Assessing agritourism potential in a Jordanian village based on farmer-specific and location-based factors

Abstract Rural towns worldwide are undertaking tourism programs to diversify and revitalize their economies. Despite its natural, cultural, and historical tourist potential, Jordan is not a top agritourism destination. This research examines the possibilities for agritourism in an agricultural village in Jordan that has not yet embraced it. The research investigates what motivates or discourages village farmers from engaging in agritourism and the geographical aspects of this expected agritourism venue. The research method relies on GIS analysis of the case study site to establish its suitability for agritourism development. Farmers were asked about their views and motives for engaging in Al-Baqura’s agritourism development. The GIS study revealed that Al-baqura has the geographical characteristics that identify it as a prospective agritourism destination. The economic, social, and environmental benefits of agritourism motivate the local community to support it. This study reveals that improving demand for local products, promoting cultural interchange and experience possibilities, and enhancing the region’s image, are vital to agritourism’s success. The variance analysis found no statistically significant association between participants’ economic, social, and environmental perspectives of agritourism depending on gender, education level, or farm ownership. Despite the farmers’ eagerness, the town has no agritourism initiative yet. Therefore, the government should offer aid to the local community to promote tourism.


Introduction
Rural towns all around the world are taking steps to diversify and revitalize their local economies by forming and putting into action tourism projects (Baskerville, 2013). These projects generally concentrate on land investment in predominantly agricultural regions. In certain nations, tourist development plans have blended agriculture and tourism to create a new business-called agritourism (Ammirato et al., 2020;Apaza-Panca et al., 2020). Undoubtedly, the lockdowns and travel restrictions accompanying the COVID-19 pandemic have significantly hampered global tourism, reducing visitor numbers and international tourism revenue (Chin & Pehin Dato Musa, 2021;Uglis et al., 2021). Scholars believe that this crisis has led to a paradigm shift in the tourism sector where tourists have become more interested in finding more sustainable and flexible tourism alternatives such as agritourism which appeared to be more resilient than other tourism businesses during the pandemic (Chin & Pehin Dato Musa, 2021;Magno & Cassia, 2021;Zawadka et al., 2022). The success of the agritourism business is linked to its ability to invest in local and natural resources, drawing the attention of tourists who value nature, hence improving the local economy and population's economic condition (Magno & Cassia, 2021;Zawadka et al., 2022).
Jordan, despite its natural, cultural, and historical tourism potential, has not been considered a prime agricultural tourism destination compared to its neighboring regions (Obeidat & Hamadneh, 2022). Agritourism may offer a substantial and potentially significant source of income for farmers and rural communities throughout the country. However, research on agritourism in Jordan is limited. Therefore, this study investigates the potential of implementing agritourism in a village in Jordan of intensive agriculture that has not yet adopted agritourism. The study explores factors that motivate or obstruct farmers in the village from engaging in agritourism. Ultimately, understanding farmers' attitudes toward agritourism and its potential in rural areas where such regulations have not yet been implemented may give critical and novel viewpoints that can aid in the design, promotion, and exploitation of agritourism and thus rural development (Apaza-Panca et al., 2020;Bhatta & Ohe, 2019).
Furthermore, few studies have examined the geographical features of agritourism sites (Baskerville, 2013;Van der Merwe et al., 2013). This study assesses whether the village under investigation possesses the required geographic qualities to incorporate agritourism, for instance, urban proximity, natural assets, existing leisure possibilities (e.g., parks or historical sites), or other similar factors. Additionally, the paper highlights the role of agritourism as a strategy for rural communities' sustainable development.

