Progress 07/01/22 to 06/30/23
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached were agritourism operators, agricultural producers who intend to develop agritourism activities on their farms, support organizationsand local decision makers. The project team reached this audience viawebinars and in person presentations focused on legal issues, support, demand, and regulatory challenges when establishing an agritourism business and collaborating between businesses. Changes/Problems:
Nothing Reported
What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two post docs participated in the research team. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The research team disseminated the results via in-person presentations, webinars, factsheets,and extension articles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: We will analyze the ongoing survey of support organizations and disseminate findings. Objective 2: We will continue to examine support indicators. We will launch a producer survey in February 2024. Objective 3: Outreach work will continue as new research is completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Using the input from the previous Delphi survey, we developed a survey of support organizations. At the time of this report, 151 answers have been recorded. We are conducting this survey to gain insight into the types of assistance agritourism businesses receive from organizations that regulate or support them. Our objective is to identify what forms of support these operators have access to and anything organizations need help with to support agritourism businesses in their area. This will further inform our outreach strategy. Objective 2a: We developed fact sheets offering detailed insights into U.S. agritourism farms' characteristics. The fact sheets draw from non-publicly available USDA Census of Agriculture data, allowing for a more detailed analysis of the number and types of farms using agritourism and/or direct sales strategies. These fact sheets cover all 50 states and include the total number of farms per state, the number participating in agritourism or direct sales, and detailed demographic and business information about these farms. The data also highlight regional and national trends, showing that agritourism and direct sales activities are most common in the Northeast states, which account for about one-fifth of all U.S. farms offering some form of agritourism. These findings suggest potential opportunities for regional collaboration among agritourism entrepreneurs. Objective 2b: Completed. We used univariate and bivariate local Moran's I to identify hotspots of agritourism and direct sales to consumers in the United States and a SUR Spatial Durbin Model to examine the association between agritourism and direct sales to consumers. We find that agritourism and direct sales reinforce each other, which has important implications for census data collection and agritourism research and extension. This paper has been published in Agricultural and Resource Economics Review 52, no. 1 (2023): 168-188. In another study, we explored the relationship between broadband adoption and the number of agritourism operations, highlighting the potential of improved internet access to enhance rural development and economic opportunities for farmers.Access to fast broadband internet is crucial for agritourism operators to connect with consumers effectively. Expanding broadband adoption, especially in rural areas, can promote agritourism activities and contribute to economic development. This study was presented at the 2023 AAEA conference and is currently under revise and resubmit. Objective 2c: This objective was adapted to allow for changes in the research team. We are currently developing a survey instrument targeted at producers, which will be launched in February 2024. Objective 3: Work is actively underway - see output.
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2023
Citation:
Schmidt, C., Tian, Z., Goetz, S. J., Hollas, C. R., & Chase, L. (2023). Agritourism and direct sales clusters in the United States. Agricultural and Resource Economics Review, 52(1), 168-188.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Wang, W., Hollas, C.R., Chase, L., Conner, D., and Kolodinsky, J., (2022). Challenges for the agritourism sector in the United States: Regional comparisons of access. Journal of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Community Development. Online publication. https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2022.113.003
|
Progress 07/01/21 to 06/30/22
