Farming and Tourism Enterprise: Authenticity in the Diversification of Independent Small-Scale Farming

This article examines the business choices made by independent family farmers, when confronting the need to diversify away from traditional agricultural activities by starting farm-based tourism businesses. Based on interviews with farmers and drawing upon the concept of authenticity, the article explores the farmer’s conceptions of self and identity. In so doing, it addresses the dilemmas facing farm families who attempt diversification through this tourism entrepreneurial route and considers how this affects their attitudes towards more traditional farming activities. Using qualitative case study data, an empirically-grounded framework is proposed that expresses the ethical choices and challenges which face the farmer through the conceptual lens of authenticity.