Potential impacts of agritourism
Rural tourism may be described as tourism that occurs in rural regions and serves as a vehicle for rural development (Fagioli et al., 2014). The term "rural" is socially created and varies among nations and cultures. However, there are several general features rural destinations worldwide share, including (1) low population density, (2) limited area proportions dedicated to the built environment, (3) the societal structures are traditional, (4) landscapes are essential, and (5) agriculture is almost certainly practiced, although not always (Deavers, 1992). The growth of tourism in rural regions promoted agritourism as a distinct type of rural tourism (Apaza-Panca et al., 2020;Fagioli et al., 2014). The scholarly investigation into agritourism is centered on its benefits to farmers and local development (Ammirato & Felicetti, 2013;Karampela & Kizos, 2018;Karampela et al., 2016;Sgroi et al., 2018). By "local development," we mean self-development-the sustainable use of local resources in conjunction with promoting economic diversification and beneficial distribution to the local people. Local development is concerned with enhancing competitiveness via creating dynamic networks and interactions between the local regions and their larger contexts (Pérez-Olmos & Aguilar-Rivera, 2021). Agritourism fosters synergy between various activities, not only inside farms but also across farms or between farms and other rural enterprises (Karampela et al., 2019). The agritourism farm represents the fundamental element and the center of any rural network (Ammirato & Felicetti, 2013), as each farm symbolizes the intersection between agricultural activities and tourist services.
Consequently, agritourism providers become members of this rural network in the rural community and establish structured and long-term cooperative relationships, aligning their businesses, interests, resources, and goals, in order to exploit business opportunities and promote investments in the village as a whole, thereby contributing to the village's development (Ammirato & Felicetti, 2013). This rural development paradigm entails improving the value of the agricultural enterprise's output by establishing new connections to markets that were previously unavailable to farmers (Van der Ploeg, 2000). Nowadays, agritourism's impact on rural development is becoming more intricate, crossing economic borders and focusing on natural resource protection, landscape improvement, and promoting and valuing existing physical and intangible assets (Ammirato et al., 2020).
Agritourism operations are like any other business venture in that their viability and sustainability rely on a range of variables (Baskerville, 2013). Brown and Reeder (2007) and Bernardo et al. (2004) offer two categories for these factors: farmer-specific and Location-based variables. Farmer-based variables are related to understanding factors that may encourage or discourage farmers from engaging in agritourism. In addition to demographic characteristics (e.g., age, gender, education, and ownership type), there are three distinct kinds of drivers affecting farmers' participation in agritourism: economic, social, and environmental (Ćirić et al., 2021). Economic drivers of agritourism are often highlighted in the literature (Arru et al., 2021;Schilling et al., 2012). Agritourism creates jobs, profits from local product sales, and revenues from accommodation and services (Schilling et al., 2012). Moreover, financial stability, occupational stability, and the quantity and quality of hired labor have all been proven to influence farmers' engagement in agritourism (Sanches-Pereira et al., 2017). Social drivers include preserving the local identity, empowering farmers, helping women achieve the desired social status, preserving local or regional lifestyles, and reconstructing cultural heritage and social values (Bwana et al., 2015;Gil Arroyo et al., 2019). Other factors that impact farmers' choices to engage in agritourism include identity and connection to place, improving social status and relationships, family continuity and preservation, and quality of life (Ćirić et al., 2021;Gil Arroyo et al., 2019;Wright & Annes, 2014). Environmental drivers include farmers' desire to safeguard natural resources, biodiversity, and agricultural lands (Ammirato et al., 2020). Farmers also consider agritourism as means of promoting open space protection, avoiding the loss of farmland to development, learning sustainable farming methods, and decreasing environmental pollution (Ammirato et al., 2020;Ćirić et al., 2021;Mastronardi et al., 2015) Thus, farmers' engagement and interest in agricultural tourism depend on their attitudes toward agritourism's economic, social, and environmental advantages. In addition to farmer-based factors, earlier research has shown that certain critical location-based features must be included in studies of possible agritourism development sites (Baskerville, 2013;Bernardo et al., 2004;Brown & Reeder, 2007). (1) Natural Amenities: include climate, terrain variance, closeness to lakes, rivers, protected areas, and diversified flora. (2) Tourism Infrastructure: closeness to restaurants, hotels, historical and cultural sites, recreational activities, and transport routes. (3) Urban Influence: closeness to population density and distance to a city. Together, farmer-and location-specific characteristics help us identify the setting and its potential for agritourism implementation. In this context, this study is interested in exploring the following research questions in a particular village in Jordan:

RQ1:
What attributes of Al-Baqura village qualify it as a potential agritourism site?

