What the study found
Farmers in Kosovo often linked hotter summers, longer dry seasons, and sudden storms to recent yield losses and income instability. Many saw agritourism as a "safer" income stream when they had the right roads, cabins, and family labour.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors suggest agritourism may serve as a diversification path for smallholder farmers facing weather-related stress. They also conclude that support measures such as basic facilities, booking systems, and coaching may help farmers match the option to their available resources.
What the researchers tested
The researchers conducted 25 semi-structured interviews between 2023 and 2024. They analysed the transcripts using a hybrid deductive and inductive coding approach to explore perceptions of changing weather, motives for starting agritourism, and links between diversification and perceived stress.
What worked and what didn't
The strongest motives to diversify were income security, keeping the farm in family hands, and trying low-input, nature-friendly practices. Diversification reduced stress for some farmers, but it also created new pressure when infrastructure or marketing support was limited, and when workload exceeded family labour capacity.
What to keep in mind
The abstract does not describe quantitative measurements, so the findings are based on interview accounts. Limitations are not described in the available summary beyond the study's focus on 25 Kosovo farming households.
Key points
- Farmers linked hotter summers, longer dry seasons, and sudden storms to yield and income instability.
- Many participants viewed agritourism as a safer second income source if roads, cabins, and family labour were available.
- Main motives for diversification were income security, family succession, and low-input, nature-friendly farming.
- Diversification lowered stress for some farmers, but limited infrastructure or marketing support added pressure.
- When workload exceeded family labour capacity, agritourism could increase strain.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Agritourism may help Kosovo smallholders buffer weather-related income risk
- Authors:
- Adrian Vargas-Lopez, Gjylisha Cena, Ann‐Kathrin Koessler
- Institutions:
- Leibniz University Hannover
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-24
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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