Farm Tourism: A new peasantry perspective

Title: Farm Tourism in Wales: A new peasantry perspectivePurpose of this paper This presentation examines farm tourism in Wales, a marginal area for farming which is, at the same time, popular for tourism due to its high quality natural environment. It is now over two decades since farm tourism was promoted through rural development policies as a way to supportthe farm household and revitalise rural economies. In the intervening years farm tourism has evolved and become a professional sector. It is therefore important to understand how the farm tourism sector has developed, and the impact that farm tourism has had on the farm household and wider rural economy.Design/methodology/approach In order to understand farm tourism development and its impact the presentation examines the subject from the perspective of Ploeg’s (2008) new peasantry. The premise of this theory is thatthe new peasantry’s struggle for autonomy and survival is achieved through the development of a self-controlled resource base and an avoidance of dependency relationships. FindingsThe presentation outlines how the new peasantry model manifests itself in the context of farm tourism in marginal farming areas in order to establish if Ploeg’s theory holds true. It also examines the extent to which other factors influence tourism development. The presentation draws on empirical evidence (interviews and surveys) of farm tourism in Wales from a recently completed PhD.