Assessing farmer's capacity and resources for agritourism as a sustainable diversification strategy: Case study in Matale district.

Abstract

With agricultural lands covering over 42% of the national area and employing over 1/3 of the population, Sri Lanka faces the challenge of sustaining agriculture, contributing only about 8% to the GDP at present. Therefore, this study explores the potential of agritourism as a globally proposed strategy that serves economic diversification, environmental development, and landscape preservation while assessing farmers’ capacity and resources with readiness for it. The objectives of the study are to assess the capacity of farmers and the resource availability for agritourism ventures and to identify the limitations and motives of farmers for agritourism. The significance of this study lies in its potential to provide insights into agritourism as a tool for sustainable agriculture diversification practices. Matale district, chosen for its diverse agriculture activities, serves as the study location and 66 potential medium-scale farmers were selected as the sample using stratified random sampling. Data collection employed a pre-tested structured questionnaire, group discussions, and secondary data. Results revealed that the major economic activities in Matale district are crop production (96%) and livestock production (18%). About 95% of the sample had electricity, water-sealed toilet facilities, and safe drinking water, essential for tourism operations. Nearly 75% of the community had adequate literacy to operate a small business, and many farmers had readily available family labor to use in agritourism operations. The sole income source for the majority of farmers was agriculture, indicating the importance of income diversification and supplementary income sources. More than half of the farmers had a basic idea about agritourism, and 77% mentioned they preferred to start agritourism operations. The awareness and preference of farmers for agritourism showed a statistically significant positive relationship based on the Pearson correlation test results. The most preferred agritourism activities by farmers were retailing, catering, participatory activities, and farm tours and stays. Motivations for agritourism initiatives included supplementary income, family business potential, and knowledge sharing, and hindering factors were lack of knowledge, financial constraints, risk aversion, and potential cultural conflicts. This study identifies the considerable potential for agritourism in Matale district, emphasizing the need for government support and training programs for farmers.