Agricultural tourism (agritourism) is a commercial enterprise at a working farm or ranch conducted for the enjoyment and education of visitors, and that generates supplemental income for the owner or operator.
Agritourism takes many forms, including:
- farm stands or shops
- U-pick
- farm stays
- farm tours
- on-farm classes
- fairs and festivals
- pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and Christmas tree farms
- wine tasting and orchard dinners
- youth camps
- barn dances
- hunting or fishing and bird watching
- guest ranches,
- and more.
UC SAREP, working with county-based UC Cooperative Extension farm advisors, provides resources for agritourism operators and hosts California's statewide directory and calendar of agritourism operations.
Our Current Projects:
- Agritourism Intensive 2019 - Three-session agritourism planning classes for farmers and ranchers, offered in Santa Cruz and Calaveras Counties
- Growing California Agritourism Communities– Professional Development workshops and tools for agricultural and tourism professionals, government staff and officials and others who help farmers and ranchers develop and promote agritourism enterprises.
Some recent projects and reports:
- Agritourism Conversations: Lunchtime webinars and online forum - A series of practical webinars and an online forum for conversation on topics of interest to the California agritourism community - In partnership with FarmsReach
- Mapping California Agritourism 2015 - maps showing California agritourism operations and on-vineyard wineries.
- Marketing Regional Farms and Wineries; A Guide for California Agricultural Marketing Groups