Ielts-blog com Academic module practice test academic listening practice test section questions 10 Questions 5

Buyer: Doniyor Karimov ([e-mail])
Transaction ID: 7F7577169C874764T

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agritourists come from areas reasonably local to the visited farms. This means that tourist 
spending on agritourism often stays in the region, helping to generate taxable revenues and 
more disposable incomes. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s agricultural census, taken 
every five years, found that last year approximately 23,000 farms took part in agritourism. 
These farms each earned $24,300 from agritourism, compared to five years ago, when farms 
engaged in this brought in only $7,200 per farm. The trend is clearly growing and the money 
generated will stimulate local economies. Thirdly, agritourism benefits the local community in 
terms of education. Many farms offer tours for elementary school-age children, who can learn 
where their food is coming from and how it is produced.
Farms choosing to develop agritourism have had reasonable government support. Over the 
last 20 years, European Union countries have spent 2 billion euros to subsidise agritourism 
development in rural farming areas that cannot compete in a global market with declining 
commodity prices. This, in turn, helps governments by keeping farmers on land, protecting 
picturesque rural landscapes that attract tourists, and supporting the production of regional 
agricultural products. As well as finance, local and national governments should create in the 
areas under their jurisdiction favourable environments for the development of agritourism, 
by changing regulatory and tax constraints, so that more farms are encouraged to enter the 
industry.
It is clear that there are strong economic and social benefits that agritourism can provide 
farmers, customers and the local areas where the farms are situated. Agritourism contributes 
to and enhances the quality of life in communities by expanding recreational opportunities, 
differentiating rural economies, and promoting the retention of agricultural lands. Working 
agricultural landscapes reflect the efforts of generations of farm families and often provide 
a defining sense of culture, heritage, and rural character. Agritourism provides educational 
opportunities for school children and adults to learn about this agrarian heritage, the 
production of food, and resource stewardship. Finally, many agritourism operations provide 
consumers with direct access to fresh farm goods. Agritourism is an industry with an 
enormous potential for growth. With it, farming could become more efficient and sustainable, 
rural areas could become more beautiful and farmers could become better off and more 
significant employers and contributors to economies.
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