Agribusiness and Agritourism Study

PWC Works projects reflect our commitment of striving for exceptional customer service, maximizing operational efficiencies, increasing modernization, providing excellent service delivery, and collaborating with the community for a coordinated response that achieves the best possible outcomes for our residents and the overall wellbeing of the county.

What is the Agribusiness & Agritourism Study?

Prince William County’s rural areas are home to beautiful landscapes, working farms, historic treasures and vibrant local businesses that make our community truly unique. From farm-to-table experiences and wineries to outdoor recreation and cultural heritage sites, our county is already a perfect destination for residents and visitors alike.

Agribusiness and agritourism present unique opportunities to build on these strengths, support farmers, expand small businesses, create jobs and attract travelers who are eager to connect with the land and its stories. To maximize this potential, Prince William County is launching an Agribusiness & Agritourism Study in partnership with Agritecture LLC. Together, we aim to develop a comprehensive strategy that will grow our rural economy, enhance agritourism experiences, and ensure that agribusiness continues to thrive for years to come.

The strategy will be informed by extensive market research and analysis, competitive benchmarking, targeted industry assessments and implementation recommendations, with a focus on agribusiness and agritourism. The project is being managed by the Prince William County Department of Economic Development and Tourism and is expected to be conducted over a 28-week period.

Purpose

Prince William County is committed to Smart Growth through strategic and intentional community-oriented growth that strengthens and enhances the diversity and sustainability of the local economy and the county, thereby improving the well-being and quality of life for all residents. This study supports several of the county’s “Smart Growth” objectives outlined in its 2025-2028 Strategic Plan, specifically, “the expansion and preservation of agribusiness, agritourism...” Moreover, this work will further assist the county in not only diversifying our economic base while increasing tax revenues but also in ensuring that we preserve and leverage the historic, cultural and natural resources that make our community unique.

Main Goals of the Agribusiness & Agritourism Study

The primary goal of this study is to create a rural economic business development strategy that achieves an appreciable increase in rural economic growth over the next decade, particularly in the areas of agribusiness and agritourism, while engaging existing businesses and stakeholders.

Key objectives include:

• Baseline Market Research: Assess the current state of Prince William's rural economy.
• Benchmarking: Identify peer communities and establish performance benchmarks.
• Industry Analysis: Evaluate targeted rural industries for growth potential, including:
  • Agriculture Sectors: Organic farming, urban farming, livestock production, beekeeping, plant nurseries, food production, horticulture, vineyards and traditional agriculture.
  • Agritourism Sectors: Historic preservation, arts, outdoor recreation, accommodations, food and beverage and educational tourism.
  • Rural Businesses: Farm stands, veterinary services, kennels, restaurants, breweries, distilleries, wineries, artisans and more.
  • Entertainment & Promotions: Farm tours, corn mazes, experiential historical events, u-pick operations, hayrides, petting zoos and dude ranches.
  • Emerging Agriculture Engineering Technology: Align with Prince William's biotechnology sector, focusing on agricultural machinery design, soil and water conservation, food processing engineering and agricultural structures.
• Strategic Plan Development: Create a comprehensive strategic plan to enhance rural economic growth based on the identified industry sectors, incorporating strategies for preserving historic and natural sites.
• Arts and Agritourism Overlay District: Once target sectors are identified, assess the future effectiveness of the Arts and Agritourism Overlay District (AAOD), make recommendations to amend the correlating zoning ordinance and develop an overlay map, as well as incentive programs to implement the AAOD.
• Implementation Plan: Deliver a phased plan outlining necessary staffing and funding resources.

Success Criteria of the Agribusiness & Agritourism Study

The creation of an actionable business development strategy that allows Prince William County to achieve an appreciable increase in rural economic growth over the next decade.