Tourism as a mechanism for farm survival

This case study explores the linkages between tourism, community and development forces in the peri-urban zones of Sydney, Australia. The Hawkesbury Harvest Farm Gate Trail (HHFGT) emerged as a response to market, development, settlement and consumer pressures threatening the survival of farming in the region, together with connections to community health initiatives in food access, safety, security and quality that were spawned by the Healthy Cities programme and Agenda 21. The interaction created between farmers and tourists involved new challenges for farmers in production, marketing and service provision. Although challenging, community-based initiatives like the Farm Gate Trail are shown to hold great potential for sustainable development and sustainable tourism despite the attendant risks associated with small-scale, intensive agriculture, tourism management issues and the land use conflicts that are created when town and country meet in the urban fringe areas of major metropolises.