Agritourism: Every Field has a Story | Katharine Millonzi | TEDxHudson

Summary

This script explores the world of gastronomy and agritourism, with a focus on the Hudson Valley. It discusses the cultural and economic significance of food, the Italian practice of agritourism, and its potential in the US. The speaker shares their experience with slow food in Italy and how it influenced their work in New York, emphasizing the desire for connection to nature and local food production. The script highlights the benefits of farm stays, from revenue generation to community engagement, and proposes a unified brand to boost the region's identity and economy.

Takeaways

• 🍽️ The speaker studies Gastronomy, which is the study of the relationship between food and culture.
• 🇮🇹 They received a research grant to work with Slow Food in Italy, which led to a deep understanding of how food defines a place's culture, identity, and economy.
• 🌾 The experience in Italy influenced the speaker's work in Hudson, New York, highlighting the importance of local food producers.
• 🌿 A heightened sensitivity to the natural world was gained through the Slow Food experience, which has been influential in their work.
• 🏞️ Agritourism, a blend of agriculture and tourism, is a way for visitors to experience farms and participate in farm activities.
• 🇮🇹 The Italian government has maintained high standards for its agritourism sector since 1985.
• 🌳 Agritourism in the Hudson Valley includes farm workshops, culinary tourism, and 'pick your own' orchards.
• 🐷 Farm stays are a form of agritourism where guests stay on a farm, often participating in farm activities.
• 💡 The speaker suggests that developing the farm stay sector could help build a generation that values the experience of place.
• 🌱 Agritourism is seen as a way to diversify farm operations, spread financial risk, and maintain family farmland.
• 🌟 The potential of agritourism in the Hudson Valley is highlighted as a way to create a synchronized identity linking food, beverage, farm, and tourism industries.

Q & A

What is Gastronomy?

Gastronomy is the study of the relationship between food and culture.

What was the purpose of the research grant awarded to the speaker?

The research grant was awarded for the speaker to work with Slow Food in Italy, essentially being paid to eat and drink their way through the country to study the relationship between food and culture.

What did the speaker discover about Italian culture and food?

The speaker discovered that the culture, identity, and economy of a place in Italy is defined by its food and food producers.

What is the connection between the speaker's experience in Italy and their work in Hudson, New York?

The connection is the understanding that food and culture are deeply intertwined, which the speaker applies to their work in Hudson, New York, focusing on agritourism.

What is agritourism?

Agritourism is a blend of agriculture and tourism, involving the practice of touring farms and often participating in farm activities.

How is agritourism defined in Italy?

In Italy, agritourism is defined as hospitality activities performed by entrepreneurial farmers that must remain connected to and complementary to farming activities, protected under national policy since 1985.

What are some examples of agritourism activities mentioned in the script?

Examples include workshops on traditional skills like canning and cheese making, culinary tourism such as farm dinners and wine tastings, pick-your-own orchards, roadside stands, and farm stays.

What is a farm stay?

A farm stay is when a paying guest stays on a farm for at least overnight, giving them an opportunity to engage in farm activities and experience farm life.

Why do people participate in agritourism according to the farmers interviewed?

People participate in agritourism seeking a sense of connectedness that they feel has been lost, and they believe farms are a good place to start looking for it.

What are the benefits of agritourism for farmers?

Agritourism allows farmers to diversify operations, spread financial risk, and maintain family farmland. It also generates revenue, with an average farm stay generating a third of a farm's total revenue.

What is the potential impact of agritourism on the Hudson Valley according to the speaker?

The potential impact includes building a generation that values the experience of place, linking the food, beverage, farm, and tourism industries, and creating a synchronized visible identity that could boost the regional economy.

How does agritourism address broader goals like land conservation and rural economic development?

Agritourism helps maintain on-farm livelihoods, translates natural assets into regenerative cultural and economic ones, and can be a part of conversations about standards, leadership, and new types of investment in the field.