Identification of Agricultural Events, Businesses and Landscapes in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province

Abstract Agritourism is a strategy to leave the villages from the single-product economy. The current research strives to identify the tangible and intangible agricultural heritage and landscapes of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province that are suitable for agritourism and leisure tourism. In addition, identification of agricultural tourism events and small businesses that can be formed in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in order to promote agritourism is one more objective of this research. In order to achieve the goals, the qualitative method (thematic analysis) was used. The results of the analysis of the interviews illustrated that the province includes tangible and intangible agricultural heritage and diverse agricultural landscapes for the development of agritourism. The agricultural landscapes of the province were classified into 9 main themes such as: rice cultivation landscapes, agricultural terrace landscapes, rainfed agriculture landscapes, garden landscapes, irrigation agriculture landscapes, cultivated medicinal plants landscapes, fish farming, animal husbandry and flower landscapes. In addition, agricultural tourism events were classified into three themes (product-oriented events, historical agricultural events, and other events). Lastly, the processing of agricultural products and sale them as souvenirs in festivals and agricultural tourism events, establishment of agricultural museums and branding of agricultural products and activities, and organizing experience-oriented and creative agritourism are businesses that were suggested for the development of agritourism and leisure tourism in the province. Keywords: Agriculture,, Agricultural Landscapes Agricultural Heritage, Agritourism 1. Introduction Nowadays, modern agriculture and smart agriculture is a developing approach that, on the one hand, increases production, preserves renewable resources, and reduces water consumption, and on the other hand, causes the tangible and intangible agricultural heritage to be forgotten. The development of agritourism can cause entrepreneurship, social participation, supply of products without intermediaries, preservation and introduction of tangible and intangible cultural heritages (Torabi Farsani et al., 2019:541-549). In this research, agritourism potentials (agricultural landscapes, tangible and intangible agricultural heritage, agricultural tourism business opportunities and agricultural products) will be investigated in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province. Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province has agricultural diversity for the development of agricultural tourism due to its geographical location and the passage of the Zayandeh Rud River through this province, but most of the province's activities are focused on agriculture and agritourism has not been addressed as it should be. The current research will have positive consequences such as diversifying the tourism sector of the province, preserving the agricultural heritage and creating events and attracting more tourists to the province. 2. Literature Review Agricultural tourism plays an axial role in promoting economic, social and environmental sustainability (Zhang et al, 2024). Agricultural tourism is a catalyst for rural revitalization and sustainable tourism development (Olagunju, 2024: 691-702). Some researchers illustrated that agricultural landscapes are one of the factors influencing the development of agricultural tourism in destinations (Zhou et al., 2023: 154; Zhou, 2024: 62-76). A group of researchers also emphasize on organizing agricultural events and festivals in destinations and consider it as a factor to attract tourists (Halpenny and Yan, 2012). Innovation and entrepreneurship are one of the topics studied in agricultural tourism (Phelan and Sharpley, 2011: 121-136). For example, family businesses for purposes such as building an agricultural tourism farm and a farm cafe in Ontario, Canada have been among the entrepreneurships in the field of agricultural tourism (Ainley, 2014: 317-329). 3. Methodology The present research follows four main goals: 1) to identify agricultural tourism landscapes of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province that are suitable for promoting agritourism 2) to recognize the tangible and intangible agricultural heritage of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province 3) to investigate agricultural tourism events for leisure 4) to identify the businesses that can be formed in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province in order to develop agritourism The stated objectives indicated that the present research is applied and exploratory. In order to achieve the aforementioned goals, researchers have used observation, literature review, and semi-structured interview form. The statistical population investigated in this research includes experts and elite in the fields of tourism or agricultural engineering, tour guides and local farmers. Targeted sampling and snowball sampling methods were used. After each interview, open codes were extracted until the research reached theoretical saturation in interview number 17 and no code was added to the previous codes. In order to analyze the data, the qualitative method (thematic analysis) has been used. 4. Results The results thematic analysis illustrated that the province includes tangible and intangible agricultural heritage and diverse agricultural landscapes for the development of agritourism. Rice cultivation landscapes, agricultural terrace landscapes, rainfed agriculture landscapes, garden landscapes, irrigation agriculture landscapes, cultivated medicinal plants landscapes, fish farming, animal husbandry, and flower landscapes are nine main themed revealed through thematic analysis. Furthermore, agricultural tourism events were classified into three themes (product-oriented events, historical agricultural events, and other events). In addition, the processing of agricultural products and sale them as souvenirs in festivals and agricultural tourism events, establishment of agricultural museums and branding of agricultural products and activities, and organizing experience-oriented and creative agricultural tourism are businesses that were suggested for the development of agritourism in the province. 5. Conclusion Lastly, it can be concluded that, Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province has a high potential for promoting agritourism and leisure tourism. Therefore, the current research was conducted with a focus on Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province and is a case study. Case studies have several disadvantages, and the present study is no exception. Limitations of case research include: difficulty in generalizing from a case study to other settings. Risk of bias, as the researcher's personal opinions and preferences may influence the research. In the present research, the agricultural potentials of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province were identified for the development of agricultural tourism, including landscape diversity, tangible and intangible heritages, and agricultural events. In addition, agricultural tourism calendar were designed. Furthermore, some businesses were also suggested to start agricultural tourism in the province. Below, the researchers mentioned a number of suitable research topics to make agricultural tourism more prominent in the province: Studying the making and managing the agricultural tourism brand in the province in order to promote agricultural tourism activities and products Evaluation of tourists' motivation to participate in agricultural tours and events in the province Preparation of agricultural tourism atlas of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province Preparation of agricultural tourism map of Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province Identification of suitable strategies for the development of agricultural tourism in Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari province The role of virtual reality in visualizing destinations and post-experience behavioral intentions aligns with the developed findings. These studies indicate that prior familiarity with a destination elevates personal knowledge and attitudes toward it. Consequently, positive behavioral inclinations such as physical visits and word-of-mouth advertising are encouraged, leading to increased visitor numbers and economic enhancement in tourist destinations. Moreover, virtual experiences of destinations can increase the likelihood of purchasing and tourist attention.

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