Materials and methods
The research methodology depends on the GIS analysis of the site for the case study to determine the features of the site that make it a possible location for the development of the concept of agritourism. A questionnaire was also administered to determine farmers' perspectives on the concept of agritourism and their motivations for participating in agritourism development.

Al-Baqura: The study site
Jordan's agricultural industry is concentrated in the northern and western highlands, with the Jordan Valley being the most productive region. The Jordan Valley region is primarily rural, and many households rely on agriculture for their livelihood. Tiny farms account for the majority of agriculture, with an average size of 1.2 to 2.5 dunams. Al-Baqura ( Figure 1) is regarded as one of the most productive places in the Jordan Valley due to the presence of huge, high-quality agricultural fields as well as irrigation water supplies through wells and springs. Citrus and bananas, as well as wheat, barley, medicinal plants, and vegetable crops, are all ideal for growing on the land.
Additionally, the region is designated as a national historical and tourist heritage site. The Al Majma'ah Bridge, the Rothenburg Project, and the Hejaz Train Line are among the most visible landmarks in the Al-Baqura village (7iber, 2018). Prior to the June 1967 conflict, the settlement had a population of roughly 7,000, but this number plummeted considerably during and after the war. The majority of the settlement's inhabitants relocated to adjacent communities, and the community now has a population of around 564. Farmers rely on agriculture for a living. Although agriculture remains the primary income source for most people in Al-Baqura and the Jordan Valley, farm earnings remain persistently low, with statistics estimating that farm families earn less than $700 per month on average (Al-Kheder et al., 2010).

Spatial analysis
Al-Baqura village was evaluated using the Geographical Information System (GIS). As previously mentioned, agritourism growth has been proven to be significantly influenced by three major location-based characteristics: Natural Amenities, tourism infrastructure, and urban influence. Baskerville (2013)'s variables were utilized to describe location-related aspects that may be connected with the effectiveness of agritourism in this study (Table 1). Geographic information systems (GIS) open sources and the Jordan Data Dissemination Services were used to collect spatial data. The village border was buffered to form three zones: two miles (3.2 kilometers), ten miles (16 kilometers), and forty-four miles (64.4 kilometers).
1) A two-mile buffer (3,2 kilometers) was used to evaluate what natural features were in close proximity to the village. It is thought that natural amenities are more significant for the local region around each farmhouse. 2) A buffer of 16 kilometers (10 miles) was used to determine the tourist infrastructure inside the "rural area." Literature suggests that visitors need a range of attractions and activities at their location, as well as many foods and hotel alternatives and easily navigable highways (Baskerville, 2013).
3) A 40-mile buffer (64.4 kilometers) was used to determine the non-farming population within a reasonable driving distance of the village. According to Brown and Reeder (2007), the majority of agritourists dwell in urban regions, with two-thirds residing in metropolitan areas, while the average distance traveled per trip was 40 miles.

Survey questionnaire
The questionnaire utilized in the study was based on Nguyen et al. (2018)'s research on the development and support of agritourism. The authors propose that economics, socio-cultural factors, and the environment all have a role (Table 1). The questionnaire includes two parts. The first part includes questions on basic demographic information and the farmers' willingness to support and engage in agricultural tourism. The second part contained 20 close-ended questions, where 14 questions are eliciting perspectives on agritourism's contribution to economic development (4 items), socio-cultural life (6 items), and environmental protection in the research region (4 items). Six additional questions were used to assess participants' support for implementing agritourism in the village. The survey utilized a scale of three points, where 1 represents an agreement, 2 represents neutrality, and 3 represents disagreement.

Sampling
The village's households were the target group of the questionnaire. Prior to collecting data, an online lecture was presented on the benefits and drawbacks of agritourism due to coronavirus limitations. This exercise lasted thirty minutes and was arranged with the cooperation of the village officials. After informing participating families about the research and obtaining their approval to participate anonymously, farmers were invited to complete the questionnaire.

