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Publication

FARMERS WEEKLY

Page

36-38

Date

Fri 22 May 2020

AVE (ZAR)

46115.22

FEATURE Birdwatching

Birdwatchingon your farm:A LUCRATIVEWAY

TO GENERATE INCOMEAvitourism, or birdwatching, has the potential to provide farmers with an additional source

of revenue, write Dr Adam Viljoen and Christelle van Zyl, researchers at North-WestUniversity's Tourism Research in Economic Environs and Society.

inancial uncertainty,changesin the economy,the downgrading of South

Africa to sub-investmentgrade, and the outbreak of thecoronavirus disease (COVID-19)have all forced South Africansto re-evaluate their priorities.Farmers are no exception, and the

old adage,"n boermaak'n plan' (afarmer finds a solution) is onceagain being put into action.Given the above changes, aswell

as today's highly variable weatherpatterns and rainfall, it seemslogical that so many farmershave diversified their economicactivities. It is always a challenge,though, to decide how to dothis, and which activities willcreate sustainable and profitableadditional sources of income.Much privately owned

agricultural land containspocketsofundisturbed nature,and these could be used for anumber of economic activities. In

recentresearchconductedby theNorth-West University 's (NWU)Tourism Research in EconomicEnvirons and Society (TREES) onagritourism in South Africa, theresponsesof 557farmersrevealedexcellent potential for tourism.The participants indicatedfour main reasons for wantingto implement agritourism:* To utilise their farms'resourcesto their full potential;* To generate additional income;* To preserve natural

resourcesand theecosystem;* To provide recreationalactivities to visitors.

36 farmer'sweekly29may2020

The recreationalactivities mostlyassociated withagritourism weredivided into fivebroad categories,namelyoutdooractivities, educationalexperiences,entertainment,hospitality services,and direct sales.The most prominentoutdoor activitiesincluded hikingand nature trails,wildlife viewingand photography,hunting, mountainbiking, andbirdwatching.Birding is unique

in that it can beincorporatednaturally into allthese other activities(with the exception,perhaps, of mountainbiking). So, forexample, tourismproductscouldinclude hiking ornature trails with the emphasison birding, and wildlife viewingcouldbe expanded to includebirding or bird photography.Hunting, too, could see the

addition of wing shooting.

BIG SPENDERSResults from another NWUTREES researchprojectrevealed that birdwatchers arepredominantly English-speaking

DRADAMVILJOEN

men from Gauteng, aged in theirmid-50s, with postgraduatedegrees. They are also mostlyhigh earners, which makes thema lucrative market to attract.In suppor t of this, the

Department of Trade andIndustry estimated in 2010that birdwatching touristsspentasmuch as38daysannually on birding trips, withup to 66% of trips includingovernight travel, and 60%taking place outside thebirders' home provinces. Thedepartment also reported thatannual spending on birding-related activities (equipment,clubs/courses, trips and tours)ranged between R17 000and R55 000 per tourist.

DO YOUR HOMEWORKThere are a multitude of waysin which a landowner can cashin on avitourism. However, itis important for him or her tofirst determine the variety ofbird species that occur on theproperty, and whether the farmdoes, in fact, have potential forthis segment of agritourism.The potential to accommodate

guestsforextendedperiodsshould also be determined. Itwould be wise to explore thepossibility of offering activitiesin addition to birdwatching.Potential avitourism operators

also need to factor in thetime that has to be allocatedto birdwatchers. There area number of fundamentalsthat need to be adhered to.

FAST FACTS* Avitourism can offer a farmer theopportunity to diversify farm income.

* South African birdwatchers spend between R17 000and R55 000 per person annually on birding andbirding-related activities and equipment.

* Farmers interested in opening an avitourismenterprise should do their homework well; thisincludes exploring all avenues of marketing.

