Measuring the economic impact of agritourism is the goal of nearly 2,000 questionnaires mailed to California agritourism operators this month.

The mailing is believed to be the first statewide economic survey of California agricultural operators. Farms and agritourism operations in Amador County were among the survey recipients, said Brenda Dawson, communications coordinator for the UC Small Farm Program. "Survey participants were encouraged to reply by Monday, Feb. 2, but the researchers are continuing to accept responses," she added.

Agritourism is widely considered a way for farmers to diversify their income sources and potentially bolster their bottom line. The definition of agritourism includes any income-generating activity conducted on a working farm or ranch for the enjoyment and education of visitors.

Results will help measure the direct impacts of agritourism ventures on local economies. The survey is being conducted by a group of researchers from University of California Cooperative Extension and the UC Small Farm Program, with funding from the California Communities Program.

"Upon completion, we'll have a more detailed economic picture of how agritourism affects individual farms and our communities," said Shermain Hardesty, director of the UC Small Farm Program and Cooperative Extension economist with UC Davis. "The survey will measure revenue generation, job creation and capital investments made by agritourism businesses."

The survey will also help researchers identify major challenges faced by agritourism business owners, so that future UC work can better address those needs.

"A frequent question at our agritourism workshops is, 'How much money can we make doing this?'" said Holly George, county director for UC Cooperative Extension in Sierra and Plumas counties and co-author of the 2005 handbook, "Agritourism and Nature Tourism in California." "If a large enough percentage of people respond to this survey, we'll be able to more accurately answer that question for farmers throughout California. And we'll have more feedback on what issues and problems exist for people working within agritourism - which will help us plan better future workshops."

Previous statewide surveys of agritourism impacts in New York, Hawaii and New Jersey have confirmed the positive significance of agricultural and nature tourism to local economies. But this survey is believed to be the first to account for the impacts on California's economy.

Individual survey responses will be kept strictly confidential. Agritourism operators who do not receive a survey but would like to participate - or who received the questionnaire, but are concerned about privacy - should e-mail sfcenter@ucdavis.edu for further directions.

For more information, contact the UC Small Farm Program at sfcenter@ucdavis.edu or (530) 752-8136.