FARM TOURISM: A CASE STUDY IN FLORIDA'S ORANGE GROVES.

To some the idea of farm tourism conjures up visions of remote destinations filled with exotic flora and fauna. To others, the concept includes opportunities in more commercialized environments like wineries. Few would immediately think of a farm-based operation in an urban, south Florida environment, but such is the case for Knollwood Groves in Palm Beach County, Florida. Owner/manager Tom Dwyer and his staff use farm tourism to help maintain the viability of a historic 30-acre orange grove located on land that would otherwise convert to residential development.

Vacationing on farms and ranches dates back to the late nineteenth century. The first "dude ranches" were operated in the 1880s in North Dakota. In 1949, the first farm vacation brochure listed farm facilities that would accept tourists. Since the 1960s the number of farm vacations has been increasing dramatically, but total numbers of farm tourists are unknown. However, one study found that the Northern Rockies states (Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana) estimated 11,500 visitor days in 1990 (Bryan, 1991).

So why is farm tourism increasing? The answer is simple ... there are more people with more free time, who are looking to experience a "real" adventure (Bryan, 1991). People are looking for authentic experiences that challenge the mind, expand horizons, and educate in an outdoor, nature-oriented setting. Sightseeing, exploring small towns, tasting local foods, and learning about the land are more popular activities than ever for travelers (Spotts et. al., 1997).

Definition

Early definitions of farm tourism were broad in scope (Clarke, 1995). Definitions included any farm operation that also involved some form of tourism. Later, however, the definition narrowed to focus on the consumer. This changed the emphasis from "tourism on farms" to "farm tourism" (Clarke, 1996). In recent years, the definition has been tightened to focus also on the scale of the operation and management of the tourism component of the operation. Farm tourism in the strictest sense suggests that income from tourism accounts for at least 25 percent of the operation's total income, the farm is no less than 25 acres in size, tourism is the secondary focus of operation (farming being first), and non-locals purchase products and visit the site either as a day-trip or overnight stay (Clarke, 1996). Thus, farm tourism includes the following: farm-based accommodations, farm-based meals, farm-based activities, agricultural festivals and events, farm-based attractions, farm-based retail establishments, and farm-based tourism centers.

The concept of farm tourism appears self-explanatory, but it is actually complex. It involves a number of key components, some of which are: sustainable development, education and economic contribution of tourism versus agriculture. Most importantly, there exists a case of stewardship for the land. It is about preserving and conserving the land.

Sustainable Development

Sustainable development is a growing philosophy that ensures the consumption of tourism does not exceed the capacity of the land. It involves making use of our natural resources without depleting or permanently harming them, so they can be used in the future. The concept of a carrying capacity is essential to sustainable development. Carrying capacity encompasses two main areas: ecological carrying capacity and aesthetic carrying capacity. According to environmentalists, ecological carrying capacity is a "measure" of the amount of renewable resources in the environment in units of the number of organisms these resources can support (Whelen, 1991). Thus, the volume of people is related to the limitations of a fragile and delicate environment. Aesthetic carrying capacity involves people's space in relation to one another. It suggests that when tourists encounter many other tourists or see the impacts of other visitors their enjoyment may be diminished (Whelen, 1991).

Therefore, in farm tourism, carrying capacity involves both effects to the farm's resources as well as effects to the visitors. Ecologically, farm tourism must consider the amount of stress being placed on the environment by visitors and take steps to monitor and control the impacts. This is important so that the land can be used for future enjoyment. Aesthetically, farm tourism must monitor the number of people on the property on a daily basis. A correct balance is essential, since too few or too many visitors might reduce their overall enjoyment.

Education

In many cases, farmers are land stewards, They believe that their land should be managed based on the underlying principle that it will be around for generations to come. This strong belief drives much of the educational component of their operation. In this setting, farm tourism provides a unique opportunity to educate the public about a variety of agricultural and environmental issues. For example, farmers can create programs for tourists that cover the history of the land, special features of the farm, or unique ecology of the area. Some of the activities in which a farmer might engage include tours of the farm with interpreters, formal presentations, educational signs situated at key places on the farm, and educational brochures.

One important market that farm tourism has targeted is school groups. These groups may be local or may be tourists from outside the region. Farmers recognize that this is an important market because educating at a young age is a key component to life long stewardship.

Economic Contribution

Farm tourism is often considered an economic alternative for farmers who are facing decreasing profits and might require another form of revenue (Embacher, 1994). Typically, farm tourism operations are family-run. In fact, in many cases the owners of the farm act as both farmer and host. Research has suggested that farm tourism operations are usually run by "empty nesters," couples whose children have grown and moved out of the house (Ilbery et. al., 1998). One of the reasons is that large farm homes have empty bedrooms that can be used to host overnight guests or can be converted to rooms for presentations. Seldom do farm tourism operations employ large numbers of helpers, since labor is the largest operating expense and minimizing employees enables the family to maximize profits.

The Case of Knollwood Farms

Set in the midst of a working citrus grove, Knollwood has been an attraction for area residents and tourists for over 70 years. It was originally built by the famous vaudeville comedy team of "Amos and Andy" in 1930 and is one of Palm Beach County's oldest continuously producing citrus groves. The principal crop of the grove is citrus (several varieties of oranges and grapefruit), which is grown for juice to be sold in the retail area or shipped throughout the country. Tom Dwyer, the manager, says "Tourism introduces our product to the public!" During its peak season, the grove hosts about 600 people a day. Most of the tourist visitation comes during the winter season, though the farm hosts school groups and others year round. Visitor types vary: typically, retirees and school groups visit during the week, while young families tend to come during the weekends. Since the operation has been around for such a long time, many visitors come to expose their offspring to the experiences that they had when they were children. Maintaining and interpreting the cultural heritage of the old Florida orange groves is an important part of the grove's operation.

