CULTIVATING HOSPITALITY AGRITOURISM: Exploring Farm-Stays in Rural Oregon

92 pagesOregon's Statewide Planning Program, first established in 1973, protects farmland from urban development through Urban Growth Boundaries (UGB) and Exclusive Farm Use zoning (EFU). These stringent land use laws also erect barriers for farmers trying to make a living in the low-margin, high-risk field. Oregon agricultural land and small farmers are vulnerable to commercial farms and non-farm uses. The average age of farmers is increasing, and young people face challenges to entering the field, like limited access to land, capital, and training. Agritourism offers an opportunity to counteract downward trends for entrepreneurial land owners. A small subsect of the agritourism industry is farm-stays – or overnight accommodations on a working farm. This report takes into account the interrelated context described above and asks three questions around farm-stays as a component of agritourism in Oregon: How are farm-stays currently allowed under state regulations? What are the potential benefits and negative impacts of farm-stays? How might policy makers harness the positive opportunities around hospitality-agritourism while maintaining the Statewide Planning Program? Results of this research highlight the potential positive economic benefits for rural communities and farmers as a result of hosting farm-stays. Social benefits, such as education and increased appreciation for farming, also arose as an outcome of farm-stays. Additional research is needed in order to inform an agritourism policy-framework that reflects Oregon's unique context. Policy should both support farmland preservation and farm succession