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Agricultural tourism is successful because it takes us back to a culture that was one of oneness with our environment. People cared for animals, placed their seeds in the grown, harvested their crops. People worked together to harvest crops. It was a time of great effort, yet great joy and accomplishment.
At one time there were 60 million people living on farms. And this was in a population of around 100,000,000. Now there are about 1 million farmers left in the nation of over 300,000,000. Is there any wonder that we feel separated, isolated from our connection with the land? We have children who do not know how animals are born or how fruits grow on trees.
We see commercials with boxes of cereals being grown in fields. Agricultural tourism is a new field which allows people to experience the cycle of life, the growth of plants, the birth and death of animals. We see the cycle of nature, the natural earth system in microcosm.
You provide recreational experiences and visits to rural settings or rural projects where your customers participate in and experience many kinds of activities, events or attractions developed specifically for them.
Commodity prices paid at the farm gate have fallen far behind inflation. The profits from agricultural are captured by the middleman, leaving the farmers going bankrupt, leaving their lands while the processors get richer and richer. Family farmers have to find a new way to market directly to the customers. Agricultural tourism has been part of farming in Europe for centuries. Farmer in the USA are finding that agricultural tourism can help them keep their lands and their way of life.
Many are supplementing their farm's income by offering overnight accommodations, farm visits, nature walks, and other activities to the public.
In order to create an agricultural tourism project, you have to make it a fun learning experiences for the ag tourist. There are many ways to enable your ag tourists to have a memorable experience, one they will tell their friends about and one that will attract them year after year to come to your place.
Ag tourists want to eat farm fresh produce, have farm fresh foods cooked and eaten in a family like environment. You can develop a wide variety of ag tourism projects
Level One - Simply sell farm fresh produce at a roadside stands, by membership clubs, through U-Pick operations, orfarmers markets.
Roadside Stands sales allow you as farmer to sells fresh produced, canned, dried, pickled or otherwise processed food and floral products from a direct to consumers stand or kiosk located on or near his farm or along a road near the farm.
You provide for customers in your fruit orchards or vegetable fields, where your customers harvest the fruits or products.
Here you rent/lease a tree or trees to your customer where all the fees on a particular tree belongs to them. The customer pays the farmer at the beginning of the season, the farmer takes care of the trees and either the farmer or the customer will do the harvesting.
Where you offer bed and breakfast, room stays, overnight or longer visits, camping activities.
Where you offer your customers the opportunity to visit your farm for short periods of time where they enjoy many different activities
Tourism is the fastest growing business in the world. And since September 11, customers are seeking safer ways to have an enjoyable experience. Agricultural tourism can bridge the gap between farm and city dwellers, to the benefit of both. At one time most city people had relatives in the countryside, they no longer have them available since so few people live on farms. Many city people want farm vacations, to get away, but they don't have relatives or friends who are farmers. They also want to eat locally grown food, particularly organic food.
Agricultural tourism provides enjoyment and education for the public, promotes products from the farm, and increases income for the farm. Already in many areas, there are pumpkin festivals, fruit festivals, flower festivals, bird watching trips, hikes, hay-wagon rides. You can create mountain bike trails, horseback riding trails. Most of all, they want to see how a real farm works and to be a part of that cycle of life for a time.
Roadside stands have been used by farmers for years. U Pick your own have become more and more common all over the farming countryside. A new concept that of farm stay with bed and breakfast is rapidly growing. The fact is, that it is up to farmers to promote the knowhow about the importance of farming in our country. Your project must have strict rules for customers and teach your customer about farming and how the presence is allowing them to preserve their farms.
If you want to develop a successful agricultural tourism you will need to really be interested in developing such a project and have the kind of personality that loves to meet new people and share fun and learning with them. Your land or farm must have enough acreage, good ambience, land and water or scenery, and be able to develop accommodations for them. You need to be close enough for the kind of clients you are seeking. And a source for needed startup and seed capital.
In addition, you must set up a library of information, reach every website on agricultural and other tourism available print off copy, develop your own idea book.
You've got to really want to do this. That means a sincere interest, a personality that is outgoing and patient, land and water resources sufficient to accommodate the chosen venture, capital for start-up and conversion costs, and an accessible location.
You need to want to become an expert in people interaction and the kinds of activities you will be offering. You will need a business plan and create relationships with other farmers in the area that you can use for diversification of long term visitors to your farm. And you need to want to teach, to be a place of fun ways and enjoy meeting and talking with people who know absolutely nothing about farming. Can you be genteel with those who are totally in the dark, and be willing to explain over and over again the same activity or operation.
Remember customers need community. They need to feel they belong, to have a home. People want to experience nature, to see what its like to live on the land, and want to know people who live the natural life. They need to regenerate, they need a hayride, animals to pet, sack races. You can create cooking classes, pickling classes, canning and drying seminars. You can show them how to pick flowers and dry them. You need to understand how to make them pack into two weeks the experience of a whole year. Your place can become their place of renewal, of connection to the natural life.
There is a downside such as traffic, noise, water use. But when you develop a business, there are going to be problems and issues. It's up to you to decide if the potential profits is worth the problems and efforts.
A key to a successful agricultural tourism project is to expand it into a multiple profit Enviroadventure project. By doing that you can develop multiple attractions. For example bird watching can also be combined with wildlife watching. Restoring streamside habitat, protecting wetlands, and creating favorable conditions for bird feeding, birding trails, natural trails, are all options you can pursue.
Make your guests want to stay longer than overnight by creating a community/family feeling. Let them experience farm life with a farm family. Have them experience eating together and actually talking about the days events together. Set up a community with membership cards, newsletter and website where members can enroll and communicate with others who visit your place. You have many options such as short trips and daylong trips with lunch.
If you want to develop a Agricultural Tourism Project, connect with Dr. Carol Cross at honducopa@yahoo.com.
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Indigenous groups and native people anywhere in the world who have access to the internet can get assistance in setting up a Soccer Tourism project. Soccer Tourism can be entrepreneurial or community tourism and can involve a group or tribe. Contact Dr. Carol Cross at honducopa@yahoo.com or exportfacs@aol.com.Or write her at Dr. Carol Cross, 6013 W. Monte Cristo, Glendale, AZ 85306.Come and visit us in La Esperanza. We will be available as your Honduras Investment consultants.
Farmacia Galenica Barrio El Morera, Frente Bazar Reyna La Esperanza, Intibuca, Honduras Telephone 011- 504-783-0054 or 011- 504 - 398 -9554 |
Dr. Cross Can Be Reached In Honduras after July 1, 2005Mailing Addresses after June 1, 2005 - Dr. Carol Cross, C/O Doņa Aleja de Valdivieso, Barrio El Centro, La Esperanza, Intibuca, Honduras honducopa@yahoo.com or exportfacs@aol.com Telephone 504 - 783 - 0421 You May Also Contact Dr. Cross Through Doņa Silvia Palencia y Hijos, Hotel La Esperanza, La Esperanza, Intibuca, Honduras Telephone 504 - 783-0068 Through Dr. Ramon Dario Argueta, CODET, Farmacia Galenica, Barrio El Morera, Frente Bazar Reyna, La Esperanza, Intibuca, Honduras, Telephone 504-783-0054 Email exportfacs@aol.com The International Institute of Soccer Tourism Is Opening in La Esperanza, Honduras in September 2005. IIST Understands The Problems of Soccer Tourism in Developing Countries. IIST Supports Soccer Tourism Professionals in Central America, South America, the Caribbean Islands, Africa and Asia |
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