Rural Tourism and the Multifunctionality of Agriculture

social reproduction strategies in the Alicante Wine Route (Spain)

Abstract

This article analyzes rural tourism as a strategy of social reproduction among farmers involved in the Alicante Wine Route, Spain, seeking to understand whether agricultural activity maintains its centrality or whether a process of substitution by tourism activities occurs. The research adopts a qualitative approach, combining bibliographic review and fieldwork, including the application of questionnaires to farmers responsible for ten production units located in the municipalities of Villena, Pinoso, Monóvar, and Novelda, all part of the route. The analysis is grounded in discussions on the multifunctionality of agriculture, rural tourism, and social reproduction strategies. The results indicate that viticulture remains the structuring axis of the production units, while tourism develops in a complementary way, contributing to income diversification and the valorization of production. It is concluded that, in the analyzed context, multifunctionality is expressed as an expansion of the functions of agriculture, without implying a loss of centrality of agricultural activity.