![Percentage contribution of the agricultural sector in the total working force in Jordan over the period 2012-2019 (Source: Department of Statistics [21])](https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Bushra-Obeidat/publication/360205529/figure/fig2/AS:1152694693707777@1651835239126/Percentage-contribution-of-the-agricultural-sector-in-the-total-working-force-in-Jordan_Q320.jpg)
Content uploaded by Bushra Obeidat
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Bushra Obeidat on May 06, 2022
Content may be subject to copyright.
Agritourism-A Sustainable Approach to the Development of Rural Settlements in Jordan:
Al-Baqura Village as a Case Study
Bushra Obeidat*, Amani Hamadneh
Department of Architecture, College of Architecture and Design, Jordan University of Science and Technology, P.O. Box
3030, Irbid 22110, Jordan
Corresponding Author Email: bbobeidat@just.edu.jo
https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.170232
ABSTRACT
Received: 5 January 2022
Accepted: 16 March 2022
Agritourism is gaining growing recognition in both developed and developing countries. In
developing countries, it is considered as an instrument, not only for sustainable rural
development but also for local community poverty alleviation. Al-Baqura is an important
agricultural village in the north of Jordan. In 2019, Jordan retrieved control over it after 25
years of leasing to external investors. Thereupon, the Jordanian government should encourage
investments in this area and improve its agricultural production in terms of quality and
quantity. The objectives of this study were to explore the perspectives of local farmers on the
launch of agritourism in this village and to identify the variables that affect farmers' motives
for engagement in agritourism activities in their locality. In addition, the study aimed at
determining the agritourism-associated difficulties faced by the residents who seek to boost
their livelihoods through tourism. The study followed the quantitative research approach and
used a questionnaire as the data collection tool in a survey of 163 residents of Al-Baqura
village. The results of the analysis uncovered a high potential for economic, environmental,
and socio-cultural benefits of agritourism in this village. In particular, it will empower the
women to improve their social status in society, provide the rural population with increased
revenue and new job opportunities, and improve the quality of the environment. However, for
agritourism development in this area, the government should support the local families and
help them in establishing and operating tourism enterprises.
Keywords:
agritourism, sustainable development,
Jordan, perceived benefits, local farmers
1. INTRODUCTION
Whereas agricultural production is the principal economic
activity in rural areas, tourism is considered a vehicle for
promoting rural development. Integrating tourism with
agriculture has substantial economic benefits for developing
countries, where the agricultural sector is a major contributor
to the local economy [1]. The establishment of tourism
activities in rural areas has led to the emergence of agricultural
tourism, also known shortly as agritourism, as a new type of
rural tourism [2, 3].
Agritourism is a sustainable activity that is developed
within the setting of the families who participate in the tourism
market to optimize the use of their available resources [4, 5].
People who love nature and want to get away from the hustle
and bustle of busy city life are the target of agritourism, which
provides them with invaluable opportunities to experience and
enjoy the rural environment, traditions, and lifestyle. Through
agritourism, the visitors will be able to practice daily rural
chores and enjoy the recreational spaces and connection with
nature.
Agritourism consists of agricultural and non-agricultural
activities. Bassi and De Poi [6] broadly classified those
activities into three categories: (i) productive activities like
farm production, processing, and selling; (ii) social activities
such as social interaction with farmers and the associated
hospitality services; and (iii) environmental activities,
including environment protection, landscaping, recycling, and
so on. Other appealing activities include practicing organic
agriculture, growing medicinal plants, horseback riding, and
farm and farmhouse tours [7].
In economic terms, agritourism helps in creating job
opportunities, increasing revenues from tourist
accommodation and other services, and improving the profits
derived from selling local products to tourists [8]. Socio-
economically, agritourism strengthens the local identity,
empowers the farmers, and helps the women improve their
social status in society [9, 10]. From the environmental
viewpoint, agritourism has a broad range of advantages that
include conservation of biodiversity, reduction of the use of
agrochemicals, and conservation of natural resources through
the adoption of sustainable farming methods [11].
The COVID-19 pandemic had a substantial impact on
public health and the economy. As a result of the lockdowns
since late March 2020, the economies of many countries
started experiencing a recession, with concomitant increased
unemployment and high levels of uncertainty prevailing in the
financial markets [12]. Of the sectors affected by the economic
devastation caused by the pandemic, the tourism sector has
suffered the most [13, 14]. However, tourists in some countries
have become more interested in agritourism farms, which offer
a wide range of recreational activities. Evidence (e.g., [15])
shows that rural trips are beneficial in achieving desired
recreational results. In the near future, weekend tourism in
International Journal of Sustainable Development and
Planning
Vol. 17, No. 2, April, 2022, pp. 669-676
Journal homepage: http://iieta.org/journals/ijsdp
669
agricultural farms will grow. Thus, the development of
agritourism plays a multi-functional and sustainable role in the
development of rural areas.
