FARM AND FOOD TOURISM: EXPLORING
OPPORTUNITIES IN THE WEST
Kynda Curtis, Professor and Extension Specialist, Utah State
University
Susan Slocum, Assistant Professor, George Mason University
Objectives



Disseminate best practices in farm and food tourism enterprise development
to professionals working with agricultural producers, food producers, and
agritourism operators through the development of a curriculum and
workshops (5) to be offered in Nevada, Utah, and Idaho
Audience includes Extension educators, tribal staff, Department of
Agriculture personnel, NRCS employees, county employees, conservation
district staff, FSA personnel and other agribusiness and tourism
professionals in Nevada, Utah, and Idaho
End goal is for target audience to work with producers and agritourism
operators to implement food tourism enterprises to improve economic
sustainability of these enterprises and their communities
What is Food Tourism?

The desire to experience a particular type of food or the products of
a specific region…
A
form of regional development that helps strengthen local food and
beverage production through backward linkages in tourism supply-chain
partnerships
 Provides new opportunities to promote and distribute local products while
providing an enhanced visitor experience through the expression of
community identity and cultural distinctiveness
What is Food Tourism?





An expression of culture
A form of regional heritage
Supports the enhancement of the tourist experience
Creates backward linkages in the food supply chain
Supports socio-economic growth in rural regions
What is Agritourism/Farm Tourism?

Agritourism is a subsector of food tourism that specializes in the
incorporation of visits to farms for the purposes of on-site retail
purchases, enjoyment, and education
 Pick
your own
 Farm-stays
 Corn mazes
 Farm tours
 Farm shops
What is Culinary Tourism?

The practice of exploratory eating, especially those instances in which
eating unfamiliar food or participating in new food customs as a way
of encountering, learning, or understanding other places and cultures
 Food/wine
trails
 Cooking schools
 Farm shop visits
 Restaurant experiences
Why Farm and Food Tourism?




Agricultural producers face numerous challenges and look to diversify product
offerings, access new markets, and expand market periods and pricing
Tourism providers struggle to find the regional distinctiveness necessary to
differentiate themselves from other tourism destinations
As a result of the growing local foods movement, farm and food tourism may
provide a solution
Farm/food tourism has been shown to……..




Enhance a destination’s tourism offering
Generate additional economic opportunities for local growers and processors, especially
in close proximity to prime tourism destinations
Provide a venue to promote and distribute local agricultural goods and value-added
products
Provide tourists with the cultural experiences they seek
Buy Local Movement




185% increase in farmers’ markets from 2000 to 2014
275% increase in CSA programs from 2004 to 2014 (6,000)
288% increase in food hubs from 2007-2014 (302)
The National Grocery Association 2012 Consumer Panel
The availability of local foods was a major influence on grocery shopping
decisions as 87.8% of respondents rated local food availability as “very or
somewhat important,” with 45.9% indicating “very important”
 The need for “more locally grown foods” was the second most desired
improvement among surveyed grocery shoppers at 36.6%, just under “price/cost
savings”


In 2012, 164K farmers (7.8% of US farms) sold $6.1 billion in local foods
Farmers’ Markets US
Local Food Demand While Traveling



The National Restaurant Association's 2013 Restaurant Industry
Forecast reported that 7 of 10 consumers were more likely to visit a
restaurant offering locally sourced items
The National Restaurant Association’s 2014 “Top Ten Trends across the
Nation,” included locally sourced meats/seafood and locally grown
produce as the top 2 trends
The US travel Association reports that 27 million travelers, or 17% of
American leisure travelers, engaged in culinary or wine-related
activities while traveling within the past three years
Why Farm and Food Tourism?

Food is one of the major tourism activities
 One-third
of tourism expenditures are on food/drink
 Tourists tend to be less sensitive to food prices
 Food is considered a “vital” component in the quality of a tourism
experience
 The product is the basis of food tourism
Tourism Market

Western US a popular tourism destination, prime area for
tourism development


Idaho 2013 tourism indicators



30.2 million total visitors
Total travel spending: $1.4 billion
Nevada 2012 tourism indicators




20+ national and state parks
52.2 million total visitors
24.6 million state/national park visits
Total travel spending: $58.1 billion
Utah’s 2013 tourism indicators



23.5 million total visitors
4.2 million skier visits
Total travel spending: $7.5 billion
Why Farm and Food Tourism?







Additional market for current products
Diversification into new enterprises/products
Reduced transportation/marketing costs
Year-round sales (additional sales)
Outlet for value-added products
Income/employment for family members
Cottage food production now option across the West
Why Farm and Food Tourism?

