Ask 10 people the definition of agritourism, and you’ll likely get 12 different answers. This creates challenges for policy development, according to 2024 research published in the Food Systems Journal.
Researchers Raise Concerns about USDA Census
The USDA Census of Agriculture, held every five years, asks only two questions about agritourism. First, producers report the gross dollar amount “for agritourism and recreational services.” Second, producers report about “... products as food for humans to eat or drink directly …”
According to the researchers, this bifurcation causes many agritourism farms to fall through the cracks. For example, pick-your-own operations provide an agritourism experience but typically charge not for the experience, but the berries themselves. This would put them in the USDA’s direct-to-consumer category. Overnight farm stays are attractive because of the farm landscape, but guests may not interact directly with agriculture, and many agritourism farmers may not consider themselves “agritourism” on the USDA Census.
Additionally, researchers at Cambridge noticed the direct-to-consumer sales category is itself limited by USDA Census wording. It asks farmers to consider only “food for humans” as direct-to-consumer sales, which excludes nonedible items like Christmas trees and wool products. They also noted USDA Census responders are asked only if they offer agritourism, not what type of service they offer.
Undercounting agritourism farms may hinder policymakers from giving agritourism proper resources. Currently, PennState researchers estimate 28,600 U.S farms offer agritourism, accounting for 1.5% of U.S. farms. Roughly 6% of U.S. farms offer direct-to-consumer sales.
Yes, the Cambridge researchers were able to list farms in reports as “offering agritourism or direct-to-consumer sales” or “offering only direct-to-consumer sales”. However, imagine the possibilities if we all actually knew what we were each talking about.
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