Patrick Tierney, PIRT Director.
Introduction
Farms on the urban fringe are in serious danger of being converted to
housing or losing their water to suburban uses. At the same time the
economy has been harsh on farms with it becoming more difficult to make a
living in agriculture at a small family-farm scale. Farms provide us
with food, fiber, open space, vistas, historic resources, wildlife habitat
and relief from urban blight. Tourism is one promising way to help small
independent family-owned farms. Our presenters tonight will
enlighten us on what constitutes agri-tourism, what is being done in the
San Francisco region and how we can get involved.
Ellen Rilla, UC Cooperative Extension.
Overview of Agri-Tourism in California
and the California Agricultural Tourism Project
The following information was mentioned in this presentation and can be
found at www.calagtour.org.
Listeners should visit this site to learn more about the opportunities for
tourists in agri-tourism.
Small Farm Center and Partners Launch Agricultural Tourism Project
Agricultural tourism, or agri-tourism, is one alternative for improving the incomes and potential economic viability of small farms and rural communities. Some forms of agri-tourism enterprises are well developed in California - including fairs, festivals, etc. Other possibilities still offer potential for development.
Examples of Agri -Tourism? Farm/ranch recreation refers to activities conducted on private agricultural lands, which might include fee-hunting and fishing, overnight stays, educational activities, etc. This category of tourism is a subset of a larger industry known as agri-tourism. Agri-tourism is "a commercial enterprise at a working farm, ranch, or agricultural plant
conducted for the enjoyment of visitors that generates supplemental income for the owner."
Definitions:
Agricultural Tourism: Refers to the act of visiting a working farm or any agricultural, horticultural or agribusiness operation for the purpose of enjoyment, education, or active involvement in the activities of the farm or operation.
Certified Farmers'Market (CFM): A location approved by the county agricultural commissioner, where certified farmers offer for sale only those certified agricultural products they grow themselves. Other agricultural and non-agricultural products may be sold at the markets depending on regulations and market rules.
Community SupportedAgriculture (CSA): Partnership between consumers and farmers in which consumers pay for farm products in advance and farmers commit to supplying sufficient quantity, quality and variety of products. This type of arrangement can be initiated by the farmer (farmer directed) or by a group of consumers (participatory).
Direct Marketing: Any marketing method whereby farmers sell their products directly to consumers. Examples include roadside stands, farm stands, U-pick operations, community supported agriculture or subscription farming, farmers' markets, etc.
Farm Stays: The activity of visiting a farm for overnight stays and for the purpose of participating in or enjoying farm activities and/or other attraction offered.
Farm Visits: The activity of visiting a farm for short periods of time for the purpose of participating in or enjoying farm activities and/or other attraction offered.
Roadside Stands: Also known as farm stands, refers to any activity where the farmer sells agricultural
and value added products from his farm directly to consumers at a stand or kiosk located on or near his
farm or along a road near the farm.
U-Pick or Pick-Your-Own Operations: These are fruits and farms or orchards where the customers
themselves harvest the fruits or products. The prices they pay for the volume harvested will be usually
higher than what the grower would get from a broker.
Rural Tourism: Recreational experience involving visits to rural settings or rural environments for the purpose of participating in or experiencing activities, events or attractions not readily available in urbanized areas. These are not necessarily agricultural in nature.
Rent-a-Tree Operations: These are arrangements where customers rent or lease trees from farmers. The consumers pay the farmer at the beginning of the season, the farmer takes care of the trees and either the farmer or the customer will do the harvesting.
Constance Washburn, Marin Agricultural Land Trust.
Why is Agri-Tourism Important In Marin County
It
is important to weave food and agriculture back into the fabric of our
society. Tourism is one promising ways to help do this. In order for us
as a culture to make wise choices about our future we must reconnect to the land
and the sources of our food and fiber. We need to understand how our use
of the land effects us and our environment. Tour operators and travel agents
have the opportunity to educate people about regional food and farming issues
and provide additional sources of farm revenue.
For more specific information on agri-tourism opportunities in Marin County
and the Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) see www.malt.org.
What is the Marin Agricultural Land Trust ?
Marin Agricultural Land Trust (MALT) was the first land
trust in the United States to focus on farmland preservation. Founded in 1980
by a coalition of ranchers and environmentalists to preserve farmland in Marin
County, California, MALT acquires agricultural conservation easements on
farmland in voluntary transactions with landowners. MALT also encourages
public policies that support and enhance agriculture. It is a model for
agricultural land preservation efforts across the nation. MALT has so far
permanently protected 32,000 acres of land on 47 family farms and ranches.
What is An Agricultural Conservation Easement?
An agricultural conservation easement is a legal
agreement between a landowner and Marin Agricultural Land Trust that prohibits
non-agricultural residential or commercial development, subdivision, and uses
or practices which would be destructive to the agricultural value of the land.
MALT buys the easement from the landowner. The cost of the easement is the
difference between the agricultural value of the land and the development
value. This value is determined by an independent appraiser. The easement is
recorded, and future owners are bound by its terms in perpetuity. The land
remains privately owned and on the tax rolls.
Why is preserving Marin farms and farmland
important?
Local Food Supply, Economics, Open Space, Wildlife
Habitat, and Rural Lifestyle.
Point Reyes was the birthplace of the California
dairy industry, and for many years, Marin was the leading agricultural county
in the state. Today two hundred farms and ranches on 165,000 acres employ
1,400 people and generate more than $50 million in gross revenues per year.
Most of these businesses have been in the same families for three or four
generations. Currently they provide 20% of the Bay Area's milk supply in
addition to other fresh, healthy, high-quality dairy products, plus meat,
shellfish, and organic crops produced for local markets with virtually no
pesticides or manufactured fertilizers.
The Straus family of Marshall became the first
organic dairy west of the Mississippi in 1994. It now produces 1.7 million
gallons of milk a year, selling to stores throughout the West. In 2000, the
Robert Giacomini family of Point Reyes Station began making California's first
blue cheese; it's one of only a few "table" blue cheeses made in the
United States.
Beyond the direct value of these products, the
infrastructure required to produce them also contributes millions of dollars
every year to the local economy. Each dairy, for example, spends up to half or
more of its gross revenue on supplemental feed, much of which is provided by
locally based suppliers.
If you value this land and Marin's rural heritage,
if you share our belief that the preservation of family farms and agricultural
lands for local food production, open space, and wildlife habitat benefits all
of us, you can play a vital role in safeguarding these farms by joining MALT
and by buying local products.
To Join MALT visit our web site at www.malt.org
or call 415-663-1158 for an application.
Below is a list of local producers and their
contact information.
For More Information See the Sonoma Land
Trust at http://www.sonomalandtrust.org.
