On Agritourism
â?– liz brown morgan
Farm Vacations Inspire Your Inner Backyard Agrarian THE CHANGING FACE of the American food system and of the American farm, the economic decline, the realization that perhaps we have gotten too far from nature, from subsistence, from-self reliance, has inspired many ecologically friendly farms to open their doors (and their fields) to the public. This has inspired many suburbanites and city folks to seek out farm vacations. The buzz word here is agritourism. There is work to be done in rejuvenating the planet’s ecosystems and in healing our own health issues. People have begun to see the connections between environmental health and human health and have begun to realize that the fix can be found at permaculture farms, organic farms, and perennial edible ecosystem food forest farms. In housing developments across the country, people are ripping out weed cloth and transforming their once-dead and poisoned landscapes into productive ecosystems that sequester carbon, provide pollinator and bird habitat, and provide the healthiest food for their families. People are composting, raising chickens, growing fruits and berries, and experimenting. This resurgence is making people curious to learn more tactics and techniques for sustainable land-based living. People are looking to eco-friendly farms to understand how humans can live together with nature and create the conditions for both to flourish. But even for travelers who are not home gardeners, farm vacations can provide the most luxurious travel opportunities, the most delicious and 8 October 2011
freshest food, and the most beautiful settings. For travelers who want to really be taken care of, to be fed well, to spend time in a thriving cultivated natural system, agritourism can really be the way to go. Whether you choose agritourism for its educational or its luxurious qualities, for a volunteer experience filled with hard work on the farm or to sit back and relax or to take a long horseback ride, there are farm vacations available for your interests and needs. If you want to
world.com) is a great resource and one of the largest databases of farm vacations on the web. It provides ideas spanning the spectrum from B&B-style stays to wineries, dude ranches and farm stands. If your client wants to take it even further, for a truly meaningful furry friend-filled farm visit, book a cabin at one of the Farm Sanctuary locations (farmsanctuary.org) and spend your getaway hobnobbing with formerly abused farm animals now flourishing in a healthy and loving setting. For old-
Farm visits offer rejuvenation and support eco-friendly practices learn to compost or prune fruit trees or build a straw bale house, do yoga in an almond orchard, or stay in a yurt surrounded by fresh raspberry bushes, rest assured, there are options popping up across the country and the world. Agritourism provides a vast array of opportunities all geared towards helping you explore your connection to the land and to sustainable, nontoxic and humane food production. Agritourism also gives travelers the opportunity to financially support a healthy, vibrant sustainable farming future. By helping support eco-friendly farmers, your vacation allows your hosts to continue to progress along their path towards creating a sustainable food system for us all. There are so many agritourism options. Here are a few places to start: Agritourism World (agritourism-
fashioned charm, acres of lavender fields and historic Santa Fe architecture, try Los Poblanos Inn (lospoblanos.com) in Albuquerque. For a rigorous course in seed saving, check out Seeds Trust’s annual Seed School (seedstrust.com). At Backyard Agrarian we are working to create better methods for tour operators to find and book farm vacations and retreats for their clients. Farm vacations are one of the best ways to rejuvenate, to support a good cause and to bring home lessons from rural areas. Liz Brown Morgan, MA, Esq., is an outdoor guide turned environmentalist turned water lawyer turned tax lawyer turned agrarian revolutionary. An activist and eco-entrepreneur, she is the founder of the Backyard Agrarian (backyardagrarian.com) and president of The Environmental Group, a Colorado nonprofit working to stop dams throughout the Rocky Mountain West. She can be contacted at backyardagrarian.com.
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