Agritourism proved to be a successful type of tourism in
many regions. It is regarded as an essential step in the
promotion of sustainable development and is, consequently,
quite often studied [15]. However, in developing countries
such as Jordan, it is still in its beginning. Despite its
importance, farmers' willingness to establish visitors'
attraction projects has not yet been investigated in Jordan. In
the light of this, the objectives of this study were to explore the
perspectives of Jordanian farmers on the establishment of
agritourism in Al-Baqura village and to identify the variables
that affect farmers' motives for agritourism in their locality. In
addition, the study aimed at exploring the agritourism-
associated difficulties faced by the residents who seek to boost
their livelihoods through tourism. The results of this study will
advance our understanding of farmers' willingness to
participate in agritourism projects and of the factors that affect
their willingness the most. The researchers assumed that
farmers have an interest in this sort of tourism because of the
potential for an increased benefit at the economic, social, and
environmental levels.
1.1 Agritourism practices in Jordan
Jordan is one of the few countries in the Middle East that
offers tourism opportunities of all kinds; cultural, therapeutic,
environmental, and agricultural tourism. Formal consideration
of developing tourism and preserving and protecting natural
resources in Jordan started in 1966 with the establishment of
the Ministry of Tourism (MoT) and the Royal Society for the
Conservation of Nature (RSCN), which carries the
responsibilities of managing natural resources in Jordan under
a mandate from the Jordanian government [16]. Since their
establishment, several ministries and associations have been
keenly working on the creation of a network of protected areas
in Jordan that can, in addition to conserving nature, serve as a
source of economic returns and national income. Tourism in
Jordan is based on environmental protection and community
participation. Thus, it contributes to the minimization of
negative environmental and social impacts of the tourist
activities and maximizes their benefits to the local community
and to their environment.
Figure 1. Countryside tourism activities in Jordan
In Jordan, several rural houses and farms are offered to
visitors to use as tourist lodging. This service is one element
of the rural tourism market, which is very tempting to tourist
families desiring an environmentally-friendly experience. In
effect, this initiative constitutes a source of income for the
rural people and helps in the protection of the landscape and
buildings in the rural areas from unnatural destruction and in
the management of them [17]. Rural tourism (Figure 1) is
prevalent in some parts of Jordan, especially in the mountain
areas. This tourism type is based on sustainable activities that
have positive effects on the tourist's health, natural resources,
and climate [18]. In this respect, the agritourism activities
include events focusing on agritourism products and services
through edu-entertainment, which corresponds to in situ
teaching of tourists and locals [19].
1.2 Government proposals for improving the agricultural
sector in Jordan
Agriculture is of economic importance in Jordan despite its
small contribution to the national gross domestic product
(GDP). For instance, in 2020, its contribution to the national
GDP was 5.20%. However, it is a source of food and income
to a high proportion of the population and a major source of
foreign currency through exports [20]. One hundred and
twenty-four thousand people work in this sector, which is a
figure that corresponds to 2.1% of the total population and
7.7% of the total working force in Jordan. However, as
statistics show (Figure 2), the percentage of employment in the
agricultural sector dropped noticeably over time [21].
Figure 2. Percentage contribution of the agricultural sector in
the total working force in Jordan over the period 2012-2019
(Source: Department of Statistics [21])
Farming is practiced more in the northern and western
highlands in Jordan than in other parts of the country. The
most productive lands lie in Jordan Valley (JV), where Al-
Baqura village is located. The most important agricultural
products of the valley are fruits and vegetables, which include
cucumber, tomatoes, eggplant, melon, banana, and citrus crops.
It is worth noting that there are vast rural areas in the JV and
that about 55% of the population is classified as poor. Many
families are unable to make a living from farming [22], mainly
because agriculture is practiced there in small farms, ranging
in areas from 1.2 dunams to 2.5 dunams. Even though
agriculture is the principal source of income for most
households in the villages in JV, the farm income is generally
low. A study [22] found that the average income of farm
families was less than US$700 per month, which is nearly
US$440 below the national poverty line of US$1,142 [22].
Because of poverty, farmers are steadily leaving work in
agriculture. Statistics indicate that 20.2% of farmers in rural
areas participate in non-farm, income-generating activities
[23]. These statistics are alarming. However, there is growing
awareness that small-scale agriculture offers valuable
opportunities for rural growth through its role in poverty
alleviation, besides its role in contributing to food and
nutrition security. According to reports [24, 25], in countries
where small-scale agriculture is prevalent, agricultural growth
670
has an extremely positive influence on rural development.
Rural development, however, does not suggest that farmers
can change their conditions by merely modifying a particular
action or practice. Indeed, there are no magic strategies for
achieving rural growth [24-26]. Furthermore, the pathways for
growth are context-dependent and are influenced by a
multitude of variables. To encourage more successful
intervention methods for rural development, recognizing the
interrelationships among small farm families, farm
management, and contextual variables is crucial.
The Jordanian National Agricultural Growth Strategy
focuses on supporting sustainable agricultural production and
improving the economic status of farmers' families by
providing the necessary infrastructure for the rural
communities, increasing their access to technology, and
finding solutions for the agricultural produce marketing
problems [27]. One of the suggested solutions is to promote
agritourism. In view of this, we performed an investigation of
farmers' perceptions of agritourism and of its potential for
providing a solution to the low income of farmers in rural areas.
