A call for proposals for agri-food tourism initiatives has been issued by Minister for Agriculture Charlie McConalogue under the 2022 rural innovation and development fund.

Total funding of almost €300,000 is available for such projects which may also include rural food markets with a maximum amount of €25,000 available to any one project.

Agri-food tourism is the practice of offering an activity or activities in rural areas to visit areas of well-known agricultural produce and to sample and taste the local or regional cuisine or specialities, according to the Department of Agriculture.

The tourism activity should involve demonstrating the links between agriculture and the food produced at the local or regional level and can include guests staying on farm or touring food trails.

Links

Minister McConalogue said a key element in the Food Vision 2030 strategy is to continue to develop links between local food and tourism offerings.

He said these links can include business development and marketing initiatives to support and promote food and drink visitor attractions.

He said the funding announced today will provide support towards the development of agri-food tourism initiatives which will help rural businesses to develop their products and services, connect with the community and visitors and improve the rural experience.

Agri-food tourism proposals should be submitted via the application form which is available here.

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The Fermanagh farm with a whiskey distillery