Artisanal food production in rural Argentina: Finding solace in cheese tourism?

Abstract

The Argentine countryside shows a strong identity link between rural products and income factors for peasant families. Artisanal cheese is a manifestation of identity in the region Campos, Ríos y Lagunas in Buenos Aires, where the visitors attracted by regional products are increasing in the context of rural tourism. The objective of this article is to analyse the development of entrepreneurship projects of gastronomic products based on the production of cheeses in the region and the relationships between cheese and tourism from the perspective of the producers. Departing from interviews with ten producers from the region conducted in 2022 and a content analysis of the responses, the results show the cultural and economic role of dairy production, the know-how of the producers through the agrotechnical school of the area and the opportunity of the Argentine countryside to participate in food tourism through cheese. The paper reveals the challenges and opportunities that exists regarding the process of awarding tourism value to cheese for the local development, the empowerment of rural producers and the synergies between public and private stakeholders.