This research paper explores the acceptance of the vertical farming concept, and more specifically, its acceptance in the ecotourist market. Vertical farming is a new agricultural method that shows great promise in tackling the future problems linked to feeding the World. In the tourism industry, the concept could be integrated into the current structures to diversify the offering of activities. However, people seem to have a reluctance towards the concept, due to numerous social, economic, and personal factors.
While the acceptance of vertical farming has already been explored in other research papers, this paper investigates the specific ecotourist market that theoretically matches the underlying values of vertical farming. By means of a literature overview, five potential factors of resistance from ecotourists towards vertical farming were uncovered. They are the fact that ecotourist thinks vertical farming is a fake representation of natural farming, ecotourist question the ecological added value of vertical farming, ecotourist feel discomfort consuming high-tech produced goods, vertical farming, because of its economic scheme reinforces the idea that it is designed for a privileged population and finally, vertical farming can be seen as taking away the jobs of traditional farmers.
After performing a survey research model with 118 participants, the researcher determined that the fake representation of nature, the elitist views, and the employment perspectives were confirmed as resistance factors. The economic unrealism of vertical farming was also uncovered as a factor of resistance. While the research paper confirms that vertical farming is an agricultural method mistrusted by the wider population, the research outcomes also point out that there are great misconceptions on the concept, which leads to its unacceptance.
The researcher thus concluded from this research that although vertical farming must evolve on its own to meet the ever-changing desires of ecotourists, much work must be achieved in correctly educating ecotourists on the concept of vertical farming to increase their acceptance.
Read the complete research at www.researchgate.net.
de Lamartinie, Tanguy. (2021). The acceptance of vertical farming by the ecotourist population. 10.13140/RG.2.2.25142.83524.