Scottish government funds agri-tourism monitor farm expansion

The Scottish government has announced a £442,000 funding package to recruit four monitor farms to help drive the agri-tourism sector north of the border.

Four farms across Scotland will be brought into the programme, which was set up in 2014.

The four new monitor farms will join two existing sites in helping gauge the growth of the sector and to act as learning sites for the wider farming sector.

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A wider circle of eight rural businesses will be involved around each farm, while a further 400 individual rural businesses will participate through meetings and seminars.

The Scottish government said the agri-tourism sector included retail sales of food and drink, accommodation, event spaces and on-farm experiences.

The sector is experiencing huge growth in Scotland with returns generated from activities almost doubling from £62m in 2021 to £110m this year, it added.

Scotland’s rural affairs secretary Mairi Gougeon explained: “A key part of agri-tourism is producing the high quality food and drink Scotland is famous for.

“It also delivers fantastic on-farm experiences and exceptional accommodation offerings that provide attractive alternatives for visitors too.”

Ms Gougeon added that the sector had become an exciting and diverse business area which was enjoying significant growth.

“It has become an important contributor to our rural economies, offering diversification opportunities, providing jobs and supporting family farms across Scotland,” she said.

“In addition, it allows consumers to engage directly with producers and to learn first-hand how their food is made.”

The Scottish enterprise agri-tourism monitor farm programme also conducts an annual survey of the sector – The agri-tourism growth tracker.

The 2022 survey findings highlighted:

• Farm tours and accommodation were the most common activities by those involved in agri-tourism
• Farms intend to expand holiday accommodation, with many respondents set to add facilities such as glamping within the next three years
• Most respondents expressed a desire to promote their own and local produce by offering eating options on site either now or in the future
• More than a third of agri-tourism businesses are already offering food and drink consumption on site as part of a holiday diversification, in a farm café or after a farm tour
• More than half (55%) of respondents attracting visitors said they sold produce online, while 36% had an on-farm shop and 29% had an honesty box.