AgritourismSites

//**Agritourism**// :: Agritourism Sites :: Agritourism Activities :: Case Studies

=Agritourism Sites =

What is this?
 Agritourism sites are farms offering any type of activity intended to increase farm income other than crop or livestock production, e.g. pick your own, corn maze, school field trips. The 10 categories of Agritourism activities follow the classification used by NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

Why does this matter?
 In 2005, North Carolina Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services conducted a survey of Agritourism farms in North Carolina. Wake and Johnston ranked among the top five counties with most Agritourism operations. This indicator provides a measure of the distribution and relative importance of Agritourism operations across the Triangle. It also indicates the existence and popularity of different types of recreational and educational opportunities related to agriculture offered in the community.

Definitions
Agritourism = a value-added agricultural activity that provides recreational and entertaining experiences to educate people about North Carolina agriculture (1)

What does this measure show?
There are 72 Agritourism farms in the Triangle. Wake County is clearly the largest provider of Agritourism activities, even though Johnston and Chatham have the most farmland. Wake, as the largest provider may be seen as an outcome of development pressures, competition experienced by farmers and the sheer number of people. The demand for these opportunities might be stronger closer to population centers like Raleigh, making it easier for farmers to start an Agritourism business.


 * Table 1. **** Agritourism Sites in the Triangle. Source: NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, 2010 **


 * Author** Elina Inkiläinen


 * Reviewers** Tandy Jones, TLC; Dr. Nancy Creamer, NCSU

Technical Notes
Source: [|NC Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services], Agritourism Division. A query was made of the six counties of interest. The website was accessed and data were compiled on 03/07/2010. Spreadsheet with data: [|Agritourism Data.xlsx]