A Phenomenological Study of Agritourism Entrepreneurship on Ontario Family Farms

Abstract

This phenomenological study carried out in Ontario, Canada, explored the experience of family farms engaged in agritourism. Unlike previous studies, which have tended to focus on the economic factors associated with agritourism, this one started from the premise that embracing agritourism on the family farm was motivated by a complex web of social and economic factors and the decision involved multiple family members. The results revealed the lived experiences of 17 family members across three farm sites where agritourism enterprises were started and operated on their farms. The articulation of themes through personal narratives provided by the family members interviewed clarified assumptions about the motives for engaging in agritourism from extant studies and further recognized multiple factors are combined together when farm families engage in and embrace agritourism. An appreciation of it being an evolutionary process as well as the impact on and opportunities for family members as their farm switched from being a productive to a consumptive place were illuminated.