We conducted this study in one of the agricultural villages in
JV, namely, Al-Baqura village.
1.3 Al-Baqura: The study site
Al-Baqura is a village that is located east of Jordan River,
within the Northern Jordan Valley part of Irbid Governorate.
It lies at the point of convergence of Jordan and Yarmouk
rivers and has an elevation of 11m above sea level at the
latitude of 32⁰ 38′ 31″ N and longitude of 35⁰ 35′ 26″ E. It has
an area of around 6,000 dunams. The topography of Al-Baqura
is characterized by low plains, and the major land use in it is
agriculture. The climate of this village is usually several
degrees warmer than that of the surrounding areas, with a mild
winter and a scorching summer.
The village of Al-Baqura is one of the most fertile parts of
Jordan. It includes agricultural lands of considerable area and
good soil quality in addition to various sources of good-quality
irrigation water like wells and springs. Its land is suitable for
growing a wide variety of vegetables, fruits (mainly including
citrus fruits and date trees), as well as wheat, barley, and
medicinal plants. Furthermore, its warm climate makes it an
ideal place for growing bananas. In fact, it is already densely
covered with banana plantations.
Al-Baqura village is also considered a place of historical
and tourist national heritage. The most prominent ancient
landmarks in this village are Majma Bridge, the Rothenberg
Project, and the Hijaz railroad (Figure 3). Al-Majma Bridge is
a complex of three bridges. The first (oldest) of which was
constructed by the Romans. The second bridge was built
adjacent to it by the Ottomans for passage of the Hijaz railway
to Palestine. The third bridge, however, was constructed by the
British authorities during the Mandate days. They intertwined
it with the Roman bridge [28]. The Rothenberg project
narrates part of the history of Al-Baqura. The British
authorities gave the Rothenberg Company, which was founded
by Pinchas Rotenberg, the permission to invest the water of
Jordan and Yarmouk rivers at their convergence point to
generate and distribute electric power for the period of 70
years. This project, whose implementation began in 1921, was
intended to provide the governorate of Ajloun and the north of
Palestine, especially the city of Haifa, with electricity [28].
Before the 1967 war, the population of Al-Baqura village
was about 7,000 per capita, but this number decreased greatly
during the war and after it. During the war, most of the families
migrated from this village to neighboring villages. Its
population today is about 564. Most of them depend on
agriculture for their livelihood. However, the infrastructure in
this village is poor; the agricultural market is distant; paved
roads are limited; and access to technologies, funds, and
human capital is weak [29]. Additionally, the village has a
large number of farmers who produce the same agricultural
products, which makes it really hard to find a buyer. Under
these circumstances, the main challenge is to attract buyers to
buy agricultural commodities from rural villages. So, the
village farmers have no alternative but to attract visitors to
their village so that they can sell some goods and, hence,
improve their income. On that ground, it is anticipated that
agritourism can provide a solution to the problem of selling
village goods, thus reducing poverty.
Figure 3. Location of Al-Baqura village in Jordan Valley and images from the site
671
A review of the literature disclosed a lack of previous
studies that examined the desire and willingness of farmers to
be part of an agritourism system in this area, which is a
knowledge gap in this domain of scientific research. In
consequence, we decided to conduct this study to bridge this
knowledge gap. The study aimed at exploring the factors that
determine farmers' willingness to be part of an agritourism
system in Al-Baqura village and farmers' anticipations of the
effects of agritourism on their economies, society, culture, and
environment. As such, this study represents a breakthrough in
the process of developing tourism in rural areas in Jordan since
it provides a solid foundation for further understanding of the
perceptions and expectations of the local population.
2. MATERIALS AND METHODS
A survey-based research approach was adopted in this study.
To collect the data, we surveyed farmers in Al-Baqura village
using an online survey. Before that, we contacted
representatives of the farmers in the village and asked them to
invite the rural farmers to participate in the study. Prior to the
collection of the data, we made a presentation on the
advantages and drawbacks of agritourism using the Zoom
platform because of the governmental restrictions on mobility
and gathering associated with Corona disease. This
presentation lasted for 30 min. After the presentation, the
farmers were asked to fill out the questionnaire forms.
The questionnaire was developed based on prior research
and designed to cover various aspects of agritourism impacts:
economic, socio-cultural, and environmental impacts. The
indicators of the economic effect which this study took into
account were the creation of employment opportunities,
agricultural job development, increased income,
diversification of tributaries or activities, of the local economy,
cost of living, and demand for locally-produced agricultural
goods. On the other hand, the assessment of the social and
cultural consequences of agritourism was based on measures
such as preservation of local people's way of life, respect for
farmer's privacy, chances for cultural exchange, host-tourist
conflicts, crime rates (e.g., the rates of theft, violence, and
vandalism), and women's empowerment in society.
