Agritourism as an emerging niche tourism �market in Uzbekistan��Ian Patterson PhD Visiting Professor �Silk Road International University of Tourism & Cultural Heritage, Samarkand

Why is agritourism growing in importance?

• Agricultural-based tourism or agritourism has been described an ‘original way of experiencing the countryside’ and is one of the emerging segments of the global tourism industry.
• Rural areas are facing a range of problems that include an increase in unemployment rates, emigration to major cities, impoverishment of the soil, hydrogeological instability, and loss of agricultural traditions (Ammirato, & Felicetti, 2014).
• Agritourism is seen to be a new source of generating income and adding value.

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Scope of this presentation

This presentation will focus on:

1. The benefits of agritourism – from an economic, sustainable and educational tourism perspective.
2. Uzbekistan - where more than half of the population live in rural areas, rely on agriculture as a means of employment, and for many it is their main means of subsistence.

What is agritourism?

Defined as,

• “A form of commercial enterprise that links agricultural production and/or processing with tourism to attract visitors onto a farm, ranch, or other agricultural business for the purposes of entertaining and/or educating the visitors while generating income for the farm, ranch, or business owner”. National Agricultural Law Center https://nationalaglawcenter.org/overview/agritourism/

It includes four factors:

1. combines the essential elements of the tourism and agricultural industries;
2. attracts tourists to visit agricultural operations;
3. designed to increase farm income; and
4. provides recreation, entertainment, and/or educational experiences for visitors (Arroyo, Barbieri, et al., 2013)

Research methods used in this study…

• A number of sources were identified that included an iterative search of the multiple literature databases such as the Web of Science, Scopus, Researchgate and Google Scholar.
• A total of 39 research studies that had been published between 2003 and 2021 were identified, retrieved and analysed
• The following key words were used: agriculture, agritourism, rural areas, economic benefits, sustainable benefits, educational agritourism, Uzbekistan, to identify research gaps on the topic.

Agritourism is becoming a global industry

• Agritourism has a long history in the US and European countries such as Spain (Mallorca), Italy (Tuscany), the United Kingdom, Taiwan, Greece and France; as well as in developing countries such as India, Pakistan, Phillipines and Thailand.
• In England - farms provide commercial leisure service enterprises such as fishing, nature trails, as well picnic sites, overnight accommodation and/or catering (Turner & Winter, 2003).
• In France - hikers and cyclists follow a network of trails around the country that leads them from farm to farm.
• In the Netherlands - the farmers use centralized clearinghouses for contacting and booking home stay services on working farms.
• in the United States - “Dude” ranches are more common and offer visitors the opportunity to work on cattle ranches and to take part in cattle drives.

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1. Benefits of Economic agritourism

• A number of scholars have supported the entrepreneurial role of agritourism as a new strategy in rural development.

Supply side…

• it allows farmers to generate additional income from existing farm assets (land, labour, and machinery) that may be underutilized or idle;
• moderates seasonal fluctuations in farm cash flow;
• provides farm employment opportunities for family members (Barbieri et al. 2008).
• benefits surrounding communities by drawing tourists to rural areas (Barbieri, Sotomayor et al. 2017).

Demand side…

• consumers are expressing stronger preferences for local food purchasing options and reconnecting to their agrarian heritage
• home gardening contributes to food security by encouraging a more nutritious diet (Alonso, 2010; Kortright & Wakefield, 2011).

In the US, farm agritourism revenue has more than tripled between 2002 and 2017 growing from $704 million in 2012 to almost $950 million in 2017 (USDA Economic Research Centre, 2017). �EMR reports (https://www.expertmarketresearch.com/reports/agritourism-market) that the global agritourism market size is estimated to reach an expected value of USD 141 billion by 2030 growing at a CAGR of 13.4% during the forecast period (2022–2030). �

2. Benefits of Sustainable agritourism

• Agritourism helps to preserve rural lifestyles and nature-based landscapes
• Provides sustainable or ‘green’ tourism that is often incorporated into regional development plans as a stimulus for local economies (Flanigan, Blackstock et al., 2014).
• Eshun and Tettey (2014) - agrotourism seeks to increase environmental awareness and assists the wellbeing of surrounding communities.
• Traditional and indigenous methods of agricultural production are generally more important for tourists looking for an agritourism experience (Mahaliyanaarachchi, 2015).

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3. Benefits of Educational Agritourism

• Petroman, Varga et al. (2016) concluded that agritourism can be used as an ‘incredible educational tool’
• Promoting a farm-stay experience attracts tourists and students, either for fun or for active involvement in the farm activities in a rural environment.
• Educational activities in rural areas offer rich experiences for:
• learning agricultural techniques in production (crops, fruits, vegetables) and manufacturing of agricultural products,
• rural cultural heritage is also a substantial component of agritourism (Damerell, Howe et al., 2013). 