CLOCKWISEFROMTOPLEFT:+ Theblack-shouldered kite.+ Thecrestedguineafowl.+ Thewhite-fronted bee-eater.+ TheEuropeanhoneybuzzard.PHOTOS:MULLERJANSEVANRENSBURG

29may2020- farmer'sweekly37

FEATURE Birdwatching

ESTABLISHING ANAVITOURISM ENTERPRISEThe first step is to make contactwith your local or provincialtourism authority. Theseentities have information on, forexample, guided birding activitiesand the regulations surroundingthem. Training is offered bythe Culture Arts, Tourism,Hospitality and SportsSectorEducation and Training Authorityfor certificationpurposes.Another excellent source of

information is Birdlife SouthAfrica. Its resources includecurrent birding routes, birder-friendly establishments (thinkmarketing), birding tour operators,and how to become a bird guide.The information is available on

its website (birdlife.org.za).All the activities offered must

be safe, and all trails and routesshould be accessible. Considerbuilding one or more hidesstrategically situated in areaswhere a large and varied numberof birds gather, such as a dam.Don't forget to get in touch with

your neighbours and informthem about your birdwatchingactivities and visitors.

Overnight accommodation andcatering (self-catering or full/

half-board) optionsshouldbeseriouslyconsidered,asthis canoffer an added source of income.Toensure compliance,the

Tourism Grading Councilof South Africa provides agrading criteria booklet online.

BUILD A HIDEOVERLOOKING ADAM OR OTHERAREA WHEREBIRDS FLOCK

Whether or not you wish toregister officially for guestaccommodation or make use ofother avenues such as Airbnbor LekkeSlaap,the criteriawillprovide useful insights into thetype of accommodation to offer.Another option is to

partner with accommodationestablishments at a reduced fee inexchange for booking with them.Thesupport ofneighbours

could be invaluable in thisrespect.One option is for anumber ofpeopletowork

Thebirdwatcher 'sperspectiveMuller van Rensburgof Bethlehemin the Free Statewrites thathe and hisfamilyhavebeenvisitingthe Kruger National Parkforthe past20 years. Lookingfor the BigFive, they often usedto stopalongsidevehicles,only to learnthat the occupantswere birdwatchers.Van Rensburgfailedto understandhow peoplecouldbe so interestedin birds. Intriguednonetheless,he decidedto give birdwatchingatry. He beganby lookingfor birds on hisparents' farm in Senekal,goinginto the veld armedwith only a camera, andtrying to nameasmanybirdsaspossible.It didn't take longbefore hewashooked.Sincethen, saysVan Rensburg,the hobby hasopened up awhole

world for him, takinghimandhisfamilyto Lesotho in searchofthe Drakensberg rock jumper, to the Drakensberg to seethebeardedvulture, andto HighoverWildlife Sanctuarynear Richmondto look for the blueswallow, a criticallyendangeredspecies."We got lost severaltimeson the way, but didn't stop.

We never found the swallows, but we saw a part of SouthAfrica that we'd never otherwise have seen," he says.

"Birding issomethingthat we asa familycando together.We explore new placesandmakefriends. I'm convincedthatthe farmingsector would benefitgreatly from avitourism,andsowould the birdwatchingcommunity."

38- farmersweekly29may2020

BELOW:Theblack-throated

canary.

together and offer home-stayoptions as well as alternativeactivities, ranging fromagricultural visits and toursto farm-to-table kitchencookingexperiences,andeven producepicking.

MARKETINGIt is crucial to promoteyourbirding activities well. Considerjoining birding-related pageson social media platformssuch as Facebook, and creatinga website via free websitebuilders such asWix.com.If you plan tomakeuseof

online reservation systemsonyour website,nightsbridge.comoffers various monthly paymentoptions based on the number ofrooms/units you offer, rangingfrom R365 to R800 per month.Alternatively, bookings.com,Airbnb and Lekkeslaapare all easy to manage.Lastly, it would bewise to

have appropriate facilities andamenities such as televisionand Wi-Fi for rainy weekends.* EmailDr AdamViljoenatadam.viljoen&nwu.ac.za,orphonehim on 0182852331. mrw