Data analysis
The spatial and geographical data were reflected on maps, while the analysis of the questionnaire data was performed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 25.0 (IBMCorp, 2017). The respondents' demographic information and locals' views regarding the impact of agritourism were analyzed using simple descriptive statistics (means, standard deviations, frequencies). Assessment for variance assumptions (Mann-Whitney U, and Kruskal-Wallis H tests) was conducted to investigate differences between participants' willingness to participate and involvement in agritourism.

Results
To answer RQ1, spatial analysis was conducted. Al-Baqura village and its lands are situated in the northern Jordan River Basin, which serves as the border for this investigation, as depicted by maps 1 to 12 in Figure 2.  Figure 2 portrays the administrative borders of the village of Al-Baqura. As shown in the Figure, the residential buildings are concentrated northwest of the village, while agricultural grounds surround and extend west of the residential buildings. As illustrated in Figure 2, the settlement is bounded west by the Yarmouk and Jordan rivers and east by the King Hussein Canal. The Figure  also illustrates an abundance of groundwater wells and ponds used to irrigate crops and produce fish in the region. Figure 2 demonstrate the agricultural nature of the village, as several varieties of fruits, vegetables, and fruit trees are produced. In addition, the presence of natural elements such as vegetation and water would contribute to the region's success in agricultural tourism projects. Most of the village grounds are flat within a buffer zone of 3,2 kilometers (Figure 2), facilitating mobility between areas. The village lies at 266 meters below sea level, while the nearby areas to the east rise to 103 meters in height, reaching 335 m above sea level, providing a natural topographical variation. In terms of the temperatures, the summertime temperatures vary between (28.34 and 40.46) degrees Celsius, while the wintertime temperatures range between (13.659 and 24.156) degrees Celsius (Figure 2). In addition, summertime temperatures are relatively high, but winter is ideal for various visitor activities. Figure 2 illustrates the existence of several ancient monuments in the area, proving the village's historical significance over the years. Al-Majma' Bridge is the name given to three ancient Roman, Ottoman, and British bridges that span the Jordan River in the Al-Majma' region, and the power plant or Rothenburg project are the two most significant archaeological monuments situated inside the village borders. In addition to the existence of other historical monuments going back to the Roman and Ottoman eras and religious sites of Islamic shrines and mosques in the regions of Adasiya and Al-Mashareqah, located to the north and east of the hamlet of Al-Baqoura. There are also tourism destinations, with the mineral baths of Al-Shouna being the most popular in the region because of the curative benefits of their mineral waters. Due to the significance of the agricultural and historical region, there are several government services (Figure 2), including health clinics, local administrative offices, and security points. In addition, the availability of such activities or services would encourage a tourist movement in the region.
Concerning the urban influence, Figure 2 depicts the road network in the region. A network of primary and secondary roads connects the village to the surrounding areas; however, most of these roads are agricultural. While Figure 2 depicts the towns and villages around Al-Baqoura, these places and residential neighborhoods represent prospective visitors and tourism destinations. Additionally, most of these neighboring villages are situated inside the 8-kilometer buffer zone around Al-Baqura. However, the residents of the adjacent villages represent agricultural communities, while the non-agricultural communities are centered in the Kingdom's major cities; Irbid and Amman are the two nearest cities to Al-Baqura. Notably, Al-Baqoura is 32 kilometers from the city of Irbid and 122 kilometers from the center of the capital, Amman.

Research sample
To answer RQ2-RQ6, the survey obtained 163 replies from the 173 households in Al-Baqura. The majority of respondents were above the age of 18 years. Female respondents comprised 20.6 percent of respondents, while male respondents made up 79.4 percent. The largest age group was individuals aged 29 to 50. (60.4 percent). 63.5 percent of respondents have acquired a university degree. 46.0 percent of respondents' households earn more than 500 Jordanian diners monthly. The majority of participants have at least one of their family members employed in agricultural or farm-related production. Only 28.6 percent of respondents said they owned a farm, while 38.1 percent stated they did not.

