Louisiana Agritourism: Recreational Tourism Abounds in Rural Settings

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Recreational Tourism Abounds in Rural Settings

Recreational tourism can include: agritourism, heritage tourism, eco-tourism, nature-based tourism, etc. It's about having fun and learning something at the same time. Most of the opportunities can be found in rural settings.

In Louisiana, we have recreational statutes that provide a level of protection for landowners. One of our newest is the Louisiana Agritourism Limited Liability Law which was passed in 2008. This law lists a number of opportunities for landowners to engage in and receive protection under the law.

Although we list many activities as agritourism, they could also be considered eco-tourism and nature-based tourism.

I found an excellent resource online entitled, "Developing Naturally: An Exploratory Process for Nature-Based Community Tourism." This manual was written by the Clemson University Cooperative Extension Service and provides great insight in how to develop a region for tourism using natural resources.

The LSU AgCenter provides assistance in agritourism related projects.

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Agritourism Law Limits Liability

In 2008, the Louisiana Legislature expanded the limitation of liability found in La R.S. 9:2795 et seq to include certain agritourism activities. The legislation authored by Representative Andy Anders and Senators Francis Thompson and Mike Walsworth provides that the Louisiana Department of Agriculture and Foresty (LDAF) will develop a set of rules and regulations and that the LSU AgCenter will define a “plan of operation” for an agritourism venture and review those plans.

More about this law can be found on the LSU AgCenter Web site: www.lsuagcenter.com/agritourism

2012 Agriculture Census Shows Increase in Farming

WASHINGTON, May 2, 2014 –There are now 3.2 million farmers operating 2.1 million farms on 914.5 million acres of farmland across the United States, according to the 2012 Census of Agriculture, released today by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“Once every five years, farmers, ranchers and growers have the unique opportunity to let the world know how U.S. agriculture is changing, what is staying the same, what’s working and what we can do differently,” said Dr. Cynthia Clark, the retiring head of USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service, which administered the survey.

Eighty-seven percent of all U.S. farms are operated by families or individuals.
Principal operators were on average 58.3 years old and were predominantly male; second operators were slightly younger and most likely to be female; and third operators were younger still.
In Louisiana agritourism grew from 170 farms in 2007 to 361 farms in 2012.
In Louisiana onfarm agritourism sales jumped from $2,486 to $8,996 in 2012.
In Louisiana the definition of agritourism is broader than the definition in the census; meaning that numbers are greater.