On-farm activities, the visitor comes to you
 Eliminates
the need for transportation
 Ability to work in a familiar environment
 More flexibility in scheduling activities
 Display “show off” products
 Educate others about local foods
 Interact with people from around the globe
Extension Program Overview

Five workshops (2014-2015)


Curriculum


Utah (2), Nevada (2), and Idaho (1)
Full color book, worksheets, and PowerPoint slides
Team

Lead
Utah State University Extension – Kynda Curtis, Karin Allen, Paul Hill
 Susan Slocum (GMU)


Partners
University of Nevada, Reno – Carol Bishop
 University of Idaho – Wilson Gray


Funding provided by WSARE
Needs Assessment

Online survey of small-scale producers in Mountain states, April 2014


Recruited through email lists of Extension, 115 responses
Results overview
62% operation near a tourism destination or direct travel route between
destinations
 63% produce vegetables and 44% value added products
 26% conduct agritourism activities (farm/ranch tours & farm stands/shops)
 80% have revenues from agritourism activities of 20% or less
 37% have five year or less industry experience, 26% 6 to 10 years experience
 84% would attend a workshop on implementing agritourism/food tourism activities

Results
W ha t a g rito uris m/ fo o d to uris m a c tiv itie s wo uld
y o u imp le me nt in the future
R e s p o ns e
Pe rc e nt
On-farm/ranch tours
Pick-your-own
Bed and breakfast/home stays
Sourcing local restaurants
Sourcing local hotels or conference centers
On-site farm stand/shop
Off-site farm shop
Seasonal recreational activities (corn mazes, hunting)
Tourism processing activities (wine making, cooking
Other (please specify)
32.2%
28.7%
10.3%
35.6%
16.1%
35.6%
18.4%
26.4%
33.3%
14.9%
W ha t wo uld y o u c o ns id e r to b e the p rima ry hurd le s to
e xp a nd ing y o ur a g rito uris m/ fo o d to uris m o p e ra tio ns ?
Site or location availability
Infrastructure/capital investment requirements
Start-up capital financing/funding
Marketing/promotion strategies
Labor availability
Legal and/or liability issues
Product processing and labeling requirements
Distance/transportation to markets
Market quantity requirements
Product quality standards/requirements
Other
R e s p o ns e
P e rc e nt
26.3%
48.4%
52.6%
31.6%
32.6%
40.0%
20.0%
18.9%
14.7%
5.3%
9.5%
Results
W o uld y o u c o ns id e r p a rtic ip a ting in a ny o f the
fo llo wing ?
State-wide agritourism network
Regional agritourism network
Seasonal agritourism newsletter/brochure
Agritourism website
State-wide farm shop network
Regional food coop/food hub
Food/drink heritage trail
Other (please specify)
R e s p o ns e
P e rc e nt
67.4%
59.8%
59.8%
67.4%
57.6%
62.0%
35.9%
8.7%
W ha t ty p e s o f info rma tio n o r ma te ria ls wo uld b e mo s t he lp ful
to y o u in p la nning y o ur a g rito uris m/ fo o d to uris m o p e ra tio n?
Assessing business/economic feasibility
Financing or start-up capital options
Hiring and managing employees
Marketing/promotional methods and outlets
Tourist preferences and travel patterns
Ordering and inventory management
Product placement and arrangement
Processing and labeling value-added products
Service and product pricing
Contracting with distributors/stores
Legal, liability or insurance
Transportation/distribution options
Other (please specify)
R e s p o ns e
P e rc e nt
53.4%
55.7%
23.9%
64.8%
43.2%
13.6%
25.0%
31.8%
37.5%
29.5%
62.5%
30.7%
4.5%
Curriculum Overview





