The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area. The project plans to collect examples of currently existing farms already implementing agritourism practices and create a set of diverse OERs to educate farmers in agritourist ways.
Location: Aldeia de Pontes (Portugal)
Name of the agritourism: The Royal Goat Farm
Location: Paliometocho (Nicosia Region Cyprus)
Name of the photographer: The House of Photographers
Agritourism presents a unique opportunity to combine aspects of tourism and agriculture industries to provide a number of financial, educational, and social benefits to tourists, farmers and producers, and communities. Thanks to agritourism, farmers and producers get an opportunity to diversify their activities, generate additional income and directly market their products to consumers-tourists. On the other hand, agritourism enhances the tourism industry by increasing the volume of visitors to rural areas and prolonging the length of their stay which is currently one of the top priorities of making the tourism industry more sustainable and eco-friendlier.
Name of the agritourism: Agroturismo Mari Cruz
Location: Villanueva de Arce (Navarre, Spain)
Name of the photographer: Aida Yáñez-Sedeño
The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.
Agritourism presents a unique opportunity to combine aspects of tourism and agriculture industries to provide a number of financial, educational, and social benefits to tourists, farmers and producers, and communities. Thanks to agritourism, farmers and producers get an opportunity to diversify their activities, generate additional income and directly market their products to consumers-tourists. On the other hand, agritourism enhances the tourism industry by increasing the volume of visitors to rural areas and prolonging the length of their stay which is currently one of the top priorities of making the tourism industry more sustainable and eco-friendlier. On top of that, agritourism provides local communities with the potential to increase their local tax bases and new employment opportunities. Furthermore, agritourism provides educational opportunities to a broader public, attracts members of the public to visit agricultural operations, helps to preserve agricultural lands, and motivates farmers in implementing green and ecological activities. And finally and most importantly, agritourism and rural tourism present an eco-friendly way of travelling that decreases the carbon footprint of massive tourism, slows down tourism and supports green ways of travelling, being thus one of the possible solutions how to enjoy vacations sustainably.
Agritourism is considered the sustainable development trend of the future. It brings many unique values to travelers and contributes to the development of the agricultural economy of the rural areas. Understanding this type of tourism and its role to socio-economic is essential to properly develop the local agricultural potentials.
Since the current trends show that people-tourists-consumers are more aware of the ways how they travel and want to spend their free time, the main goal of the Farms’ Charm project is to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their own agritourism activities and provide sufficient offers to the travelers. Not only does agritourism help farmers diversify their incomes, but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer in one area.
The project plans to create diverse OERs and training material, collect examples of currently existing farms already implementing agritourism practices and upskill farmers as well as providers of education (trainers, advisors, mentors) in the area of agriculture and rural development in ways how to start and sustainably lead agritourism on own farmlands.
The Association of Private Farming of the Czech Republic (APF CR) is a voluntary professional organization of private farmers in the Czech Republic. All its activities are based on respect for old farming traditions and beliefs that family farms are the base of modern European agriculture and rural areas. The main focus of APF CR is the defense of the economic, social and professional interests of private farmers in the Czech Republic and abroad.
The long-term goals of the APF CR focus on the economic independence of rural areas and their development on the basis of multifunctional agriculture. The association supports family farming in the Czech Republic and the production of quality and ecologically friendly products.
Since 2001, Associazione Sviluppo Rurale, Italian national membership organisation, has been working to improve the sustainable development of territories in Italy and abroad, particularly those with the greatest structural backwardness such as inland and rural areas. By implementing projects involving the main players in the area and by activating all possibilities (at European level with Erasmus+ projects, at national and regional level with LAGs and others) capable of promoting interventions that safeguard local natural and cultural resources, ASR implements strategies and implements partnerships capable of fostering the socio-economic growth of resident populations.
There are three main areas of intervention of the association: – slow, sustainable and responsible tourism, to safeguard the territory and increase its attractiveness, the hospitality policy, to encourage exogenous investments in rural areas and improving the competitiveness of rural micro and small enterprises
Cyprus Agrotourism Company is a private non-profitable company established by the Deputy Ministry of Tourism in Cyprus in 1996. Its members are owners of traditional houses and boutique hotels and other rural businesses or individuals or associations or cooperatives who offer tourists services/experiences in the villages of Cyprus. Today the company has more than 125 members in more than 60 villages offering quality services in the field of rural tourism.
Cyprus Agrotourism Company offers a variety of services to its members and partners in the private and public sector in regard with the promotion and the development of rural tourism/ agrotourism in Cyprus. Some of the aims of the Company are the preservation of the traditional character of the rural villages, the hospitality and the promotion of the traditional cuisine and agricultural products, the promotion of agrotourism in Cyprus and abroad. The company also organizes educational seminars, workshops, conferences and training programs of the staff/entrepreneurs/managers/owners of rural businesses and the local communities. Provides consultation to potential investors in the field of rural tourism and to the locals.
BEST Institut für berufsbezogene Weiterbildung und Personaltraining GmbH was founded in 1990 as an independent Austrian organisation for providing continuous training, vocational qualification and career services. Its main activities comprise the development of innovative training programmes for young (+16) individuals and adults, many of them disadvantaged and with migration background, on continuous and vocational training, counselling & coaching and activation for job seekers and employees. The training schemes are client-oriented and based on both the specific needs of the labour market and the participants’ individual situations, skills and competences, previous experience and life circumstances.
On Projects was born in 2014 as a project managing consulting enterprise. Its main focus is advising enterprises, associations, public bodies and other entities in managing, monitoring and disseminating public-funded projects. On Projects staff has a wide experience in managing projects in the framework of many European Programs (including 6th and 7th framework program, Horizon 2020, Life, Progress, Culture, Media and Creative Europe programs, Youth in action and of course LLP and ERASMUS+) with a special focus on adult education and VET in rural areas, Agriculture/Rural development, culture and cultural heritage, social integration domains.