Theses and Dissertations

Issuing Body

Mississippi State University

Advisor

Swortzel, Kirk A.

Committee Member

Newman, Michael E.

Committee Member

Smith, Rebecca C.

Date of Degree

5-13-2022

Document Type

Graduate Thesis - Open Access

Major

Agricultural and Extension Education

Degree Name

Master of Science (M.S.)

College

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Department

College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

Abstract

The implementation of agritourism in the U.S. has increased in recent years. Agritourism provides social and economic benefits to rural communities, leads small-scale farms to achieve financial viability, and offers clientele an entertaining opportunity to meet local producers. Although multiple resources exist to educate individuals interested in pursuing agritourism business ventures, related materials cannot be generalized to Mississippi due to inapplicable data. This study aimed to gain knowledge about Mississippi’s agritourism clientele by administering surveys to attendees of the 2021 Mississippi State Fair. The survey instrument was amended from a previous study conducted by Nasers and Retallick (2009) in Iowa. Although most of the results corresponded with findings in similar studies, numerous recommendations were made that were specific to Mississippi farmers and agritourism operators.

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