A farm stay (or farmstay) is any type of accommodation on a working
farm
A farm (also called an agricultural holding) is an area of land that is devoted primarily to agricultural processes with the primary objective of producing food and other crops; it is the basic facility in food production. The name is used fo ...
. Some farm stays may be interactive. Some are family-focused and offer children opportunities to feed animals, collect eggs and learn how a farm functions. Others do not allow children. The term "farm stay" can also describe a work exchange agreement, where the guest works a set number of hours per week in exchange for free or affordable accommodation.
Farm stays can be described as
agritourism
Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...
(farmer opening their farm to tourists for any reason, including farm stands and u-pick),
ecotourism
Ecotourism is a form of nature-oriented tourism intended to contribute to the Ecological conservation, conservation of the natural environment, generally defined as being minimally impactful, and including providing both contributions to conserv ...
(Responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people), and
geotourism (tourism that sustains or enhances the geographical character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage, and the well-being of its residents).
During the
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, farm stays became significantly more popular than previous years, as noted through
AirBNB site behavior data.
Background
Farm stays have been a growing trend in Europe since the 1980s, particularly in Italy, where they are called ''agriturismo.'' Farm stays are now growing in popularity in other parts of the world as well, especially Australia, Asia, and North America. Reasons for this increasing popularity include farmers' desire for more diverse and dependable income streams and consumers' interest for and to reconnect with rural heritage and the origin of their
food supply
Food security is the state of having reliable access to a sufficient quantity of affordable, healthy food. The availability of food for people of any class, gender, ethnicity, or religion is another element of food protection. Similarly, househo ...
. Members or shareholders of a
CSA program
The Italian portal of farmhouses
or vacationers can use a farm stay to further develop an understanding of the work involved with the supply of their food.
See also
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Guest ranch
A guest ranch, also known as a dude ranch, is a type of ranch oriented towards visitors or tourism. It is considered a form of agrotourism.
History
Guest ranches arose in response to the romanticization of the American West that began to occur ...
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Homestay
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Agritourism
Agritourism or agrotourism involves any agriculturally based operation or activity that brings visitors to a farm or ranch. It encompasses a wide range of activities, including direct-to-consumer sales such as farm stands and u-pick, agricultu ...
References
External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Farm Stay
Vacation rental
Bed and breakfasts
Real estate services companies
Farm stay