Meanwhile, the measures of the environmental impacts of
agritourism which this study took into consideration were
knowledge of environmental issues among the local
population and government, enhancement of the image of the
area, conservation of the natural environment, cleanliness of
the agritourism sites and adjacent areas, congestion, and noise.
Additionally, the questionnaire included questions related to
basic demographic characteristics of the respondents and
questions about respondents' willingness to (i) support, and get
engaged in, agritourism, (ii) host visitors, and (iii) support the
government initiatives that promote agritourism in the village.
The questionnaire was constructed in the form of close-ended
questions. The respondents were due to express their levels of
agreement on each questionnaire item using a three-point
Likert scale, where the codes 1, 2, and 3 were indicative of
disagreement, neutrality, and agreement, respectively. The
questionnaire was initially constructed in the English language
and, later, translated into the Arabic language.
2.1 Data analysis
Data analysis was performed using version 25.0 of the
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The
demographic information of the respondents and their views
on the effects of agritourism were analyzed using descriptive
statistics. Spearman's Rank Correlation Analysis was
conducted to examine the relations among the study variables
in terms of significance, direction, and strength. In addition,
regression analysis was conducted to determine significant
predictors of farmers' willingness to support agritourism in
their village. The values of Spearman’s correlation coefficient
(pS) were interpreted following the rules of Evan’s [30], where
|pS| = 0.00-0.19 implies very weak relationship; |pS| = 0.20-
0.39 indicates weak association; |pS| = 0.40-0.59 points to
moderate association; |pS| = 0.60-0.79 suggests strong relation;
and |pS| = 0.80-1.0 indicates very strong association.
3. RESEARCH FINDINGS
3.1 Research sample
Random sampling was used to obtain a sample of 163
respondents from the 173 families living in Al-Baqura village.
According to Table 1, almost 20.6% of the respondents were
women, and 79.4% were men. The much higher representation
of men than women in the study sample can be explained by
the fact that the majority of the agricultural workers, who are
the population of this study, are men. The age group with the
highest representation (60.4%) in the sample was those
ranging in age from 29 years to 50 years. In addition, the
majority of the respondents (63.5%) hold a college degree. As
regards the monthly salary or income, nearly 46.0% of the
sample families earn more than 500 Jordanian Dinars monthly.
Moreover, most of the families have at least one person who
works in agriculture or agriculture-related occupation.
Specifically, almost 42.9% of the sample members work in
agriculture, while 44.4% work in non-agricultural occupations.
Only 28.6% of the respondents own a farm, and 38.1% of the
respondents reported not owning one. Slightly less than two-
thirds of the respondents (60.3%) who are engaged in
agricultural production cultivate their lands using
conventional agricultural methods. Few of the respondents use
contemporary agricultural methods like greenhouses or
vertical farming. In addition, it was found that 46.0% of the
respondents think that farming provides the farmer with
sufficient income to support her/his family.
3.2 Descriptive analysis
Descriptive statistics analysis was performed to determine
the mean (M) and standard deviation (SD) of respondents'
feedback on each questionnaire item. The analysis revealed
that most of the respondents were enthusiastic about
agritourism. As their responses disclose, they are willing to
support agritourism if it is proposed (M = 1.25, SD = 0.595).
Moreover, many respondents think that the community should
be involved in the planning and development of agritourism
(M = 1.17, SD = 0.493). They also believe that the government
should formulate policies and stimulate strategies to develop
and promote agritourism in the country (M = 1.06, SD = 0.248).
As their answers suggest, the participants in this study are open
to the idea of tourists visiting their villages and interacting
with them. Indeed, they would like to see more agritourism
activities in their area.
With respect to the economic impacts of agritourism, the
672
analysis results indicate that the respondents believe that
agritourism has a number of favorable economic features.
From the viewpoint of the survey participants, integration of
tourism with agriculture will increase the farmer's income and
improve her/his living conditions (M = 1.33, SD = 0.648).
Furthermore, the sample members believe that the integration
of tourism with agriculture will create new employment
opportunities, both for the farmers and for local people with
other occupations (M = 1.40, SD = 0.708). On this account,
they support that this will result in an increase in the financial
returns of local people and in the number of people who
choose to work in agriculture (M = 1.35, SD = 0.626). The
study results also uncover that the respondents believe that the
integration of tourism with agriculture will increase demand
for local products (M = 1.21, SD = 0.544). In addition, the
sample members believe that the local authorities should
provide financial support for infrastructure improvements to
facilitate the development of agritourism (M = 1.06, SD =
0.246).
As regards the social effects of agritourism, the results of
the analysis bring to notice that there is consensus among the
sample members that agritourism creates opportunities for
cultural and experience exchange (M = 1.22, SD = 0.522). The
results also pinpoint that the majority of the respondents
believe that agritourism will have no adverse social impacts on
them, such as provoking conflict between visitors and the local
people (M = 2.56, SD = 0.667) and impairing their way of life
(M = 2.38, SD = 0.831). Moreover, the respondents are of the
opinion that agritourism will have no adverse effect on
farmers' privacy. In other respects, there is agreement among
the sample members that the integration of tourism with
agriculture will support women and lead to their
empowerment in society by providing them with unique work
opportunities (M = 1.40, SD = 0.685).