Module 1: Why Farm and Food Tourism?
Module 2: Farm and Food Tourism Considerations
Module 3: Understanding and Serving the Tourism Market
Module 4: Producing and Marketing Value-Added Foods
Module 5: Assessing the Economic Feasibility of New
Enterprises/Products
Program Impacts
Target Time Frame Targets - Knowledge/Skills/Actions
Short-Term
Medium-Term
Understand of economic, political, and environmental benefits
of implementing food tourism enterprise
Verification Methods
100
Pre and post-test and post
seminar evaluation
Understand the basic economics of diversification strategies,
especially food tourism markets available to producers in the
Intermountain West
100
Pre and post-test and post
seminar evaluation
Understand the components of evaluating the economic
feasibility of food tourism
100
Pre and post-test and post
seminar evaluation
Understand tourist and tourism business purchase behaviors,
needs, and motivations in relation to purchasing local foods
100
Pre and post-test and post
seminar evaluation
Create plan to introduce seminar curriculum and other SARE
resources into producer programming
80
Follow-up evaluation
60
Follow-up evaluation
40
Follow-up evaluation
25
After project - follow up
evaluation
25
After project - follow up
evaluation
10
After project - follow up
evaluation
Work one-on-one with producers/agritoursm operators to
evaluate the economic feasibility of food tourism for their
operation
Assist producers/agritourism operators in developing a
marketing plan that supports tourism promotional messages
and strategies
Long-Term
Estimated # of
Participants
Assist producers/agritoursm operators in implementing food
tourism strategies for their operation
Assist producers/agritoursm operators in accessing food
tourism networks and distribution channels
Assist producers/agritoursm operators with the measurement
of changes in profitability and economic sustainability of their
food tourism diversification strategies
Evaluation Plan

Retrospective (post-workshop) evaluation
 See
handout
 Questions based on learning objectives for each chapter and medium to
long-term program impacts

12 month follow-up evaluation (web-based)
 To

be conducted starting June 2015
2 year follow-up evaluation (web-based)
 To
be conducted starting June 2016
Outcomes


97 participants over 5 programs
Retrospective evaluation results
 Ag
producers/food producer – 69%, Extension/Agency – 41%
 workshop helpful/very helpful – 91%
 Workshop materials to be used in job/operation – 87%
 Recommend workshop to others – 99%
 Value of attending more than $500 – 51%
Knowledge/Skills
To what extent do you understand the following subjects ?
(5=A great deal, 4=Considerably, 3=Moderately, 2=Slightly, 1=Not at all)
The potential economic, social and environmental benefits of implementing ag/food tourism enterprises
The activities, products, and events associated with ag/food tourism enterprises
Benefits and challenges in sourcing restaurants
Benefits and challenges in sourcing hotels/conference centers
Assessing the economic feasibility of an ag/food tourism enterprise
Tourist types and preferences related to ag/food tourism
Creating cost and return projections (budgets) for a new ag/food tourism enterprise
Management and resource requirements for establishing an ag/food tourism enterprise
Tourism promotional methods and outlets
Estimating demand for a new ag/food tourism enterprise
Labeling and safety aspects of value-added food production
Local value-added product processing regulations
Safety and liability considerations in an ag/food tourism enterprise
Average Improvement
Before
After
Average
Improvement
3.03
4.07
34%
2.97
3.73
25%
2.69
3.48
29%
1.95
3.34
71%
2.74
3.67
34%
2.36
3.63
54%
2.72
3.61
33%
2.56
3.59
40%
2.58
3.49
36%
2.46
3.23
31%
2.96
3.71
25%
2.80
3.67
31%
2.93
3.72
27%
36%
Future Actions
If you are a farmer/rancher, small food producer, or tourism operator please complete the following.
Please indicate your level of agreement with the following statements.
(5=Strongly Agree, 4= Moderately Agree, 3=Unsure, 2=Moderately Disagree, 1=Strongly Disagree)
Average
I will create a business plan for a new ag/food tourism
3.92
I will create a marketing plan for a new ag/food tourism enterprise that supports tourism promotional strategies
3.65
I will develop a production plan for value-added products for my operation
3.57
I will develop a safety plan for my operation and/or tourism related products
3.81
I will implement an ag/food tourism enterprise in my operation
3.77
I will measure the changes in my operations profitability and economic sustainability due to my ag/food tourism diversification
3.19 strategies
4
If you work with agricultural producers and/or small food processors please complete the following.
Average
I will create a plan to introduce the workshop curriculum and other SARE resources into producer programming
3.3
I will assist producers in evaluating the economic feasibility of ag/food tourism for their operation
3.4
I will assist producers in developing a marketing plan that supports tourism promotional strategies
3.4
I will assist producers in implementing ag/food tourism strategies for their operation
3.4
I will assist producers in accessing food tourism networks and distribution channels
3.4
I will assist producers with the measurement of changes in profitability and economic sustainability of their ag/food tourism3.5
diversification strategies
3.4
Conclusions





Met participant objectives (97 vs. 100)
Short-term impacts met, level of understanding/skills increased (from
25 to 75% on average)
Mid-term actions look promising (great than 3.4 or better out of 5)
Mid- and long-term impacts to be measured
Curriculum developed
 Book
to finalize - professional printing
 All materials will be posted to USU Extension website

Continue analysis and publication surrounding food tourist data
THANK YOU!