1. Home
2. Conferences
3. 2023 Extension Risk Management Education National Conference

Supporting Women in Agritourism: An Approach to Risk Management Education

Sarah Cornelisse and Claudia Schmidt

Summary

The 2017 Census of Agriculture found that 28,575 farms provided agritourism and recreational services in the United States. A survey of over 1,800 U.S. agritourism operations found that most (57%) of the respondents were female. Women operators were more educated, had less agritourism experience and had smaller farms than their male counterparts. In addition, female ownership was negatively associated with profitability, a finding also supported by previous studies. This highlights the need to provide risk management education that helps female-owned agritourism businesses increase and remain profitable and sustainable. In recent years, there has been a greater focus on the unique experiences and requirements of women farmers when designing educational programming. Acknowledging their specific needs is paramount to ensuring that they are equipped with the necessary resources and knowledge to succeed. Furthermore, it is important to create learning opportunities for women that give them the tools to confidently and successfully participate in the agricultural industry. For example, the Women in Agriculture Network (WAgN) program in Pennsylvania has a long history of doing so. During our presentation, we will explore the current state of female-owned agritourism businesses and, using the initial format of our Risk Management Strategies for Female Agritourism Operators in Pennsylvania NERME funded project, discuss the adaption of risk management education programming to address the needs and learning styles of this group of farm business owner-operators.
Co-presenters are Sarah Cornelisse and Claudia Schmidt (Penn State).

Details

---