Agritourism
Resources and support for agritourism businesses to leverage opportunities within the Visitor Economy.
Overview
Agritourism is a fast-growing sector, that provides direct and indirect benefits to regional economies. Being driven by consumer demand as visitors seek to better understand where their food comes from and where it is produced, agritourism plays an important role in providing the direct link between the primary producer and the end consumer.
For these regional businesses, the development of agritourism products and experiences provides primary producers with opportunities to supplement their income, diversify their business, and have valuable direct contact with end customers, so they can better understand consumer preferences and demands.
For destinations, agritourism provides an alternative means of showcasing the region and the potential to attract new visitor markets.
Agritourism in Central West NSW
The Central West NSW region, which includes three of NSW’s wine regions, has a reputation for high-quality culinary and drink offerings. Destination Central West (DNCW), through the Central West Destination Management Plan (DMP), has identified agritourism as a key priority to grow the local visitor economy, by providing opportunities to develop new and enhanced experience offerings, increase access to local produce and elevate the region's reputation.
DNCW engaged the services of industry development experts Sparrowly Group and together we worked with farmers from across the region to help them understand and leverage recent changes made by the NSW Government, designed to support the development and expansion of agritourism experiences and offerings. Our collaboration included research and consultation with stakeholders to better understand the challenges, perceptions and opportunities that agritourism presents for the Central West region.
As part of the research effort, agritourism businesses, primary producers and farmers looking to diversify into the agritourism space or grow their current offering were invited to attend a free, hands-on learning and networking opportunity at Rowlee Wines in Orange, designed to assist with navigating the agritourism journey and to help maximise business opportunities.
Workshop participants were provided with information on:
- starting an agritourism business,
- incorporating new experiences into their business,
- expanding existing offerings,
- overcoming challenges and barriers,
- examples of successful agritourism businesses,
- direction and guidance on transforming ideas and plans into action.
The video provides an overview of the workshop objectives and outcomes and feedback from attendees.
DNCW continues to work with local farmers to grow agritourism across the Central West region. Developing a robust cluster of premium agritourism businesses will complement existing tourism businesses and create a compelling visitor proposition, which will drive visitation, encourage dispersal across the region, and promote increased length of stay.
Research findings were incorporated into a Central West Agritourism Blueprint and Action Plan that explains what agritourism could look like in the region and develop an associated Action Plan to guide the program to support product development.
Agritourism Readiness Survey
Business owners (including farmers and existing agritourism operators) interested in exploring agritourism opportunities are encouraged to complete our Agritourism Readiness Survey. This survey will help us to understand more about your business, where you see the opportunities for agritourism and understand current perceptions and challenges. The short survey takes just 5 minutes to complete.
| Date Completed | Funding Source | Facilitator | Value of Project |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 2024 | Destination Central West | Sparrowly Group | $48,980 |
NSW Government changes to support agritourism development
In March 2021, the NSW Government released an Explanation of the Intended Effect (EIE) for Agritourism and Small-scale Agriculture Development, the document outlined proposed amendments to support farm businesses and regional economies.
The proposed amendments were designed to support the development of agritourism experiences and offerings through a series of amended and new definitions. Additional changes have been made in both 2022 and 2023, to make it easier for farmers to understand how they can use their land for new income streams, as outlined on the
NSW Government website
and summarised below.
2022 Changes
New and amended terms:
- Farm gate premises – where visitors interact with produce from the farm, such as through fruit picking, sales, tastings, workshops and cafés.
- Farm experience premises – where visitors can experience life on a farm, including tours, horse riding, weddings, functions and retreats.
- Farm stay accommodation – including camping, caravanning and glamping.
Other changes:
- New planning pathways allow agritourism activities to happen with either fast-track (complying development) or no planning approval (exempt development) with development standards that minimise impacts on neighbours, rural roads and the community. If an activity doesn’t meet the standards for exempt or complying development, speak to your local council about lodging a development application.
- Landowners can rebuild farm buildings destroyed by natural disasters without planning approval to help future-proof their farms.
- The distance between homes and poultry and pig farms has been increased to protect the industry from biosecurity threats.
2023 Changes
An amending SEPP made on 18 August 2023 has expanded the use of agritourism across NSW. The new changes mean agritourism is now permitted with consent in all RU1 Primary Production, RU2 Rural Landscape and RU4 Primary Production Small Lots zones in local environmental plans and in other zones councils have nominated.
The NSW Government worked with councils to ensure the nominated zones reflect the best locations for agritourism in each LGA.
The 100 visitors limit to farm gate premises under exempt and complying development no longer applies to pick-your-own produce on farms. Farmers now have greater flexibility to invite more visitors to pick and buy their produce.
The amending SEPP is available on the NSW legislation website.
2024 Changes
Updates to Part 9 of the State Environmental Planning Policy (Exempt and Complying Development Codes) 2008 (Codes SEPP) aim to improve the consistency and clarity of the exempt and complying provisions relating to farm experience, farm gate premises and farm stay accommodation.
Clarifying:
- a change of use of a building is exempt development, if it involves a change from;
- farm experience premises or farm gate premises to its previous lawful use
- farm stay accommodation to a manufactured home (where that was the previous lawful use),
- where a change of use occurs, the development consent conditions originally applicable to the previous use will remain in effect after the conversion back from agritourism.
Amending:
- exempt development waste facilities provisions for farm stay accommodation to allow a human waste storage facility to be emptied offsite
- general requirements for agritourism and farm stay accommodation provisions to state that complying development cannot occur on land subject to landslide risk.
Adding:
- new provisions to ensure that the same lot and landholding size requirements apply to both non-residential and residential buildings when proposed for a change of use to farm stay accommodation under the complying development pathway (section 9.11)
- these requirements will not apply to alterations or additions to existing residential accommodation or manufactured homes for the purposes of farm stay accommodation.
Minor amendments to refine provisions, correct drafting errors and ensure that terms used are consistent.
View the Fact Sheet here.
Additional Information
For more information about the proposed changes, please see the Department of Planning and Environment website, or visit the following links:
Resources for Farmers
National Agritourism Framework | Australia Regional Tourism
Destination Central West NSW acknowledges the many Aboriginal Nations and Aboriginal People of the Central West NSW region as the traditional carers and custodians of the land that we all now live and work on. We pay our respect to Elders past, present and emerging. Destination Central West NSW values the diversity of this region and works in partnership with local Aboriginal communities to respectfully celebrate and share Aboriginal culture with visitors to the region and also with locals who live here.
