Project Overview
This project used a peer-reviewed agritourism training manual, incorporated learning from previous years' workshops, and partnered with producer organizations, tourism industry representatives, marketing professionals, and small business development professionals to deliver strategies for understanding, evaluating and managing the risks of operating agritourism enterprises on small-scale farms and ranches. We offered a series of three workshops in three different California regions. The workshop goals were to provide information and resources, facilitate business and marketing planning, and to nurture local networks of producers, experienced agritourism operators, and supportive professionals. At the first workshops, 70 small-scale producers increased their knowledge of potential enterprises, agritourism regulations and liability and assessed the risks, costs and benefits of current or planned agritourism businesses. At the second and third workshops, 48 participants began drafting business, marketing and risk management plans and connecting with a supportive network of peers and advisors. Three months after the last workshop, 4 had completed business plans, 18 had begun implementing action plans, 15 had implemented new marketing strategies, 10 made changes to reduce risk based on assessments of their businesses, and 11 had maintained collaborative relationships with fellow class participants or other experienced agritourism operators.
Number of Participants: 70
PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS
There are no promotional materials available for this project.
EDUCATIONAL MATERIALS
There are no educational materials available for this project.
REPORTS & EVALUATIONS
There are no reports or evaluations available for this project.