This guide will help you understand the best spatial and strategic factors in order to choose the location to open your farm and/or agritourism business that will maximise your profits.
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This guide will help you understand the best spatial and strategic factors in order to choose the location to open your farm and/or agritourism business that will maximise your profits.
Some important advice and considerations to think about when opening an agritourism enterprise:
The distance customers have to travel to finalise their purchase of the product or service must be minimised as much as possible. In the presence of animals, consideration must be given to bad smells that may be released and which would annoy the neighbourhood.
Some territories present peculiarities due to climatic conditions, population distribution, the density of connections, and tourist attractiveness: everything must be considered in the light of the activity you would like to start. In any case, the right area to choose for good environmental impact savings is in an area with arable land and close to a water source.
A viable territory with a dynamic economic fabric is an essential condition for the success of a business.
A strong presence of competitors has both advantages and disadvantages: can be a disadvantage in terms of pressure on sales and prices, but also a positive element because it attracts a clientele inclined to comparison and choice; it can be an advantage if you can enter into a network of cooperation with other existing realities in order to activate a win-win policy.
How much does your choice cost? The choice of premises to be used for the business activity presupposes the evaluation of rental and management costs consistent with the economic-financial sustainability of the same, considering the possible costs of restructuring and putting the structure into operation.
The availability of services (such as efficient public transport, adequate parking facilities, but also broadband, or the presence of an on-call medical service) can be decisive for the success of a business. Often an efficient service acts as a multiplier to other elements, while the inadequacy of one service has a cascading influence on the operation of others, so it is important to consider the factors at play from an overall perspective’.
Similarly, possible inefficiencies such as restricted or denied access to machines must also be considered. “Certain climate-related factors can adversely affect the usability or accessibility of premises (frequent floods, water shortages due to seasonal droughts, wind phenomena such as the bora or tornadoes, frost and snowstorms).
Economical advantages for agritourism located in disadvantaged areas or with development problems is an important aspect. With European funds at region level, agritourism can get more funding if they are located in special areas that are usually indicated by regional policies.
So how best to assess where to locate your business? ‘The choice can be optimised if made over a sufficiently long period of time to allow careful weighing of all the pros and cons. One can contact a number of real estate agencies to get a shortlist of free quotes or evaluate online proposals. Alternatively, a physical reconnaissance of an area is always useful to discover any offers advertised with signs or signposted by word of mouth. Before coming to a final choice, it is essential to talk to as many people as possible: the neighbourhood, professional associations, relatives and friends’.
Generally speaking, farms, Educational Farms and agritourism must possess essential quality requirements to satisfy the user and allow successful visits. They should follow the EWE principals:
Furthermore, a space must be provided where the means of transport accompanying the guest and schoolchildren can be parked, even if not on the premises, at a maximum distance of one hundred metres from it;
Always keep in mind that you get the real edge by diversifying your offer and products.
Therefore, if your location does not fit the criteria indicated as the best, don’t worry: offer specialised services, e.g. if you are in an inaccessible place, provide convenient parking and a free transfer to your company for guests; focus on one/at most two crops and make them special, etc.
In Umbria, along the Valnerina valley, among vegetable gardens, orchards, herbs and saffron fields “Zafferano e dintorni” was built up in an area that is still uncontaminated and luxuriant, whose economy is still very much based on agriculture, livestock breeding, and the production of quality agro-alimentary products, such as Zafferano di Cascia, of which our farm is a producer.
Crossed by the River Nera, the Valnerina is the ideal place for outdoor activities, from hiking to mountain biking, from donkey rides to rafting descents.
Not only for the presence of the Sibillini chain and the various plateaus that make it up, first and foremost that of Castelluccio, but also for all the other mountains and side valleys that form a natural frame for the river that flows through it. Rich in history and stories, culture and architecture, the area is dotted with many small villages and medieval castles and also Romanesque Benedictine abbeys.
The Zafferano and Dintorni is close to 180 villages, all with their own identity: historical, cultural and architectural and 30 minutes far from the biggest cities of the area, such as Spoleto, Foligno, Terni, that’s why is a good example to be taken for its location.
Moreover, it is placed near the Spoleto Norcia mountain bike paths, one of the main attractions of tourists the whole year and especially in September, when the SpoletoNorciaMTB races take place.
Along the trails of the Valnerina by mountain bike to discover breathtaking landscapes. Bike and pedal-assisted bike hire and guided excursions with: a first aid workshop, electric bike recharging, changing room, showers and transport service.
Surrounded by a wide variety of paths, the Ciclo-Stazione is located in the centre of two important cycle paths: the Ex Spoleto-Norcia Railway and the Greenway of the Nera.
The first, which is entirely cyclable, connects (for the time being) Spoleto to Borgo Cerreto to resume at Serravalle and end at Norcia; our facility is located in the middle of this splendid cycle path. The second follows the route of the ancient Roman road that connected all the small villages in our valley, starting from the Ciclostazione and arriving at the Marmore waterfall.
The benefits and impact you might have from the guideline implementation are:
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The Farms’ Charm project aims to develop learning materials to educate small and medium-sized farmers in possible ways of starting their agritourism activities which will help them not only diversify their incomes but also promote their farm products directly to consumers. All that while reviving the rural areas and local communities and promoting a sustainable way of tourism which is in line with the tendencies of slowing down and staying longer at one area.
This project has been funded with support from the European Commission. The content of this website reflects the views only of the author, and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein.