The LEADER programme is offering grants of up to €200,000 to farmers wanting to diversify into agri-tourism.
The grant scheme supports private enterprises and community groups that will improve the quality of economic activity in rural areas.
Farmers are currently looking into all kinds of diversifying options such as energy crops; forestry; renewables; and rural tourism.
Barry Caslin, Teagasc Energy and Rural Development specialist, said that tourists are now wanting different holidays, and are after a more authentic and natural experience compared to city breaks and hotels.
Agri-tourism
According to Caslin, diversifying into tourism isn’t sector specific, but each farm looking to diversify needs to look into the rural advantage their own area has.
“People are more interested in short stays of up to three nights and see different counties, compared to a week-long holiday in the same place,” he said.
However, the counties proving most successful based on their geography are counties set on the Wild Atlantic Way. The counties of Cork, Donegal, and Clare are seeing a lot of tourism development, Caslin said.
The returns from the business in general depend on what county the business is in. Many factors play into this, including the general rate of rent. For example, log cabins depending on area can range from €400-1000/week depending on location.
Caslin emphasised that every county has something to offer and it all depends on what type of tourism is suited to the local area.
He advised that the key considerations are the skills and support in the area and farmers should be thinking about that before they start.
Glen Keen farm
Glen Keen farm is located on the Wild Atlantic Way. The 1,400ac sheep farm with a commonage footprint that extends to over 5,500ac is one of the largest farms to diversify into agri-tourism.
The family owned farm mixes education, heritage, and environmental tourism.
Glen Keen farm received a LEADER grant of €150,000 at a rate of 75% for the construction of a visitor centre, which has a capacity of 250 guests, and has a tearoom, craft shop and a photograph exhibition.
Options
The diversifying options proving most popular are glamping; camping; self catering and log cabins. All that can be done at a relatively low cost, with a potentially rewarding return, the Teagasc specialist said.
With the shortage of accommodation in Ireland, farmers have seen opportunity in this to develop housing options for people, whether that be converting old outbuildings into self-catering cottages or building shepherds huts.
According to Caslin, women are leading the way through rural tourism. He said that they seem to “thrive on the challenge” of rural tourism and they have “brought in new skills and contacts that has proved very helpful across the country”.
On Monday (May 22) Teagasc Rural Development Department, together with the Irish Self Catering Federation of Ireland (ISCF), is hosting an agri-tourism conference.
Caslin said that the aim of the event is to hear from farmers who have already diversified, the challenges they had to face along the way in making their project a success and if they’d do anything differently.