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Effect of Agricultural Extension on Farmers’ Adoption of Farm Recreation Enterprise Practices

Abstract

Farm recreation enterprises involve the development and management of recreational activities on farms, such as farm tours, nature walks, fishing, outdoor games, animal interaction, crop harvesting experiences, and other leisure activities for visitors. These enterprises can provide farmers with opportunities to diversify their agricultural businesses, generate additional income, and make productive use of available farm resources. Agricultural extension can support farmers by providing relevant information, technical guidance, and practical knowledge needed to establish and manage farm recreation enterprises effectively. This study will examine the effect of agricultural extension on farmers’ adoption of farm recreation enterprise practices. It will assess farmers’ access to agricultural extension services relating to farm recreation, determine the extent to which farmers adopt recommended enterprise practices, and examine how extension information and advisory support influence the establishment and management of farm recreation activities. The study will focus on agricultural extension contact, extension education, advisory services, farm recreation planning, visitor management, recreational facility development, farm cleanliness, visitor safety, customer service, marketing of recreational activities, and record keeping. It will also examine farmers’ adoption of practices relating to the organization and management of farm tours, nature-based activities, recreational spaces, and other farm-based leisure services. A quantitative research approach will be adopted for the study. Data will be collected from farmers involved in or interested in farm recreation enterprises using structured questionnaires. The collected data will be analysed using frequency counts, percentages, mean scores, standard deviation, correlation analysis, and regression analysis to determine the relationship between agricultural extension services and farmers’ adoption of farm recreation enterprise practices. The level of adoption of different enterprise practices will also be assessed. The study is expected to reveal that agricultural extension may have a significant effect on farmers’ adoption of farm recreation enterprise practices. Farmers with greater access to relevant extension information and advisory services may demonstrate higher adoption of practices relating to enterprise planning, visitor management, safety, facility development, customer service, marketing, and record keeping. The study may also identify specific farm recreation practices where farmers require additional extension support and technical guidance. The study will be useful to farmers, agricultural extension agents, agritourism operators, rural development agencies, tourism organisations, government agricultural agencies, and researchers. It may provide useful information for developing extension programmes that support farmers interested in farm recreation enterprises and agricultural diversification. The findings may also help farmers improve the organization of recreational activities, attract visitors, strengthen farm-based businesses, and create additional sources of income. The study concludes that agricultural extension is an important source of information and technical support for the adoption of farm recreation enterprise practices. It is therefore recommended that agricultural extension programmes incorporate practical education on farm recreation enterprise planning, visitor management, safety, facility development, marketing, customer service, and record keeping to assist farmers in establishing and managing sustainable recreational enterprises.

Keywords: Agricultural extension, farmers, farm recreation, recreation enterprises, enterprise practices, agritourism, farm tourism, extension services, visitor management, recreational facilities, customer service, farm enterprise diversification, recreational activities, rural enterprise development, agricultural advisory services.