MILK QUALITY IN COMMUNITY FARMS AND FARMERS’ PERFORMANCE TOWARDS TOURISM RELATED ACTIVITIES

Abstract

Tourism as a potential path for further development in the agricultural field has increased the attentiveness of farmers who designate further extension of their services. A lucid awareness of the possible increase in their income from tourism-related services in their daily activities has changed their perspective of the future of their business operation. We evaluated the quality of the milk produced from local farmers by performing DELVOTEST to assess the presence of antibiotic residues in cows. Moreover, we performed a questionnaire with topics corresponding to tourism-related activities implemented in their farm now or planned for the foreseeable future. In conclusion, elevated levels of antibiotic residues in the milk of the cows proved a decrease in the quality of their product. Some of the farmers have already started to engage in tourism-related services but a decline quality of their milk is considered to represent a barrier for attraction of customers in agro-tourism owing to the fact that quality improves image. Since this study was conducted in a low-income country, challenges of successful implementation of agro-tourism need to be further evaluated.