September 11, 2022

More than 500 people from 56 countries gathered in-person and virtually for the International Workshop on Agritourism (IWA), hosted by University of Vermont Extension in Burlington, VT, August 30-September 1.

“One participant called it the largest agritourism gathering in the world,” said IWA 2022 Chair Lisa Chase, UVM Extension Professor and Director of the Vermont Tourism Research Center. “I don’t know if that is true, but I do believe that it was the most diverse when you consider the geographies represented and the mix of farmers, researchers, tourism professionals, agricultural service providers, policymakers, non-profits, entrepreneurs, and others working with agritourism.” 

NERCRD was well-represented at the event: 

• Jason Enstminger participated in a panel, “Understanding and Enhancing Diversity in Agritourism”, including offering remarks on the state of knowledge about LGBTQ+ entrepreneurs in agritourism; 
• Claudia Schmidt presented or co-authored four presentations on her agritourism research and outreach; 
  • Agritourism Critical Success Factors for Farms and Ranches in the United States
  • Agritourism Support Systems in The United States
  • Entrepreneurial Motivations of Agritourism Farmers: An Analysis of USA Farms and Ranches
  • International Research Network for Agritourism – Country Level Agritourism Surveys
  • (see below for complete list of authors)
• Kristen Devlin attended in support of the National Extension Tourism Network (NET), which participated as an event sponsor and also was well-represented by numerous network members in attendance. 

NET’s sponsorship was a significant milestone for the organization and was its first opportunity to debut several marketing and communication pieces they have developed during their participation in the New Technologies for Agricultural Extension accelerator program. Attendance at the event by members of NET’s Executive Committee was also supported by the NTAE funds, so that the leaders could communicate with attendees about NET activities and engage in planning for NET’s future. (Pictured at left: NET Vice Chair Xinyi Qian, Director of University of Minnesota Tourism Center)

In addition to attending the event, NERCRD will be supporting the development of an IWA Proceedings, to be published in 2023. For more information about IWA, including access to recordings of several virtual knowledge-sharing meetings that led up to the Burlington event, visit: https://www.agritourismworkshop.com.

See more photos from the event here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/QC8j8YvXvGmCo7qS6

NERCRD-related Presentations at IWA:

• Curtis, K., Slocum, S., Entsminger, J., Gil Arroyo, C. (August 30, 2022). Understanding and Enhancing Diversity in Agritourism: Innovative research and outreach in entrepreneurship, marketing, and networking
• Dickes, L., Schmidt, C., Moghadam, A., Arongundade, T., & McAnirlin, O. (August 30, 2022). “Entrepreneurial Motivations of Agritourism Farmers: An Analysis of USA Farms and Ranches,” International Workshop on Agritourism, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
• Hollas, C., Chase, L., Schmidt, C., Singh Knights, D., Callahan, R., Stewart, M., Connor, D., & Dickes, L. (September 1, 2022). “Agritourism Critical Success Factors for Farms and Ranches in the United States,” International Workshop on Agritourism, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
• Lamie, D., Schmidt, C., Schmidt, L., Stewart, C., Chiodo, E., Salvatore, R., & Dickes, L. (August 30, 2022). “International Research Network for Agritourism – Country Level Agritourism Surveys,” International Workshop on Agritourism, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.
• Schmidt, C. & Hollas, C. (August 30, 2022). “Agritourism Support Systems in The United States,” International Workshop on Agritourism, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT.