Agritourism champions bring lessons from Strathcona County to the world

Agritourism is evolving into a sophisticated blend of agriculture, tourism, hospitality, retail, and education, but municipalities are not always keeping pace with policy, says a presentation that Bryanna Kumpula-Yung of Bar OA Farms and Eiblis Doherty of Strathcona County Tourism are giving in Scotland this week. "The question is no longer whether agritourism matters, it's how communities can support it effectively," says the talk they'll be sharing at the inaugural Global Agritourism Conference in Aberdeen, where 1,000 farmers, economic development professionals, researchers, supply chain representatives, and others are gathering from June 23 to 25.

Bar OA is a flower farm near Fort Saskatchewan that organizes culinary experiences, for which it won a Culinary Tourism Award in 2025. In speaking notes shared with Taproot, Kumpula-Yung said policy frameworks tend not to be designed for experiential agriculture, leading to red tape that can stand in the way of putting a good idea into action. But the presentation indicates that Strathcona County has done a lot to smooth the way, shifting its mindset from enforcing the rules to cultivating a sense of partnership that enables agritourism and culinary experiences to be a key part of the Go Strathco tourism strategy. For her part, Doherty suggests creating pathways instead of exceptions, and recognizing that small operators need scalable processes. At the same time, operators need to communicate with municipalities, understand their safety requirements, and respect the neighbours when building an agritourism business.

While Kumpula-Yung and Doherty are bringing their message to the world, the world just had a chance to learn more about what the Edmonton area offers at the Taste of Place Summit on June 15 and 16. "(The) summit highlighted how food can tell the story of a destination and strengthen communities," Explore Edmonton said in a post about the event, put on by the Culinary Tourism Alliance. This month has also seen Pierogerie Polish Foods and Delavoye Chocolate Makers added to the Économusée network of artisans who invite visitors to experience their craft. Parallèle Alberta, the francophone economic development agency, celebrated the induction of the farm-to-fork perogy-maker and the bean-to-bar chocolate factory, which are the first in the Edmonton area to receive the honour. Meanwhile, Alberta Open Farm Days returns on Aug. 15 and 16, with dozens of experiences listed in the metro Edmonton region.