Regarding respondents' perceptions of the environmental
impacts of agritourism, the results of this study unveil that the
respondents believe that agritourism will improve the image
of the village and the country as a whole (M = 1.21, SD =
0.481). Aside from that, agritourism will help in preserving the
natural environment of the village (M = 1.32, SD = 0.563), will
positively affect the environmental awareness of the local
people (M = 1.40, SD = 0.685), and will have no detrimental
impact on the farms and on the cleanliness of their surrounding
(M = 2.44, SD = 0.690).
3.3 Spearman's rank correlation analysis
Spearman's Rank Correlation Analysis was conducted in the
researchers' effort to examine potential associations among the
research variables in terms of significance, direction, and
magnitude (Table 1). This analysis disclosed a statistically-
significant, strong, positive correlation between the dependent
variable (willingness to support agritourism (V1)) and each of
the independent variables: empowerment of women in the
society (pS = 0.620, p < 0.001) and enhancement of the image
of the village (pS = 0.604, p < 0.001). Further, correlation
analysis indicated a moderate, positive relationship between
farmers' willingness to support agritourism and each of six
study variables (Table 1): preservation of the natural
environment, increased opportunities for cultural exchange,
improved financial returns for farms and farmers' families,
encouragement of people to practice agriculture, increased job
opportunities, and heightened demand for local products.
Table 1. Descriptive statistics for the questionnaire items
1.
1. Dependent Variables
Code
Variables
M
SD
ps (V1)
Sig.
V1
Willingness to support the agritourism project if proposed.
1.25
0.595
1
V2
The belief that the community should be engaged in planning for agritourism in its locality.
1.17
0.493
.781**
0.000
V3
The government should formulate policies and launch initiatives to encourage agritourism.
1.06
0.248
.660**
0.000
V4
Desire to have further agritourism activities in the area.
1.16
0.545
.869**
0.000
V5
Openness to the concept of tourists visiting the area and interacting with local people.
1.25
0.595
.590**
0.000
2. Independent Variables
V6
Integration of tourism with agriculture will increase the farmer’s income and improve her/his living
conditions.
1.33
0.648
.321*
0.010
V7
Integration of tourism with agriculture will create new employment opportunities for farmers and
local people with other occupations.
1.40
0.708
.446**
0.000
V8
Agritourism will raise the financial returns of local people and increase the number of individuals
who choose to work in agriculture.
1.35
0.626
.451**
0.000
V9
Integrating tourism with agriculture will increase demand for local products.
1.21
0.544
.434**
0.000
V10
The government should fund infrastructure upgrades to support agritourism.
1.06
0.246
.660**
0.000
V11
Agritourism creates opportunities for cultural and experience exchange.
1.22
0.522
.491**
0.000
V12
Agritourism will result in improvement of the local people’s way of life.
2.38
0.831
-.297*
0.018
V13
Agritourism will not violate farmers' privacy.
2.22
0.832
-.409**
0.001
V14
The presence of tourists in the area will raise the rates of crimes such as theft, violence, and
property damage.
2.49
0.693
-0.230
0.070
V15
Agritourism will not negatively affect the area by causing visitor-local conflict.
2.56
0.667
-.362**
0.004
V16
Agritourism will lead to empowerment of women by providing unique work opportunities for
them.
1.40
0.685
.620**
0.000
V17
Agritourism will improve the image of the village and the country.
1.21
0.481
.604**
0.000
V18
Agritourism will help in preservation of the local natural ecosystem.
1.32
0.563
.574**
0.000
V19
Agritourism raises the environmental awareness of the local people.
1.40
0.685
0.105
0.413
V20
Agritourism will not harm the farms or affect cleanliness of the surrounding areas.
2.44
0.690
-0.122
0.340
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).
Three-point Likert Scale: (1) Agree, (2) Neutral, (3) Disagree
M: Mean; SD: Standard Deviation; ps: Spearman’s Rank Correlation Coefficient; Sig.: Significance of the test statistic, that is, the probability (p) value.
673
Moreover, correlation analysis pinpointed a statistically-
significant negative relationship between the dependent
variable (willingness to support the concept of agritourism)
and each of two independent variables: causing conflict
between tourists and local residents and impairment of the way
of life of the indigenous people. Since both independent
variables are negative, then the foregoing two negative
relationships have positive implications. On the other hand,
the outputs of correlation analysis underline non-significant,
weak correlations among the dependent variable and some
independent variables: environmental awareness of the local
population and authorities, impact on farms and cleanliness of
their surroundings, and effect of the presence of tourists on
crime rates (e.g., rates of theft, violence, and vandalism). This
finding suggests that there are no statistically-significant
correlations amongst these variables.
