Farmers and ranchers in Calhoun County, TX: their land ethic and their interest in nature tourism

Abstract

This paper is based on research that investigates (1) the land relationships of farmers and ranchers in Calhoun County, Texas, and (2) their opinions about, and interest in, nature tourism and/or starting a nature tourism enterprise. The methodology of this study consists of in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interviews following an interpretive research approach (drawing from hermeneutic phenomenology), in order to get at the experiences of the farmers/ranchers and the meanings related to these experiences. The results of this descriptive and interpretive research indicate that the relationship of these agricultural producers with the land are far more complex than expressed in the environmental literature, and extends beyond the simplistic categories of anthropocentric (human centered) and non-anthropocentric (wilderness has value independent of humans) attitudes toward nature and the natural environment. Included in the framework of the producer's agricultural land ethic, which is built from the land relationship, are concepts such as the producers̕ sincere desire to take care of the land, their respect for the land, and specific views on their practices with the land. The agricultural land ethic provides insight into what guides the farmer in their daily operation of the farm and/or ranch as well as what influences them in their consideration of nature tourism. Finally, implications and recommendations are presented for the conservation and preservation of rural agricultural practices and ecological spaces through a revisited land ethic, and for the potential and pitfalls of diversifying into nature tourism in order to offset declining farm/ranching incomes.