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached were agritourism operators, agricultural producers who intend to develop agritourism activities on their farms and local decision makers. The project team reached this audience via eleven webinars and in person presentations focused on legal issues, support, demand, and regulatory challenges when establishing an agritourism business and collaborating between businesses. These were: Schmidt, C., Lamie, D. (Clemson University), Singh-Knights, D. (West Virginia University), Chase, L. (University of Vermont). (February 22, 2022). "Trends and Opportunities for U-Pick Berry Growers," The North American Raspberry & Blackberry Association (NARBA). Schmidt, C., Powell, C. (February 3, 2022). "Taking the Ag-Venture to the Next Level - Agritourism Collaborations," Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Pennsylvania Vegetable Producers Association, Hershey. Schmidt, C., Gil Arroyo, C., Baryamujura, M., Mladenovska Jelenkovic, E. (December 7, 2021). "Agritourism as a Tool for Rural Development and Women's Empowerment," Agritourism Gatherings: A virtual series for farm, food, and travel communities, International Workshop on Agritourism - University of Vermont, Online. Schmidt, C. (November 12, 2021). "Agritourism Collaborations," 2021 Sustainable Agriculture Conference, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association, Online. Lamie, D. (Clemson University), Dickes, L. (Clemson University), Chase, L. (University of Vermont), Schmidt, C., Singh-Knights, D. (West Virginia University). (October 18, 2021). "Agritourism: Opening Doors of Opportunity Across the U.S. and Abroad," National Ag Marketing Summit, Grapewine, Texas/ online hybrid event. Schmidt, C., Schweichler, J. (Penn State Law). (October 6, 2021). "Local Government Webinar Series: Agritourism across Pennsylvania - Challenges and Opportunities," Local Government Webinar Series, Penn State Extension, Webinar. Fleming, E. (Verdant View Farm), Jones, S. (Farm Stay USA), Schmidt, C., Chase, L. (Vermont Extension). (June 15, 2021). "Farm Tours and Overnight Stays," Agritourism and On-Farm Direct Marketing Webinar Series, Vermont Extension and Penn State Extension. Singh-Knights, D., Chase, L., and Schmidt, C. Agritourism Safety and Liability: Updating Best Risk Management Practices for the COVID-19 Pandemic. 2022 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference (peer reviewed), Omaha, Nebraska Chase, L.C., and Lindblom, J. Applying Research Findings: Connecting with Communities. Workshop at the Northeast Travel and Tourism Research Association (NETTRA) Conference (invited, virtual), January 20, 2022. 27 attended. Lamie, D., L.C. Chase, W. Culler, and C. Schmidt. Exploring Opportunities in Agritourism. Peer reviewed presentation, Carolina Farm Stewardship Association (virtual), November 12, 2021. Chase, L.C. Taking Your Agritourism Enterprise to the Next Level. Invited keynote presentation. Organized by the Washington Tourism Alliance and Washington State Department of Agriculture (virtual), June 14, 2021. Schweichler, J. (February 3, 2022). "Legal Considerations for Agritourism" Mid-Atlantic Fruit and Vegetable Convention, Pennsylvania Vegetable Producers Association. Changes/Problems:The research team member that was supposed to complete Objective 2c (social network analysis), has left Penn State. We were not able to replace this position. We are therefore adjusting our method for this objective. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?Two post docs participated in the research team. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The research team disseminated the results via in person presentations, webinars and extension articles. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: We will finalize the Delphi survey of agritourism experts and develop surveys for national surveys to operators and technical assistance providers Objective 2: We will finalize factsheets about agritourism and direct sales for all States and continue to examine support indicators. Objective 3: Outreach work will continue as new research is completed.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: After analyzing preliminary qualitative survey data, the project team proceeded with implementing a Delphi survey approach. We received 33 responses from agritourism experts across the United States in the first round of the Delphi survey, which exceeds our initial goal of 20 key informant responses. We are currently analyzing the collected data to develop the second round of the Delphi survey. Objective 2a: We successfully collected data for the Agritourism Support Indicators survey for all states. We are currently preparing state-level information sheets. In addition, the abstract for the research team's presentation "Agritourism Support Indicators for the United States" has been accepted for the International Workshop on Agritourism in Burlington, Vermont, in August 2022. Objective 2b: Completed. We used univariate and bivariate local Moran's I to identify hotspots of agritourism and direct sales to consumers in the United States and a SUR Spatial Durbin Model to examine the association between agritourism and direct sales to consumers. We find that agritourism and direct sales reinforce each other, which has important implications for census data collection and agritourism research and extension. We submitted a manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. The paper was also accepted for presentation at the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association at the 2022 annual meeting. Objective 2c: This objective is currently being adapted to allow for changes in the research team. Objective 3: Work is actively underway (see outreach under extension articles and presentations).