3.4 Regression analysis
This part of the study aimed at investigating the effects of a
number of study variables on farmers' willingness to support
agritourism and participate in it. To this end, stepwise
regression analysis was run to construct a regression model
that allows for the prediction of farmers' willingness to support
agritourism from significant predictors. Table 2 shows that the
three statistically-significant predictors of farmers' willingness
to support agritourism and participate in it are (i)
empowerment of women in the society, (ii) enhancement of
the image of the village, and (iii) increasing farmer's income
and improving her/his living conditions. Table 2 presents a
summary of the three feasible regression models that have
been created based on the strength of effects of predictors on
farmers' willingness to support agritourism and participate in
it. In stepwise regression modeling, the strongest predictor is
used to construct the first model, and the second strongest
predictor is added to it to build the second (two-predictor)
model, and so on.
Table 2. Regression model summary
Model
R
R
Square
Adjusted R
Square
F
Sig.
p-
value
1
0.620a
0.384
0.374
38.024
0.000b
2
0.711b
0.505
0.489
30.613
0.000c
3
0.735c
0.540
0.516
23.056
0.000d
a. Predictors: (Constant), WE
b. Predictors: (Constant), WE, VI,
c. Predictors: (Constant), WE, VI, LC
d. Dependent Variable: Farmers' willingness to support
agritourism
o WE: Woment Empowerment
o VI: Enhancement of the village image
o LC: Improving living conditions
It is seen in Table 2 that all three models are statistically
significant (p < 0.05). Regarding the predictive powers of
these models, the analysis outcomes point out that the first
model has reasonably good power for the prediction of the
dependent variable because the value of its coefficient of
determination (R2) is 0.384. This value means that the first
predictor alone (empowerment of women in the society) has
the ability to predict 38.4% of the variations among the
respondents in their willingness scores. Based on the R2 values,
the researchers reach the conclusion that the three-predictor
model, that is, the third model, has the highest power for
prediction of farmers' willingness to support agritourism and
participate in it since it has the highest R2 value (0.540). This
implies that the three predictors combined can together explain
54.0% of the differences amongst the sample members in their
willingness scores. So, empowerment of women in the society
has a higher effect on farmers' willingness to support
agritourism than enhancement of the image of the village,
which has a higher effect on willingness than increasing
farmer's income and improving her/his living conditions.
4. CONCLUSIONS
In this study, the researchers investigated agritourism with
the aim of making an original contribution to the debate on the
sustainable development of rural communities. In particular,
the study investigated local people's opinions on the idea of
agritourism in Al-Baqura village, Jordan, and examined how
agritourism can support sustainable development in this rural
area. The study found that locals' motivation to promote
agritourism in their village and engage in it is motivated by the
economic, social, and environmental benefits of agritourism.
Women empowerment in society, enhancement of the image
of the village, increased farmer's income, and improvement of
her/his living conditions have been found to be the most
significant determinants of farmers' willingness to support
agritourism in Al-Baqura village and to participate in it.
In the Jordanian communities, the woman is the family's
foundation. As well, the family's income is often much
influenced by the woman's employment in addition to her
husband's aid in agricultural work, food production, or craft
production. Therefore, to develop agritourism in agricultural
villages, the role of women must be taken into careful
consideration and reinforced. Additionally, feedback of
various respondents indicated that agritourism has the
potential to enhance the overall image of the local community
and the infrastructure of the village, including roads, sanitation,
and other public facilities, while contributing to further
cleanness of the living environment, which is an issue that has
been supported by earlier research [7, 15, 31].
The findings indicate that the locals support agritourism in
their locality since it has the potential to provide work
opportunities and revenue for their community. From the
perspective of the village people, agritourism has the potential
to inspire varied forms of local economic activities such as the
construction of a showroom and specialized shops for them to
display their products, in showcases, for example, and sell
agricultural goods, including fresh and dried fruits and
vegetables, that meet the visitor's demand. With reference to
the comment of the local people in Al-Baqura village on the
low wages associated with the agricultural work, it is worth
highlighting that most of the supplementary revenue of these
people comes from direct selling of agricultural and non-
agricultural products and goods to tourists.
This study found evidence that people's general knowledge
of agritourism influenced their opinions about its effects and
their willingness to participate in it. The positive impacts of
agritourism may motivate support of the population for the
development of tourism activities. Meanwhile, the negative
impacts of agritourism may prevent the population from
participating in tourism activities [5, 31]. An in-depth
understanding of attitudes of village people towards
agritourism can lead to finding ways that warrant effective
674
improvement of their participation in rural development,
which, in turn, plays an important role in supporting
sustainable tourism development and participation of the local
people in it [5, 15, 31].
In light of its findings, this study concludes that the sample
members do, in general, have a good understanding of the
concept and practice of agritourism. The study also concludes
that they are open-minded, friendly, and hospitable. In
addition, it is concluded that the people in Al-Baqura village
are in bad need of opportunities for improved income. Within
this context, the study concludes that providing those people
with financial aid in the form of donations and/or debts can, to
a high degree, help them overcome the financial obstacles to
effective participation in agritourism. As well, this study
reached the conclusion that agritourism is much promising
economically, socially, and environmentally and that Al-
Baqura village and its people are well prepared for agritourism
and associated activities and opportunities. However, it is
additionally concluded that the infrastructure of Al-Baqura
village is not yet well prepared for agritourism. Further
investments in the infrastructure of this village are required
and recommended.
