چکیده:
In advanced industrialized countries, small farmers have been challenged by changing economic and social conditions such as increased global competition, falling commodity prices, and capital- and technology intensive agricultural production. This paper will first discuss agricultural restructuring and the focus on agritourism as a strategy that enables farmers to retain land in production. Then, it will discuss barriers to agritourism development, which are rooted in small farmers’ commodity production orientation, and the problematic transition to selling differentiated attractions or experiences. Finally, using focus groups of Michigan agritourism operators, this paper will illustrate the informational and purchasing linkages among producers that help to overcome these barriers. These linkages bolster agritourism, which faces competition from both leisure and food purchase alternatives and from competing land uses. They also support a dedicated core of agritourism operators who produce the goods, services, and landscapes needed to further Michigan’s image as an agritourism destination.