L’agritourisme!
Although going green is just now becoming quite popular in the United States and agrotourism is still something that sounds funny coming off the tongue of an American, this concept isn’t too weird to many Europeans and…CANADIANS!
When I was driving through Québec almost 8 years ago, I came across quite a few road side économusées-”a craft or agri-foods business whose products are the fruit of an authentic technique or know-how. The business showcases artisans and craft trades by offering an area for interpreting its production and by opening its doors to the public” (definition from the Economuseum network www.economuseum.com)
These museums are fascinating! Here’s a dairy farm! And an apple orchard! And one of the ones that I actually visited: http://www.musee-abeille.com/
These places are great because you get to go to a nice air conditioned show-room where they show you what they do on the farm, learn about the process, and then if you’d like, they’ll take you out there. You can buy the products directly from the people who made them, on the land where they were made, knowing full well what went into the product. Best of all, You get to practice your FRENCH!
As you know, Québec is an officially bilingual part of Canada and some of these museums might employ English speakers to assist tourists, but most of the farmers first (and best) language is French. They were happy to struggle through conversations with me when I told them I was trying to learn the language.
On the official AgritourismeQuébec website, you can also find farmers who are willing to take you into their homes or mini-hostels on their farms if you are willing to do a little work. This is true agrotourism-people going out into the country to take part in the agriculture. There are many activities to take part in from vegetable picking days to well, let’s say animal harvest days.
What do you think? Willing to take your next vacation to a farm?
Wow! This is something I’ve never heard of. I think it’s really interesting, but I don’t think I’d be willing to work on a farm just to stay with a foreign family. I’m from northern Wisconsin and live around many farms and have visited them. I’ll stick to just visiting them for a field trip!
I also found this entry to be quite interesting. I’ve been to stores in places like the Amana Colonies here in Iowa where they demonstrate how they produce the products they have for sale right there in the store or in a demo/information area for your enjoyment. I’ve also been to places like a perfume factory in France where you toured a museum and part of the shop/buisness itself before entering the gift shop area (another good opportunity where I used my French!). I was not aware that some of the smaller, very local producers/farms run mini-hostels! That I must say sounds highly intriguing and yes, I would be one to take full advantage of such an opportunity!
I think that going green is always important and that the fact that these businesses are opening their doors to the public to show them ways to be green is amazing. I am now very interested in visiting one of these places that can teach me more ways to be green and to help the locals get their products out there. Although I’m not much of a farm girl, Chicago is my favorite city, I would be willing to get my hands dirty to learn the language in a more personal way and to help the farmers. Very cool though and I would love to visit!
I think agritourism is a great idea to help the go green movement and should be further adopted in the US. This agritourism is also important because it educates people on what really goes into their food and keeps the farmers producing the best quality food. Going to these farms and practicing french sounds like a great idea becasue you would not only get to work on your communication skills but you would be talking to people who have passion for what they do. Also I know that I don’t really know a lot about agriculture so I would be interested in learning more of the specific techniques. I would be interested in staying on a farm but I think it would be best suited for a cultural experience, but I don’t think that wll be my next vacation.
I think agritourism is a great and interesting idea! It really educates people about ways to go green with a hands on experience. It mixes education and travel, which would be something very valuable to try. I would definitely be interested in doing something like this!
As an Iowa farm girl, I’m happy to see that Quebec is doing something to get tourists and other locals involved and interested in farming and agriculture. People may believe that unless you are a farmer, you aren’t affected by agricultural processes. But this just isn’t true. Everyone is affected and, likewise, everyone can benefit from learning a little bit about where their food comes from and what kind of processes go into producing it.
I like the idea of farmers inviting tourists into their homes and onto their farms to teach them about agriculture. I know that I love showing visitors around my family’s farm because it gives me a sense of pride to know that the little things that we do around the farm impact others in a larger way and I enjoy showcasing that for others. I also think it’s great that these farmers let the tourists actually do some work, because doing is the best way of learning.
Quebec is really showing the rest of us how to educate people on issues that are important to them. These are issues that we should all be interested in, however, not just Canadians, because we are all affected by them.
I was happy to learn the green movement and agritourism are staples in Europe and Canada. It’s a great way to get consumers involved in the processes that go into their food and show people how food and agriculture affect them. I believe it is important to promote locally grown and produced products, as they have less impact on the environment and are often healthier for the consumer. I have visited some places like this in Michigan, but I hope agritourism grows throughout the U.S. Perhaps it would encourage more people to buy locally.
It’s interesting that farmers invite people to their homes to learn more about their work. I would like to spend some time on one of these farms, as I know nothing about agriculture and it would be a great way to practice speaking French.
I think the idea of agrotourism is a wonderful idea. Europe and Canada are taking larger steps to become a more eco-friendly society. I think its a very good thing for people to see what is happening behind the scenes and to understand what is happening to produce the products we base our daily lives off of. Also this promotes purchasing locally grown food, which is better for the environment and stimulates the local economy. This is not only good for economy, it adds an extra piece to society and the way people view others.
Also I found the families letting guests stay in their houses a very important part of this article. It takes understanding the production of the food to another level. I think it is really cool that to stay there you will work on the farm for your room. I have experienced doing that and it is a very rewarding feeling.Staying in hostels is not that common in the United States, and it is exciting to think about the aspects of doing that in Europe and Canada. In the US society people do not often think of doing that, but it seems that in French or European culture it is quite common.
Growing up in the city, and being far away form the countyr, I never in a million years would’ve seen agritourism as something appealing. Howver, after reading this article, I do. I think it shows a sense of cultural pride for the Quebec people. It’s one thing to go to a market and buy the products that you need without ever really knowing of the hardwork and time it took into making them. It’s another thing to actually see where they come from and the recognition of the people that handle these jobs. By looking at the farms and seeing what these people do, it really opend your eyes, allows you to practice your french, and see for yourself what it’s like to live a life in which product-export is key and the ability for people to buy products is for some the only way of survival. By letting them take you into their homes and farms, it shows a welcoming feeling, which many feel is not a common trait among french people. From this article, it makes me want to take a trip to a agritourism farm/home and see for myself what it’s really like.