Diversifying your business offerings is a smart way to boost income and stabilise your cash flow. Off the bat, farms might seem limited to agricultural offerings. But that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Agritourism serves as a strategy to not only boost local tourism but also to provide farmers with opportunities for additional income streams.
From farm stays to day visits, and creating room for everyday people to access products directly from farms through pick-your-own crop initiatives. This article explores the various ways to diversify your farm’s income.
What is Agritourism?
Agritourism, which stands for agricultural tourism, refers to a form of tourism that blends agriculture and tourism. The intention behind agritourism is to expose travellers to farm life and the agricultural environment. Additionally, agritourism contributes towards the continued commercialisation of the agricultural sector.
Agritourism Business Ideas
If you own a small farm and would like to expand the offerings of your farm, but don’t know where to start. There’s a variety of ideas to explore, accommodating both low and high-budget agritourism initiatives:
1. Pick Your Own Flowers
A pick-your-own flower farm allows customers to move through the fields and choose flowers to create bouquets that they can purchase and take home.
A good example of this is the Flourish Urban Flower Farm. When customers visit this farm, they are provided with a bucket that has pre-picked foliage and fillers.
This is to ensure visitors don’t have to worry about bringing too many materials and can enjoy a full-looking bouquet of flowers. However, one thing visitors must carry is their own pair of secateurs so that they can pick their flowers.
2. Petting Zoo
Petting zoos typically have animals that are known to reside on farms. This includes goats, sheep, donkeys, and sometimes, petting zoos have ponies for kids to ride. If you’re considering having a petting zoo, you must prioritise animal welfare at all times.
To ensure you’re following all the rules, familiarise yourself with the Animal Protection Act. This kind of business might also need you to outsource or permanently hire an animal keeper, as well as someone who will attend to guests and facilitate the petting experiences.
The experience at a petting zoo could include the following:
- Education on the various animals. (This serves as a good opportunity to target school trips)
- Pony/Horse rides.
- Animal feeding.
3. On-Farm Sales
Another way to make money from your farm is by allowing customers to come and pick their own fruits and veggies, like strawberries or grapes. It’s fun for them and you get to sell directly.
You can also open a farm shop to sell your fresh produce, maybe even pre-chopped for an easier sale and a better price. Additionally, many farmers sell animals.
This includes goats, sheep, cows, or chickens, especially in South Africa, where animals are purchased regularly by everyday people, giving your farm another good way to earn money.
4. Process Raw Materials into Value-added Products
Farmers are in a strong position to turn their raw produce into value-added products as a form of diversification for income. This is a smart way to increase income and helps farmers reach more customers.
Some examples include:
- Turning fresh fruit into jams, preserves, or fruit leathers
- Processing raw milk into cheese, yoghurt, or ice cream
- Converting grains into flour, baked goods, or craft drinks
The process from raw material to finished product involves a few steps. These steps include:
- Researching which products are worth pursuing and ensuring they match both your product and market demand.
- Pay attention to local preferences and niche opportunities.
- Invest in the right equipment. This could be basic canning tools for preserves or more advanced machinery for dairy and grain processing.
- Ensuring you adhere to food safety and compliance protocols must always come first, with proper cleaning, packaging, and labelling.
Market Your New Business Offerings
Building a brand is just as important. If you are selling value-added products, think about packaging design and the story behind your products. Farmers can sell directly to customers through farm stalls, markets, online platforms, or by working with local shops.
This increases profit while creating a closer connection with people who value fresh, quality food and knowing where it comes from. Additionally, if you are opening a petting zoo or a pick-your-own business, ensure you get the word out there.
This can be achieved through a well-thought-out marketing strategy. This would include social media marketing, an SEO optimised website, content marketing, networking, and much more.
