AGRITOURISM AS A FORM OF BUSINESS ACTIVITY IN RURAL AREAS

Entrepreneurship, perceived as the fourth production factor, contributes to the growth and development of economies. In rural areas, business activity can be pursued in many fi elds, although most are to some extent connected with farming and farmsteads. Agritourism is the type of a non-farm business activity that has been gaining popularity over the recent years. The objective of this paper has been to identify the motivation driving farm owners to become involved in agritourism and the benefi ts they derive from this business. The considerations are based on information obtained through interviews with owners of agritourism farms in the Province of Warmia and Mazury. Among the reasons for undertaking agritourism, the dominant one was to derive additional income. However, almost 72% of the examined farmers indicated that the extra income from agritourism did not exceed 30% of the farm's total revenue. Income was also most often indicated (79.84% replies) as a benefi t from running an agritourism farm. Besides, many respondents claimed that agritourism contributed to the activation of rural populations (58.06% replies) and helps to spread the spirit of entrepreneurship (44.35% replies).