Abstract (150 Words)
Finding themselves in today’s rapidly changing economic landscape, farmers are compelled to seek supplementary income generating activities such as agritourism. Women have been identified as the primary driver of a variety of agritourism activities with significant contribution toward its development and maintenance. In spite of their contribution, women tend to earn less in agritourism compared to their male counterparts. However, no research thus far has looked at the specific challenges faced by women in agritourism. We conducted a study in North Carolina using qualitative techniques (i.e. focus group, nominal group technique, and in-depth interviews). Our results identify a number of new challenges; these are: lacking reliable staff, managing growth, lacking institutional support, ensuring farm perpetuation, being pluriactive, and constantly facing new challenges. We also found support for challenges existing in the literature, namely, lacking resources, lacking credibility as farmers and juggling traditional roles.
Challenges Faced by Women Entrepreneurs Involved in Agritourism
Finding themselves in today’s rapidly changing economic landscape, farmers are compelled to seek supplementary income generating activities such as agritourism. Women have been identified as the primary driver of a variety of agritourism activities with significant contribution toward its development and maintenance. In spite of their contribution, women tend to earn less in agritourism compared to their male counterparts. However, no research thus far has looked at the specific challenges faced by women in agritourism. We conducted a study in North Carolina using qualitative techniques (i.e. focus group, nominal group technique, and in-depth interviews). Our results identify a number of new challenges; these are: lacking reliable staff, managing growth, lacking institutional support, ensuring farm perpetuation, being pluriactive, and constantly facing new challenges. We also found support for challenges existing in the literature, namely, lacking resources, lacking credibility as farmers and juggling traditional roles.