An agroecological perspective on agritourism
With the Scottish Agritourism Conference just round the corner, we thought it would be timely to share some views on how it can fit with agroecological thinking.
Agritourism is any “tourism or leisure on a working farm, croft or estate which produces food or fleece”. In practice this can take several forms: a farm shop selling own or neighbours’ produce, holiday cottages, a barn used as a wedding venue, farm tours and workshops, a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, a caravan site, an annual sports event, a café... It can be anything which brings farmers and non-farmers to the farm, creating space for new dialogues, relationships and ultimately a slice of extra income. Some of my personal favourites to visit so far have been the Pillars of Hercules’ café and shop and the Bowhouse events space.
Given this broad definition, it’s easy to see how there can be overlap with the 10 principles of agroecology: diversification, sharing of knowledge, resilience, culture and solidarity are all agroecological principles which have the potential to be nourished by agritourism.
Here in Scotland
The agritourism sector in Scotland is currently worth £170million and there are 700 farms with registered agritourism businesses on Visit Scotland. Scottish Agritourism is the national body for agritourism in Scotland, with a network of 250 members including 16 leaders on farms throughout the country, with Go Rural as its consumer-facing brand. The Scottish Government has given 3-year backing for an Agritourism Monitor Farms Programme which is hosting regular events around running a successful agritourism business.
There is a national strategy for agritourism in Scotland, endorsed by the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, which has set clear targets for 2030, including to grow the sector to £250million – 50% of which should come from food sales – and to have 1000 registered agritourism enterprises, 60% of which should hold a Green Tourism award.
On the 31st of October – the day after the new UK Government budget went live – Scottish Agritourism lead Caroline Millar and communications manager Laura Paterson went with a group of under-35s, mostly from farming families currently running or looking to start up agritourism businesses, to the Scottish Government and Scottish Parliament. We met with representatives from the Liberal Democrats, Conservatives and Labour parties to voice our concerns and ask how agritourism is being supported in the future.
Some of the topics raised were disparity between local councils’ planning permissions and fees, funding for agritourism in the new Agriculture and Rural Communities Bill, succession planning and inheritance tax, sourcing staff and support for farms wishing to diversify their business.
Looking ahead and abroad
Next week, on the 18th and 19th of November, the Scottish Agritourism Conference is being held in Perth Concert Hall. Anyone interested about agritourism business options can join and tickets can be bought on Eventbrite.
Looking forward to June 2026, Scotland has won the bid to host the World Agritourism Conference. This will be an event with international speakers and farmers sharing stories about how agritourism has allowed them to continue their farming businesses. Italy, for example, a country known for its rich local food culture, has a thriving agritourism sector with over 20,000 farms with registered agritourism businesses, many of which are responsible for sustainable rural development.
Agritourism can play an important role in creating more resilient farms, especially if extra income from these enterprises is directed back towards the farm to finance more nature-friendly practices. With the future of public funding for agriculture being so uncertain, agritourism could be a good option for bringing in extra income for sustainable development.
The Farm Advisory Service have a factsheet on agritourism, with key information about opportunities and further links on how to get started. The Visit Scotland and Go Rural websites showcase various examples as well as maps of farms with agritourism businesses across the country, if you are interested in speaking to someone who has experience in a specific venture.
Our Farming and Land Use Advisor and author of this article, Johanna Norris, will be attending the Scottish Agritourism Conference with twenty other under-35s as part of the Scottish Agritourism Futures Scholarship Programme. If you have any stories about how agritourism has helped you become more agroecological on your farm, please feel free to reach out to her!
