雅思阅读真题材料：Agriculture and tourism_雅思英语阅读

雅思阅读真题材料：Agriculture and tourism

　　Farmers feel that urban consumers are out of touch with farming, Lewis says. If tourists can be educated on issues that concern farmers, those visits could lead to policies more favorable to agriculture.

　　Animal rights and the environment are examples of two issues that concern both urban consumers and farmers. Farm tours could help consumers get the farmers perspective on these issues, Lewis notes.

　　Several Wisconsin farms already offer some type of learning experience for tourists. However, most agricultural tourism enterprises currently market their businesses independently, leading to a lack of a concerted effort to promote agricultural tourism as an industry.

　　Lewis is conducting the study with Jean Murphy, assistant community development agent. Other participants include UW-Platteville Agricultural Economist Bob Acton, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Extension Recreation Resources Center, the Wisconsin Rural Development Center, and Hidden Valleys, a Southwestern Wisconsin regional tourism organization.

　　This past fall, Murphy organized several workshops with some Green and Grant County farmers, local business leaders, and motor coach tour operators to discuss how best to organize and put on farm tours. Committees were formed to look at the following: tour site evaluations, inventory of the areas resources, tour marketing, and familiarization of tours. The fourth committee is organizing tours for people such as tour bus guides and local reporters to help better educate them about agricultural tourism.