Dwyer, who grew up on a farm, is acutely aware of the role his operation plays in maintaining green-space in otherwise rapidly developing urban areas. He is a steward of the land and works diligently with city officials and community leaders to maintain an operation that is not only financially feasible, but also sensitive to the needs of the environment and local residents. Because Knollwood is a small grove situated in close proximity to residential areas, pesticides and insecticides have not been used for over 15 years. In addition, Dwyer's notion of sustainable development is reinforced through policies limiting the number tours each day on the farm, thereby controlling the number of visitors to this environmentally sensitive area. Restricting the number of visitors also helps to reduce crowding both in the retail areas as well as on local roadways.

Aside from the orange and grapefruit groves, Knollwood maintains hundreds of different varieties of citrus, tropical plants, and trees which border a lake and five acre "jungle hammock." Over 30 different varieties are grown on the premises, including both domestic and tropical fruit. Dwyer believes that it is important to maintain a variety of species both to aid in the educational component of the operation as well as to sustain rare varieties of plants, citrus, and exotic flowers for the future.

In addition to the groves, Knollwood is home to one of the few remaining Florida jungle hammocks in the area. A hammock is an area of land that is higher than the surrounding land. Early Native Americans used these areas as campsites and hiding grounds from their enemies. This provides a great opportunity to educate the public about both native heritage and the environment. A portion of the hammock area is historically interpreted as a Native American village. Martin Twofeathers, a nationally recognized Native American artist and lecturer, gives talks on early American history and the Florida ecosystem.

Another educational stop is a freshwater lake--home to egrets, herons, snapping turtles, alligators, and other indigenous species that roam the grove. Authenticity is a major component of a visit to Knollwood Groves. Visitors are able to observe the various stages of citrus production, from picking to washing to sorting to packing, and an open-air marketplace offers varieties of oranges, grapefruit, flowering plants and other produce in season. Visitors can also find authentic Seminole crafts like the palmetto palm dolls and cypress canoes.

Knollwood Groves' association with the tourism industry is extensive. The farm is a charter member of the Florida Gift Fruit Shippers Association (1946), which ships close to two million gift boxes of Florida citrus per year and helps with advertising and promotion to tourists. Also, the grove works with the Chamber of Commerce and the Convention and Visitors Bureau to maintain communication with the local tourism infrastructure.

When asked what tradeoffs exist for a farm operation that wishes to implement tourist operations, Dwyer felt that there were two. First, instilling a responsive customer service attitude in every employee is essential, since any can be approached by a tourist at almost any time. Second, liability and risk management issues are now more important than ever, because of the number of people visiting the farm each day.

Though using tourism to help maintain a farm in an urban area is challenging, requiring one foot in a farm world and one foot in a tourism world, Tom Dwyer seems to be happy with the challenge. When asked where he expected Knollwood Groves to be in 30 years, he said: "so long as we have our health, we will be here doing the same things!"

Conclusions

Knollwood Groves is a great example of a growing form of tourism. The owners of these types of operations are real farmers who have decided to supplement their income with money from tourists who are interested in experiencing life on a farm, observing wildlife, and learning about farming and sustainable development. There is little doubt that farm tourism will continue to be an important component of the tourism mix in years to come. The challenge for farm tourism operators will be to offer high-quality tourism opportunities for a variety of segments, while at the same time maintaining the carrying capacity of the land and its visitors. If this balance can be achieved, there is no doubt that Knollwood Groves will be around in 30 years.

References

Bryan, B. (1991). Ecotourism on Family Farms and Ranches in the American West. In Whelen, T. (Eds.) Nature Tourism: Managing for the Environment (pp. 3-22) Island Press.

Clarke, J. (1995). The effective marketing of small-scale tourism enterprises through national structures: lessons from a two-way comparative study of farm tourist accommodation in the United Kingdom and New Zealand. Journal of Vacation Marketing, 1 (2), 137-153.

Clarke, J. (1996). Farm accommodation and the communication mix. Tourism Management, 17 (8), 611-620.

Dwyer, T. (2000). Personal Interview about Knollwood Groves, May 23.

Embacher, H. (1994). Marketing for Agritourism in Austria. Strategy and Realisation in a Highly Developed Tourist Destination. Journal of Sustainable Tourism, 2:61-76.

Ilbery, B.; Bowler, I.; Clark, G., Crockett, A., and A. Shaw (1998). Farm-based tourism as an alternative farm enterprise: A case study from the Northern Pennines, England. Regional Studies, 32 (4), 355-364.

Knollwood Groves. (2000) Knollwood Groves [Brochure]. Boyton Beach. FL.

Knollwood Groves Home Page. (2000) [Online] http://www.knollwoodgroves.com/ index.htm

Spotts, D.; Kim, D. Carr, J. and D. Holecek (1997). Segmenting the automobile touring market based on participation in recreation activities. 28th Annual Conference Proceedings: Travel and Tourism Research Association, p. 42-59.

Whelen, T. (1991). Ecotourism and its role in sustainable development. In Whelen, T. (Eds.) Nature Tourism: Managing for the Environment (pp. 3-22) Island Press.

Andrew Holdnak, II, Ph.D., and Lori Pennington-Gray, Ph.D., are assistant professors in the Recreation, Parks and Tourism program at the University of Florida and each serves as an associate director for the Center for Tourism Development at the University. Their case study of Knollwood Groves describes the challenges of farm tourism, which combines education, entertainment, and down-to-earth agriculture at this working citrus operation once owned by the Vaudeville team "Amos n' Andy."