Summary

Open Farm Day is a major event that allows city dwellers to visit and learn about how food is produced and how it is to live in a rural area. After consultation with farmers, the Estonian Ministry of Rural Affairs decided to support the organisation of an Open Farm Day in Estonia on an annual basis.

Every year, farms and other rural businesses open themselves up for visitors; technical assistance funding is used to support the event. The funding is used for the preparation and distribution of promotional material, dissemination and communication activities, the organisation of feedback seminars, etc. Other actors are also involved. For example, LAGs act as local coordinators and agricultural associations organise transportation for visitors to and from the farms.

Results

The average number of visitors per farm is 400 people. 

The number of participants has been increasing over the years:

2015: 148 farms participated and hosted more than 45 000 visitors.

2016: 234 farms participated and hosted more than 83 000 visitors.

2017: 280 farms participated and hosted more than 121 000 visitors.

2018: 296 farms participated and hosted more than 163 000 visitors.