Analysis of respondents' attitudes toward agritourism
The percentage was used to reflect the proportion of farmers who were pleased or unpleased with each questionnaire item ( Table 2). The findings indicated that the majority of respondents support the notion of agritourism, where 82.53% have shown their willingness to contribute to the development of agritourism. The findings indicated that most participants agreed that local governments should adopt policies and incentive methods to encourage and develop agricultural tourism. In addition, they believe local governments should finance infrastructure improvements to boost agritourism, and the community should be engaged in designing and developing the idea. As evident by their responses, 82.5% of participants are open to tourists and interested in agritourism activities taking place in their community. On the basis of these findings, we can validate research question RQ2 and assert that farmers want to participate in and contribute to the growth of agritourism.
According to the study's results, the majority of respondents believe that agritourism may provide a lot of economic benefits. Participants' responses indicated that integrating tourism and agriculture would boost farmers' income and living conditions. They believe combining tourism and agriculture will increase employment opportunities for the local community, financial returns, the number of people working in agriculture, and demand for local products.
According to the study, respondents believe that agritourism provides societal advantages. Most of them agreed that agritourism could enhance possibilities for cultural exchange. Respondents disagree that agricultural tourism will negatively impact the village, such as causing conflict between tourists and locals, compromising the way of life of local people, or impacting farmers' privacy. The majority of respondents (71.42%) think combining tourism and agriculture would help women's empowerment and social support by providing them with unique employment possibilities.
In terms of respondents' perceptions of agritourism's environmental impacts, the study found that the majority of respondents think it will enhance the region's image, help maintain the natural environment, positively affect local people's environmental awareness, and have no negative impact on farms and cleanliness in the surrounding region.
Comparing the three primary factors that motivate farmers to adopt the concept of agritourism, the research revealed that farmers place the most importance on agritourism's economic aspects (M = 1.32, SD = 0.545), followed by its environmental effect (M = 1.37, SD = 0.416), and finally by its social impacts (M = 1.49, SD = 0.455). However, the findings revealed that the participants' assessments of the following items had the highest degree of concordance: The assumption that the combination of tourism and agriculture would improve local product demand, which represents the economic advantages of agritourism. The assumption is that agritourism would enhance cultural interchange and experience possibilities, resulting in societal benefits. Moreover, the notion that Agritourism will enhance the region's image reflects environmental advantages. Based on these results, we may confirm research questions RQ3, 4, and 5 and indicate that farmers anticipate positive economic, social, and environmental effects of agritourism, which motivates them to engage in it.

ANOVA results
The findings of the variance analysis revealed that there was not a statistically significant relationship between participants' perceptions of the economic, social, and environmental aspects of agritourism based on their gender, level of education, or type of farm ownership. However, the findings showed a disparity between the participants in different age groups and their evaluations of agritourism's impacts on the environment. Specifically, the findings showed that participants in the older age groups seemed to have a less positive attitude when evaluating the environmental impacts of agritourism. The statistical findings revealed a disparity between the appraisal of participants with varying monthly incomes and the evaluation of the social components of agritourism. According to the findings, the group of participants whose monthly earnings are more than 500 Jordanian dinars had a less favorable view of the effects of agritourism on society.
The statistical study revealed that participants' perceptions of agritourism's economic and environmental consequences varied depending on the number of family members employed in agriculture. Families whose members all work in agriculture evaluated the economic and environmental effects of agritourism less favorably than the other groups surveyed. Based on these results, we may conclude that the variance test partly supported the research question RQ6 and that farmers' perceptions of agritourism's economic, social, and environmental advantages do not differ based on their sociodemographic characteristics.