Educational Agritourism – Farm stay

• The aim of this farm tour is to:
• Provide an awareness to visitors about the different types of crops and cultivation practices, harvesting methods and the different types of farm animals and animal husbandry methods so as to create a positive image of agriculture (Mahaliyanaarachchi, 2015).
• Sachaleli (2021, p. 92) states that, “younger guests may discover that goats are not dogs with horns, donkeys are different from horses, and milk does not originate in a plastic container in the grocery store. Tours of farm fields have enabled many people to realize that peanuts are grown underground, and cotton grows on a plant - not in a bale. Visitors can pick pumpkins, apples, cherries, and other produce; or they can navigate corn mazes”.

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Educational Agritourism – Agricultural literacy and traditions

• Brune, Knollenberg et al., (2018) hypothesized that farm visits increase the consumer’s agricultural literacy.
• Visitors receive a better understanding of life in rural areas and the traditions associated with the agricultural industry, and to establish an emotional and direct contact with nature
• Children encourage their parents to purchase local products through conversations with their children.
• Petroman et al. (2016) suggested that shopping tourist villages could be organized in rural areas where hand-made products can be sold and folk craftsmen give demonstrations

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Recreation and Entertainment – hay rides, hiking, bicycling, horse & camel rides, hunting, fishing, concerts,

Educational Experiences – school tours, feeding animals, agricultural museum, working on the farm

Retail Sales- farmer markets, pick your own operations, cellar door wine sales,

Culture and Traditions – crafts, cooking, weddings, agricultural festivals

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Hospitality and Accommodation -overnight stay, bed and breakfast, farm to table cuisine,

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Agritourism

-increased revenue -sustainable development

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Classification of agritourism activities (adapted from Chase et al, 2018; Wicks & Merrett, 2003)

Uzbekistan – an agricultural economy

• Agriculture plays a major role in the economy of Uzbekistan, employing 44% of its total population of 33 million, contributing 18% to the GDP and provides employment for around 15 million people (Nurbekov, Aksoy et al., 2018).
• Half of Uzbekistan’s population resides in rural areas, with rural poverty decreasing from 13.7% in 2015 to 11.5% in 2020 (USAID, https://www.usaid.gov/uzbekistan/agriculture-and-food-security).
• There were 67,804 farms in 2015 (State Statistics Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan),
• Cotton and grain (wheat and barley) account for 82.2% of all cultivation areas while rice, maize, potatoes, vegetables and fruits are also grown. In recent years, Uzbekistan has become a major exporter of high quality and competitive fruit and vegetable products.

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Uzbekistan - agritourism

• Uzbekistan has been described as having great potential for the development of agritourism (Matyakubov & Defrancesco, 2018).
• Baymuradova (2021) - the essence of agritourism in Uzbekistan lies in tourists visiting rural areas for the purpose of recreation and carrying out cultural and leisure activities in ecologically ‘clean’ areas, and to engage with local people in undertaking traditional farming activities.
• Agritourism provides the opportunity to, “live for several days in a real atmosphere of an Uzbek home, feeling all the charm of a simple life, plunging into the ancient culture and touching the land with centuries-old traditions” (Baymuradova, 2021, p. 84).
• Guests can be taught horseback riding, milking a cow, mowing hay, churning butter, spinning yarn, picking cotton, embroidery and other practical skills.

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Uzbekistan - recommendations

• Agritourism is an emerging field of tourism and has tremendous potential for future growth in Uzbekistan
• HOWEVER most rural residents and farmers do not speak English (although many speak Russian and Tajek) and this is a major barrier for foreign agritourists from most western countries.
• For international tourists there are two major barriers: speaking English language and the standards associated with farm-standard accommodation must be high in Uzbekistan in regard to hygiene, meals and recreation/entertainment activities. Entrepreneurs need to invest money in bringing several farms (close to major cities) up to international standards.
• A high level internet data base is essential to inform tourists about what is available, possibly using a star system like hotels use, similar to Slowhop https://slowhop.com/en/
• Presently, agritourism businesses need to focus on domestic tourists and their families who want to enjoy a farm stay experience. There will be no language barriers and local visitors and their families from the major cities of Uzbekistan would be able to enjoy a farm-stay experience, especially for their children.
• HOWEVER there is a need to offer training courses to farmers in basic English, writing a business plan, budgeting, service quality, and financial management.

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Thank you!