Educational institutions offering hospitality degrees and farmers : is there a link? A case study from Alabama

While there appear to be very clear associations between food growers, the hospitality sector, and educational institutions offering hospitality management or related degrees, to date very few studies discuss those links. In particular, little is known of food growers' perceptions of educational institutions, also in regard to how those institutions could assist farmers. This study seeks to add knowledge to those unresearched areas, learning from a group of 30 Alabama farmers. The findings clearly demonstrate that educational institutions offering hospitality degrees can play several positive roles in assisting farmers, such as in raising awareness about the "local" element of foods or even involving students in various constructive ways. Several implications are discussed concerning the findings and future research avenues are suggested.