Publications
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Accepted
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Schmidt, C., Chase, L., Barbieri, C., Laherty-Rilla, E., Singh-Knights, D., Thilmany, D., Tomas, S., Dickes, L., Cornelisse, S., Lamie, D., Callahan, R., George, H., & Leff, P. Linking Research and Practice: The Role of Extension on Agritourism Development in the US. Applied Economics Teaching Resources.
- Type:
Journal Articles
Status:
Published
Year Published:
2022
Citation:
Grillini, G., Sacchi, G., Chase, L., Taylor, J., Van Zyl, C.C., Van Der Merwe, P., Streifeneder, T., and Fischer, C. (2022). Qualitative assessment of agritourism development support schemes in Italy, the USA and South Africa. Sustainability 14(13), 7903.
|
Progress 07/01/20 to 06/30/21
Outputs
Target Audience:The target audience reached during the first year of the project were agritourism operators and agricultural producers who intend to develop agritourism activities on their farm. The research team delivered three webinars focusing on legal issues, support demand and regulatory challenges when establishing an agritourism business and collaborating between businesses. Changes/Problems:There was a significant delay in getting the project started because of administrative issues during the pandemic in 2020/21: Delayed start because of IRB approval Data sharing agreement with the University of Vermont was executed in April 2021 The subaward with Vermont was awarded in June 2021. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?The project provides research experience for two post doctoral scholars. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?The project team gave three presentations as listed under "other". What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?Objective 1: The ongoing analysis will directly inform subsequent parts of the project (Project years 2 and 3). In addition to the forthcoming national surveys to operators and technical assistance providers, it will also inform interview questions to select case study sites for the social network analysis. Objective 2: In subsequent work we are estimating a panel data model with the LISA variables being the dependent variables and include groups of determinant factors as mentioned above. The goal of the regression is to identify the effects of various factors on the formation of agritourism clusters.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Instead of utilizing a Delphi approach to only target support organizations, the research team, in consultation with the Advisory Board, decided to use the qualitative survey output from the recently completed NIFA project by Co-PI Lisa Chase "Critical Success Factors for Small and Medium-Sized Farms with Direct Sales and Agritourism". This will provide more targeted guidance as to which challenges operators are facing and how supporting organizations will address these. Our research team employed sequential methods of first and second cycle coding (Saldaña, 2009) for the analysis of this qualitative survey data of agritourism operators in addition to a previously conducted state-level survey (Pennsylvania). The first phase of open coding (Straus and Corbin, 1967, Charmaz, 2006), was followed by the development of themes. Emergent themes were compared with a recent multi-state report on agritourism and on-farm direct sales (Quella et al, 2021) to arrive at a working list of categories which include 1) challenges (description and governance level, e.g. local, county, state and federal), 2) resulting impacts of challenges to operators (e.g. impediments to current and future operations, expansion, etc.), and 3) relevant attributes of operators (e.g. scale of operation, rural/urban proximity, and socially disadvantaged definitions for operators). This analysis will directly inform subsequent parts of the project (Project years 2 and 3). In addition to the forthcoming national surveys to operators and technical assistance providers, it will also inform interview questions to select case study sites for the social network analysis. Objective 2: We hypothesize that farms that offer agritourism and those with direct sales to consumers tend to agglomerate in geographically proximate areas. To understand such agglomeration of farms, we have computed the univariate local Moran's I, a type of local indicator for spatial association (LISA), to detect the location of hot spots of these businesses. Further, to understand the association of agritourism and direct sales to consumers, we have computed bivariate local Moran's I. We use the county-level data from the 2017 Census of Agriculture to compute these indicators. Through an extensive literature review, we have selected key variables that will be included in the econometric model as the determining factors for the presence of agritourism. We grouped these factors into several classes, including farm characteristics, farmer characteristics, opportunity cost of farming, destination appeal and proximity, and others.
Publications
|