm capacity for tourism and determining the willingness of farmers to engage in it. Finally, a comparative study on the farm tourism sectors in the ASEAN may be undertaken to identify the hotspots, benchmarks and areas for possible improvements.

2014 Agriculture productivity rate in some countries of the ASEAN

2014 Agri-related export product (in US$ billion)

WO Analysis with recommending strategies

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Further reading

Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture ( 2017 ), “ Farm tourism seen as path to inclusive, sustainable agriculture ”, available at: www.searca.org/press/farm-tourism-seen-as-path-to-inclusive-sustainable-agriculture

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Corresponding author

About the authors.

Kafferine Yamagishi is based at the Department of Tourism Management, Cebu Technological University, Cebu City, Philippines.

Cecil Gantalao is based at the School of Business and Economics, University of San Carlos, Cebu City, Philippines.

Lanndon Ocampo is based at the Department of Industrial Engineering, Cebu Technological University, Cebu City, Philippines.

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