Released January 09, 2009
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. -– City life got you stressed? Are you running around every day trying to cram in too much living into too little time? Slow down. Relax. Experience the satisfaction of eating a juicy blackberry you just picked yourself. Slow down and take a back road to a new adventure called agritourism.
Agritourism is the practice of attracting visitors to areas largely used for agriculture. It can provide farmers a means for increasing income to their operation with sometimes minimal additional investment. It promotes businesses offering an out-of-the-ordinary opportunity for recreation.
"Agritourism bridges rural and urban Arkansas," says Stacey McCullough, extension community and economic development instructor with the University of Arkansas System’s Division of Agriculture.
Agritourism is a growing industry in the United States. The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates that 2.5 percent of all U.S. farms earned income from agritourism in 2004. More than half of all farms receiving recreational farm income were located in the South.
"There are more than 300 activities in Arkansas that qualify as agritourism activities," says Joe Foster, program coordinator with the U of A System’s Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. "These activities include corn mazes, pumpkin patches, Christmas tree farms, U-pick operations, festivals, hiking, hunting, fishing and many other activities."
The Division is one of seven partners in a newly formed group to promote agritourism in the state.
McCullough says the Arkansas Agritourism Initiative is a partnership between the Division’s Public Policy Center and the following entities:
- Arkansas Department of Agriculture
- Arkansas Farm Bureau
- Arkansas Parks and Tourism
- Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences
- National Agricultural Law center
- Division of Agriculture’s Cooperative Extension Service.
"Each of the entities is at the forefront of the agriculture and tourism industries in the state, and we each provide services to rural Arkansas," says McCullough. "We believe agritourism is a way for us to combine our strengths to help the industry organize and grow in the state."
The purpose of the AAI is two-fold. First, AAI promotes Arkansas agritourism to people looking for activities in the state.
"Agritourism is a good way for families to slow down from the stress of everyday life and focus on relaxing and enjoying time together," says Foster. "It’s teaching children the satisfaction of eating fresh fruit and vegetables, uncovering a hidden treasure at a crafts fair, or enjoying down-home cooking you just can’t get in the city."
The second purpose of AAI is to serve as a partner to agritourism providers to promote awareness of agritourism that will help better the future of the industry.
"AAI is working on several components to further develop the agritourism industry," Foster says. "A few of these components include developing training for agritourism providers, assisting in the coordination of a statewide agritourism marketing campaign and researching legal and liability issues associated with farm-based operations."
AAI officially launched in July with an event at the River Market in downtown Little Rock.
"We had providers of various agritourism activities on hand to talk about what they offer on their farm," says Foster. "We also unveiled the AAI Web site."
The Web site, http://www.arkagritourism.org, is a site for both agritourism providers and consumers. Providers can list their operation and find information about research and what other states are doing, marketing resources, Arkansas-specific tourism resources and other useful information. They will also find information regarding agritourism legislation.
Consumers will find all the information they need for planning an agritourism adventure. Pages on the site for consumers include accommodations, fresh air adventures, down-home food, festivals and crafts and markets. Consumers can also navigate the site by the region of the state they’d like to visit.
In addition to the Web site, AAI is undertaking a study of agritourism in Arkansas and its effects on communities and the economy. The study will be conducted by McCullough and Daniel Rainey, an associate professor of agricultural economics and agribusiness with the Division.
AAI invites you to slow down and take a back road to discover rural Arkansas.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/january2009/0109backroads.htm
Contact: Lamar James, (501) 671-2187, ljames@uaex.edu
