An Irish study found women were willing to go beyond the tradition and engage in diversification
Women are playing a key role in driving agritourism, with data from outdoor booking platform Pitchup revealing more than 50 per cent of UK campsite owners on its site are women.
More than 33 per cent of the campsites listed on Pitchup are on working farms and, although 80 per cent of farmholders are men, agritourism and the outdoor accommodation sector appears to be offering equal opportunities for both men and women.
A recent study in Ireland suggested women have played a key role in the growth of agritourism.听
According to the study聮s leading researcher, Dr Maura Farrell, women in the farm sector 聭are much more open to farm diversification and they are much more open to going beyond that productivist type of thinking in agriculture聮.
聯Women are willing to go beyond the tradition and engage in diversification, giving rise to this idea of a progressive feminism within agriculture for women.聰
This was one of the highest figures across Europe, with women making up just 26 per cent of campsite owners on the platform in Germany, 28 per cent in Spain, 36 per cent in Italy and 41 per cent in France.
Harriet Cunningham, owner of Benville Manor Camping, runs the site alongside her daughter.听
聯We really got into it because of Covid. We had already spent about 10 years turning a former cattle field into a wildflower meadow and then my daughter decided it would be the perfect place to offer wild camping, since no one could holiday abroad.
Family
聯Everyone got involved - it was a multi-generational family project.
聯It was extraordinary really how many people turned up unprepared. A lot of young families came from Bristol for their first ever camping trip, in order to escape the city.
聯In the beginning we lent out a lot of wellies, jumpers and extra pairs of socks. Once people got the hang of it, it was lovely to see how everyone embraced being out in the wild.
聯I think it is a great industry to work in as a woman. It is not easy - you have to clean a lot of toilets and clear up a lot of rubbish - but it聮s very sociable and so rewarding seeing how much people enjoy the experience you聮ve created.聰
Women in farming
Lesley Nicholas, owner of Girt Down 51AV视频in Devon, said:听聯I am part of a women in farming group on Exmoor and we meet regularly and look at ways that we can make a difference to our farm income - always the main topic of conversation since the government is cutting payments to farmers and we are trying to make up the shortfall,聰 she said.
Ms Nicholas had decided a campsite could work for them during the pandemic.
聯I thought I would be lucky to get 5 or 6 bookings a week, little did I know by the time I went to bed that evening I had 30 bookings with the first arriving in the morning.
聯This first family still visits every summer, along with many others who return as they love the beautiful views and friendly farmer (my husband) who actually interacts with everyone knowing most by name, like he does the sheep.
聯Despite his initial scepticism, he is now totally sold and is always answering questions about life on the farm and all it entails which visitors really enjoy.
聯We have been open for 3 summers now and have enjoyed it immensely.聰
