EDITORIAL
'Agritourism' a way to preserve heritage

For a state where the modern economy was built first on agriculture and then on tourism, we have been slow to realize the benefits of blending the two.

But that is changing, and it is an impressive prospect both for the long-term health of agriculture in our state and for those who hope to diversify our tourism "product" from fun and sun.

Neighbor Island Editor Christie Wilson this week surveyed the growth of the "agritourism" industry and found impressive signs of vitality.

With a total statewide reported income of some $26 million last year, agritourism remains, well, small potatoes compared with other industries.

But the value of this niche goes beyond producing income for owners of small farms, plantations and the like.

For starters, it creates a new experience for visitors who may have tried most of what Hawai'i has to offer on previous visits.

It offers an economic support post to small agriculture, which often struggles due to weather, market demands and other factors.

It helps preserve open space and our reputation as a place where green and healthy things grow in abundance.

And it has tremendous growth potential, managed and marketed properly.

When you think about it, massive tourist attractions such as Napa Valley in California, the wine country in France and fruit orchards in the Northwest are all examples of agritourism. There's no reason we cannot dream of competing one-on-one with these attractions.

Perhaps the best start is the "coffee country" in Kona, where tourists visit a variety of coffee farms, savoring home-grown and roasted brews and tasting the best of what the region has to offer. This success is in part due to clever marketing by coffee growers, working alone and together, and also due to the high-quality reputation of Kona coffee in general.

One can easily imagine similar agricultural "destinations" centered around flowers and foliage, exotic fruits, Pacific Rim specialities and who knows what else?

It has long been said that the era of "industrial" single-crop agriculture is about over in Hawai'i, never to return. Some may nostalgically wish for a return to the days when our Islands offered vast vistas of swaying sugar cane or tidy rows of pineapple. Save those dreams for old postcards or old movies.

Still, the end of that era need not — should not — mean an end to agriculture as an important part of our economic life.

"Agritourism" is one way to make sure we keep our heritage alive.