Agritourism which is also known as agrotourism is a type of tourism that includes agricultural activity and events to attract visitors to the farm destinations. However, the term agritourism is taken with different perspectives around the world. It may be understood differently by the visitors and sometimes even from people from the agritourism field.
Generally, the idea of spending holidays enjoying the farm lifestyle or maybe even participating in some basic farming activities is considered the fine definition of this industry. But, the agritourism sector is very vast; the agritourism industry goes beyond that; it might include activities like; from taking a stroll around the farm, buying from the farmer market directly to staying at the farms to enjoy the fresh genuine lifestyle and even taking care of farm animals or being part of their birth process.
So, in this tourism sector, you can enjoy all the delights of genuine farm life; plucking the fruits and vegetables straight of the fields, spending time with animals and even feed them. So, if you have made mind to enjoy the authentic experience of the countryside, a well-spent holiday on the farm is a perfect catch for you where you can enjoy the different available packages of agritourism. However, the available services may vary from the people providing agritourism services and various forms of agro-tourism activities are practiced throughout the agritourism industry.
The agritourism sector is an absolute un-deniable market full of great potentials which have yet to fully flourish. So, let’s discuss a great opportunity for experiencing the genuine lifestyle in the countryside that can be divided into several categories—the varieties of the under-rated tourism sector.
1. Direct-Market Agritourism
Direct market agritourism which is also known as the farmer’s market agritourism is a major tourist attraction where genuine farm products are made available to the visitors without any involvement of the third party. Generally in this type of tourism, a farm market is set and decorated with products available in the particular season. The produced vegetables, fruits and herbs are directly sold at the roadside or at a farm fair organized to promote the products.
The products are the same that can be found in general stores, whereas the only difference is--you can choose products fresh out of fields or directly from stands. Sometimes the products that are displayed in the direct market are put up as all-natural and genuine organic products which might be hard to get a hand on—in a department store.
In addition to the fresh farm products, the farmers also sell handcrafted products as well as promotional items like aprons, mugs, shirts and kitchen accessories during such events.
2. Agricultural-Education Agritourism
In agricultural-education based agritourism visitors are helped to understand the basic concept of farm life; providing them educational based excursion and guidance. You can experience in-the-field action where you can learn about the general idea of how farm life works.
Often, in this type of agritourism, the visitors are made familiar with the production process of fruits and vegetables--where they can learn about the origin story of the food materials they consume on daily basis.
Agricultural-education agritourism commonly includes activities like school visit to farms, children’s camp and classes for farming skills are included where you can learn about the fruit and vegetables you could grow up in your backyard.
However, the available activities may be different according to the host and the terrain. Some more advanced curricular also include activities like planting and harvesting according to the respective season, cooking class with on-hand available products at the farm and classes on crafts.
3. Recreation Agritourism
The recreational agritourism is one of the most exciting fun-filled packages that you can enjoy in the agritourism sector. If you are an outgoing person who loves sports; this agritourism has been designed for you. Usually, recreation agritourism packages include bundles of joys that you can enjoy about farm life, activities like hiking trails, bird-watching, guided hunting, fishing, boating and sometimes bicycle renting to enjoy the country side’s fresh air, all fall under this package. In addition to that, you can also enjoy horseback riding, shooting range, rock climbing, haymaking, and planting or harvesting according to the season of the visit all
You will never run out of things to do in this recreational agritourism sector and enjoy the delight of farms life every day during your stay. So, if you are looking for enjoying the farm to the fullest this is the perfect pick for you where you can collect every bit of happiness physically involving in the farm and farm-related sports activities.
4. Stay-in hospitality Agritourism
Who doesn’t get tired of regular work hazards and busy working schedules?? Somewhere along the line, we all have come in terms with those conditions to compete and survive in the city life. But, sometimes we need to take a break from such tiring continuous routines and explore other aspects of life because work isn’t everything. We need to learn to live in the moment and give a break to both mind and soul.
So what’s a greater way than falling back to the peaceful farm life where you can have the pleasure of living a genuine simple lifestyle? Resting the arms of nature inhaling the beauty of the farm certainly boosts your immune and reboots you from the roots to take on the competitions of city life.
Generally, in this type of tourism attraction, the involved hosts provide food and accommodation facilities to the visitors. You can enjoy different types of foods produced in the farm and live-in facilities which are close to mesmerizing Mother Nature.
These kinds of agritourism facilities are the perfect destination for friends or family reunion where you can enjoy services of bed and breakfast inns as well drive through the memory lanes. Likewise, if you want to take things few notches up; in some locations you can even have a wedding—horse carriages, dense trees and greenery, such ceremony is certainly going to be dream-like and almost as if it’s straight out of fairy tales.
5. Hand-on experience Agritourism
If you are looking for more than just enjoying the farm life—living the farm life, this kind of agritourism provides the perfect opportunity to live your dreams. Hand-on agritourism is also known as ‘You-pick’ agritourism as you can purchase the product from directly visiting the field where the vegetable or fruits are planted and can have your pick at it.
This type of agritourism packages includes services where you can enjoy as well as be part of the farm life from feeding animals, herding and petting them to being part of the birth process of the farm animals.
Besides animal life, you can also enjoy being around plant life planting, harvesting vegetables and fruits suitable for the season to pick up the fruits straight out of the fields. Moreover, you can also spend time organizing the garden, cutting grass, arranging flowers and working with herbal medicines with the availability of on-hand resources at the barn.
In addition to all these homely experiences, some farms even provide services like cutting your own Christmas tree. So, add the experience of living a genuine farmer’s life in your to-do list which might add a few more perspectives on how you are used to viewing your city life.
6. Festive and events Agritourism
The festive and events agritourism includes the fun-filled events, activities, and fairs that are held to promote the farm life. This kind of agritourism packages are specially designed for the visitors to enjoy local farm festivals, seasonal activities and enjoying themselves at the farm-themed playground.
The major attraction of festive and events agritourism is mostly outdoor events and sports like; gourd golfing, pumpkin bowl, music events, exhibition of art shows and even haunted houses trials to keep attracting more audience to such events. Similarly, you can also enjoy farm-to-table events like cooking competitions or having an eating contest or dog training and trial events.
So, if you are a festival lover, hop on for the grand events going this season down in the countryside. Also, simply enjoying the campfire sharing the tales of life does seem to be a quite entertaining and true form of living in the moment.
General Overview
The agritourism market which has been underestimated globally can surprisingly help to maintain a living standard in the economy of an agriculture-based country as well as the farmer’s life. Developing the agritourism sector of a country just doesn’t attract the visitors to the areas that fall under the radar most of the time but also can help to increase the number of the audience for the major tourist attraction nearby.
The farmers who totally depended on the seasonal production at the farm mostly have always fallen under the profit margin line. Practicing different measures of agritourism sector is certainly to help the dedicated farmers to maintain a standard life—picking a suitable agritourism activity favorable for location and season can help the farmers to be economically stable during the off-seasons as well.
Emphasizing on such opportunities and taking the right measures to promote the agritourism sector will not only help to stabilize a farm life but also will open a great number of opportunities for a developing country.
Cover image by : SimSime Travel