This study found that empowerment of women in the
society, enhancement of the image of the village, and
increasing farmer's income and improving her/his living
conditions are three statistically-significant, strong predictors
of farmers' willingness to support agritourism and participate
in it. Individually, empowerment of women has the highest
effect on willingness, whereas increasing the farmer's income
and improving her/his living conditions has the relatively
lowest effect. On account of the regression analysis outputs,
this study concludes that the three predictors combined have a
higher effect on farmers' willingness than the effect of any
individual predictor. This finding suggests that all three
variables are highly critical to the success of agritourism in Al-
Baqura village and to whichever related initiatives, projects,
and activities. In other respects, this finding leads to the
conclusion that the local people in Al-Baqura village pay more
attention and assign a higher weight to the socio-cultural
aspects of agritourism than to the economic aspects; they are
more concerned about women empowerment and image of
their locality than about income. In other respects, the finding
that the aforementioned three predictors can together explain
54.0% of the differences amongst the sample members in their
willingness scores leads to the conclusion that there are other
determinants of the dependent variable which this study did
not address, and which are not much less influential than the
variables considered in the present study. This should trigger
related future studies to research these determinants.
Currently, Al-Baqura village lacks an agritourism initiative,
in spite of the keen willingness of its farmers to embrace the
idea. The policymakers should pay particular attention to the
aforementioned determinants of agritourism in order to
develop it in this village. The various economic, social, and
environmental determinants of agritourism must be taken into
account in planning and implementation of agritourism in this
village and in similar villages. The Jordanian government and
Jordan Tourism Board should collaborate further to promote
tourism in the village via public awareness programs and
infrastructure improvement projects. Additionally, the
government should provide financial and technical assistance
to the local community of the village. This will help the
farmers in overcoming financial obstacles to effective
involvement in successful agritourism in their village.
REFERENCES
[1] Sanches-Pereira, A., Onguglo, B., Pacini, H., Gómez,
M.F., Coelho, S.T., and Muwanga, M.K. (2017).
Fostering local sustainable development in Tanzania by
enhancing linkages between tourism and small-scale
agriculture. Journal of Cleaner Production, 162: 1567-
1581. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2017.06.164
[2] Fagioli, F.F., Diotallevi, F., Ciani, A. (2014).
Strengthening the sustainability of rural areas: The role
of rural tourism and agritourism. Italian Review of
Agricultural Economics, 69(2-3): 155-169.
https://doi.org/10.13128/REA-16920
[3] Apaza-Panca, C.M., Arévalo, J.E.S.C., Apaza-Apaza, S.
(2020). Agritourism: Alternative for sustainable rural
development. Dominio de las Ciencias, 6: 207-227.
https://doi.org/10.23857/dc.v6i5.1596
[4] Adamov, T., Ciolac, R., Iancu, T., Brad, I., Peț, E.,
Popescu, G., Șmuleac, L. (2020). Sustainability of
agritourism activity. Initiatives and challenges in
Romanian mountain rural regions. Sustainability, 12(6):
2502. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12062502
[5] Ciolac, R., Adamov, T., Iancu, T., Popescu, G., Lile, R.,
Rujescu, C., Marin, D. (2019). Agritourism-A
Sustainable development factor for improving the ‘health’
of rural settlements. Case study Apuseni mountains area.
Sustainability, 11(5): 1467.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su11051467
[6] Bassi, I., De Poi, P. (2010). Measuring multifunctional
(agritouristic) characterization of the territory.
Agribusiness Agricultural and Food Policy
Community/Rural/Urban Development Food
Consumption/Nutrition/Food Safety Labor and Human
Capital. https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.94927
[7] Bhatta, K., Ohe, Y. (2019). Farmers’ willingness to
establish community-based agritourism: Evidence from
Phikuri village, Nepal. International Journal of Tourism
Sciences, 19(2): 128-144.
https://doi.org/10.1080/15980634.2019.1621536
[8] Schilling, B.J., Sullivan, K.P., Komar, S.J. (2012).
Examining the economic benefits of agritourism: The
case of New Jersey. Journal of Agriculture, Food
Systems, and Community Development, 3(1): 199-214.
https://doi.org/10.5304/jafscd.2012.031.011
[9] Wright, W., Annes, A. (2014). Farm women and
agritourism: Representing a new rurality. Sociologia
Ruralis, 54(4): 477-499.
https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12051
[10] Gil Arroyo, C., Barbieri, C., Sotomayor, S., Knollenberg,
W. (2019). Cultivating women’s empowerment through
agritourism: Evidence from Andean communities.
Sustainability, 11(11): 3058.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su11113058
[11] Mastronardi, L., Giaccio, V., Giannelli, A., Scardera, A.