Conclusions
In this work, researchers explored agritourism to contribute to the discussion on the rural development of Al-Baqura village. The research evaluated Al-Baqura attributes as a possible agritourism destination. The study also investigated farmers' intention to participate in agritourism in Al-Baqura and addressed their attitudes towards the expected effects of agritourism on their economies, social culture, as well as on the environment. Understanding locals' views toward agritourism may increase their active engagement in the development of this rural area, which sustainably supports tourism development and society (Ammirato et al., 2020;Ciolac et al., 2019;Nguyen et al., 2018).
Evaluation of Al-Baqura as a possible agricultural tourist destination, the investigation revealed that the region has the advantages necessary to promote agricultural tourism in the future. The area is well suited for agricultural development because of the presence of natural cover and water. The topography of the region is conducive to the requisite biodiversity. Summer temperatures are relatively high, but winter temperatures are mild, facilitating year-round visitor activities. In addition to being an agricultural region, the existence of historical sites in Al-Baqura invites tourists to visit the area. Various government services are readily accessible. Moreover, the region is covered by a network of streets linking the village to the neighboring agricultural communities. Irbid, the closest city, is situated within 32 kilometers, making it a possible source of tourists.
The study revealed that agritourism's economic, social, and environmental advantages inspire locals to support and participate in it. If we examine the questionnaire findings on a farm-by-farm basis, we discover that most farm owners are always seeking "new methods" of doing business to enhance their economic situations, which is reflected in their ratings. The economic gain is prioritized above the social and environmental benefits.
Three aspects dominated and had a high degree of agreement among the investigated questionnaire items: increasing demand for local goods, encouraging cultural exchange and experience opportunities, and strengthening the region's image. The agritourism farm represents the hub of agrifood products. The primary issue in this circumstance is to attract consumers who purchase agricultural goods from remote areas. Farmers have no choice but to invite people to their town to sell their products. Therefore, Agritourism for farmers can potentially solve the issue of local goods sales. In addition, it may stimulate the development of various local economic activities, such as establishing a showroom and specialized stores to sell agricultural products, dried fruits, and vegetables to meet tourist demand. Notably, these activities may serve as a form of joining and networking amongst farmers in the region as a whole so that they may work together to sell local goods and boost demand for them.
In addition, respondents believed that agricultural tourism could improve cultural exchange and experience opportunities, leading to social advantages. Agritourism, from their perspective, will boost the region's overall image, including roads, sanitation, and other public infrastructure, as well as contribute to a cleaner living environment. The variance analysis revealed no statistically significant differences between participants' ratings of economic, social, and environmental benefits of agritourism depending on their gender, level of education, or farm ownership. However, varying age groups have different opinions on agritourism's environmental implications. The statistics showed variations between participants' rating of different monthly salaries and agritourism's social components. Finally, the number of family members engaged in agriculture influenced participants' views of agritourism's economic and environmental benefits.
Despite the farmers' readiness to embrace the notion of agritourism, there is currently no agritourism project in the village. In order to build the notion of agritourism in Al-Baqura, the local administration and the Jordan Tourism Board should work to promote tourism in the village. In addition, the government should offer aid to the village's local community to help farmers initiate their own projects and agritourism activities, which would benefit the farms and the rural community as a whole to revitalize the rural communities. This study demonstrates the need to broaden the scope of research on agritourism and the possibility of activating it in rural areas of Jordan in order to boost urban development, beginning with the overall economic, social, and environmental benefits. There are obvious limitations to this research. The first limitation is the small sample size, although it encompasses almost all families in the community. Second, three-point Likert scales were utilized in the questionnaire. Therefore, the resultant variables were not regarded and analyzed as continuous variables, and advanced statistics such as correlation and regression were not used. This subject demands thorough consideration and debate. Thirdly, the research focused on a particular Jordanian village. Clearly, there is a need for more large-scale or comparative research in other rural regions of Jordan, but this study offers a solid foundation.

Funding
This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors Author details Bushra Obeidat 1 E-mail: bbobeidat@just.edu.jo ORCID ID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-7233-0733 1 College of Architecture and Design, Jordan University of Science and Technology, Irbid, Jordan.

Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement
All data generated or analyzed during this study are included in this published article

Citation information
Cite this article as: Assessing agritourism potential in a Jordanian village based on farmer-specific and location-based factors, Bushra Obeidat, Cogent Engineering (2022), 9: 2119531.