(2015). Is agritourism eco-friendly? A comparison
between agritourisms and other farms in Italy using farm
accountancy data network dataset. SpringerPlus, 4: 1-12.
https://doi.org/10.1186/s40064-015-1353-4
[12] Wojcieszak-Zbierska, M.M., Jęczmyk, A., Zawadka, J.,
Uglis, J. (2020). Agritourism in the era of the coronavirus
(COVID-19): A rapid assessment from Poland.
Agriculture, 10: 397.
https://doi.org/10.3390/agriculture10090397
[13] Chin, W.L., and Pehin Dato Musa, S.F. (2021).
675
Agritourism resilience against Covid-19: Impacts and
management strategies. Cogent Social Sciences, 7(1):
1950290.
https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2021.1950290
[14] Uglis, J., Jęczmyk, A., Zawadka, J., Wojcieszak-
Zbierska, M.M., Pszczoła, M. (2021). Impact of the
COVID-19 pandemic on tourist plans: A case study from
Poland. Current Issues in Tourism, 25(3): 405-420.
https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2021.1960803
[15] Ammirato, S., Felicetti, A.M., Raso, C., Pansera, B.A.,
Violi, A. (2020). Agritourism and Sustainability: what
we can learn from a systematic literature review.
Sustainability, 12(22): 9575.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su12229575
[16] RSCN, T.R.S.f.t.C.o.N. (2017). Overview.
https://www.rscn.org.jo/overview, accessed on Dec. 12,
2021.
[17] Zamil, A. (2011). The role of Jordanian local community
in marketing tourism. Journal of Business Studies
Quarterly, 2: 42.
[18] El-Harami, J. (2014). The diversity of ecology and nature
reserves as an ecotourism attraction in Jordan. In SHS
Web of Conferences, 12: 01056.
https://doi.org/10.1051/shsconf/20141201056
[19] Abuamoud, I.N., Libbin, J., Green, J., and ALRousan, R.
(2014). Factors affecting the willingness of tourists to
visit cultural heritage sites in Jordan. Journal of Heritage
Tourism, 9(2): 148-165.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1743873X.2013.874429
[20] Figueroa, J.L., Mahmoud, M., and Breisinger, C. (2018).
The role of agriculture and agro-processing for
development in Jordan. Project Paper.
https://doi.org/10.2499/1024320700
[21] DOS, D.o.S. (2020). Agriculture.
http://dosweb.dos.gov.jo/agriculture/, accessed on Dec.
12, 2021.
[22] Al-Kheder, S., Haddad, N., Jaber, M.A., Al-Shawabkeh,
Y., Fakhoury, L. (2010). Socio-spatial planning
problems within Jordan Valley, Jordan: Obstacles to
sustainable tourism development. Tourism and
Hospitality Planning & Development, 7(4): 353-378.
https://doi.org/10.1080/1479053X.2010.520464
[23] Tarawneh, M., Al Husban, A.H. (2011). Rural poverty in
Jordan: Assessment and characterisation. Anthropology
of the Middle East, 6(2): 94-107.
https://doi.org/10.3167/ame.2011.060208
[24] Van den Broeck, G., Maertens, M. (2017). Moving up or
moving out? Insights into rural development and poverty
reduction in Senegal. World Development, 99: 95-109.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2017.07.009
[25] Briones, R.M. (2013). Agriculture, rural employment,
and inclusive growth.
http://hdl.handle.net/10419/126960, accessed on Dec. 12,
2021.
[26] Vos, R. (2019). Agriculture, the rural sector, and
development. Asian Transformations, 160-185.
https://library.oapen.org/bitstream/handle/20.500.12657
/39366/9780198844938.pdf?sequence=1#page=,
accessed on Dec. 12, 2021.
[27] FAO, F.a.A.O.o.t.U.N. (2019). National Strategy for
Agricultural Development 2016-2025.
https://www.fao.org/faolex/results/details/en/c/LEX-
FAOC166604/, accessed on Dec. 12, 2021.
[28] 7iber (2018). Jisr Al-Majameh in Baqoura, a Jordanian
land with unknown owners.
https://www.7iber.com/politics-economics/jisr-al-
majameh-in-baqoura-a-jordanian-land-with-unknown-
owners/, accessed on Dec. 12, 2021.
[29] Addustour (2016). Jordanian Baqoura. Volume 2021.
https://www.addustour.com/articles/2736-%D8%A7%D
9%84%D8%A8%D9%80%D8%A7%D9%82%D9%80
%D9%88%D8%B1%, accessed on Dec. 12, 2021.
[30] Evans, J.D. (1996). Straightforward statistics for the
behavioral sciences, (Thomson Brooks/Cole Publishing
Co).
https://scholar.google.com/scholar_lookup?title=Straigh
tforward+Statistics+for+the+Behavioral+Sciences&aut
hor=J.D.+Evans&publication_year=1996&, accessed on
Dec. 12, 2021.
[31] Nguyen, N.T.H., Suwanno, S., Thongma, W.,
Visuthismajarn, P. (2018). The attitudes of residents
towards agro-tourism impacts and its effects on
participation in agro-tourism development: The case
study of Vietnam. African Journal of Hospitality,
Tourism and Leisure, 7: 1-18.
676
