Agritourism and Rural Development in RS: the Farm, the Tourism Offer, and the Farm Register (RPG)

In East Herzegovina, agritourism is increasingly the way a small farm — a rural household, a family winery, a producer of honey, cheese, or cured meats — earns extra income, adds value to the landscape, and keeps young people on the land. For that offer to be legal, sustainable, and eligible for public support, it has to be properly "anchored" in the system established by Republika Srpska's Law on Agriculture and Rural Development. That law does not treat agritourism as an isolated tourism activity; it treats it as part of a broader rural-development policy in which the registered farm is the basic unit on which everything is built.

This guide explains how agritourism fits into rural development, how the farm and the tourism offer connect, and the practical path to enrolling in the Farm Register (RPG). It is informational; before taking concrete steps, always verify the current regulations, rulebooks, and deadlines with the competent institutions, because support amounts and conditions change from year to year.

The legal framework: rules as a scaffold, not a barrier

The Law on Agriculture and Rural Development defines the goals of agrarian policy, the support measures, and the institutional framework. Its logic is simple: agriculture is not only primary production, but a web of activities that return value to the village — processing, direct sales, preservation of tradition, and, precisely, rural tourism. For that reason agritourism is treated in practice as a supplementary (additional) activity of a farm.

The key point is that agritourism does not live under a single law. It sits at the crossroads of three sets of rules:

• The Law on Agriculture and Rural Development — farm status, RPG enrolment, access to rural-development support.
• The Republika Srpska tourism / hospitality legislation — the "rural household" category, providing accommodation and serving food and drink, and facility classification (categorization).
• Tax regulations — registering the activity and settling obligations properly with the RS Tax Administration.

Competences are split between the RS Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management (the farming and rural side) and the RS Ministry of Trade and Tourism (the tourism and hospitality side). For a host, this means agritourism is built in steps, not with a single piece of paper.

Key takeaway: in the Republika Srpska system, the tourism offer is an add-on to a registered farm. First the farm and RPG enrolment — then the guest.

What agritourism is, and how it fits rural development

Agritourism is a guest's stay on an active farm for rest, for the experience of the rural setting, and to get to know the production. The essence is that agriculture remains the main activity, while tourism is a supplementary one that uses the same resources: the land, the house, the products, and the host's knowledge and traditions.

Within rural development, agritourism serves several goals at once:

1. Income diversification — the farm no longer depends solely on the price of a primary product; it also sells an experience.
2. Short supply chains — the guest buys wine, honey, cheese, brandy, or prosciutto on the spot, so the host avoids middlemen.
3. Preserving the village and heritage — old households, stone houses, and traditional dishes gain an economic purpose.
4. Retaining population — the extra income is a reason for young people to stay or return.

This is why rural-development measures often explicitly recognise "diversification of farm activities" and "rural tourism" as eligible investment purposes.

The farm (RPG) as the foundation

The Farm Register (RPG) is the official record of every farm in Republika Srpska. Without RPG enrolment a farm formally "does not exist" for the purposes of agrarian policy — it cannot apply for support, and it struggles to prove producer status for other purposes too.

Who enrols, and the categories

Family farms (natural persons — the holder and household members) enrol in the RPG, but so do legal entities and sole traders engaged in agricultural production. In practice, farms are classified as commercial and non-commercial, depending on the scale of production and the intent to operate on the market. For agritourism, which involves selling a service and products to a guest, the commercial status is usually the relevant one.

The enrolment procedure

Enrolment is, as a rule, handled through the competent municipal or city agriculture authority at the holder's place of residence, while the central record is maintained by APIF (the Agency for Intermediary, IT and Financial Services). The general flow is:

1. Gather documentation — the holder's ID, proof of land (ownership or lease), data on household members and on production (parcels, livestock).
2. Submit the application to the competent authority, which enters the data into the RPG.
3. Receive the certificate of enrolment and a unique farm number.
4. Renew / update the data annually within the prescribed deadline — without this the farm can become inactive and lose the right to support.

It is advisable to confirm the exact document list and renewal deadline directly with APIF and the municipal office, as forms change from time to time.

Linking the farm and the tourism offer: the supplementary activity

Once the farm exists in the RPG, the tourism offer is added as a supplementary activity. This is where the hospitality rules come in.

The rural household and classification

The hospitality regulations recognise the rural household as a distinct type of facility in which the host provides accommodation and food services predominantly from their own production. To receive guests, the facility must be registered and classified (categorized) against prescribed standards — hygiene, equipment, safety, and room/bed capacity. Classification is handled by the competent authority (municipal/city or the line ministry, depending on the facility's type and capacity).

A practical rule: serving food and drink from your own production and offering a limited number of rooms is typically treated as a supplementary farm activity. If the offer grows into a full hospitality operation (large capacity, mostly bought-in goods), a stricter business-registration and standards regime applies. It is therefore wise to keep the size of your offer aligned with the status you want to retain.

Guest registration and the sojourn tax

A host receiving guests must register the stay (a guest record) and charge the sojourn (tourist) tax in line with municipal decisions. Contact with a tourist organisation (the RS Tourist Organisation and local/municipal ones) is useful here, as they help with promotion and standards.

Support and financing for rural development

RPG status is the "ticket" to support measures. Funding sources are typically:

• The RS Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management — annual support programmes, including rural-development measures and, under the current programme, diversification of activities and rural tourism.
• The Investment-Development Bank of RS (IRB RS) — favourable credit lines for agriculture and rural development.
• EU funds and pre-accession assistance (IPARD) — Bosnia and Herzegovina is in the process of preparing and accrediting for the IPARD instrument, whose farm-diversification measure includes rural tourism. Conditions and status should be checked, as the framework is being operationalised gradually.
• Municipal budgets and development projects — East Herzegovina municipalities and donor programmes (for example, development agencies, UNDP) occasionally finance facility upgrades and promotion.

Amounts and co-financing percentages vary from year to year, so we cite them here only indicatively — the governing document is the current public call.

Tax and administrative obligations

A legal offer also means a proper tax status. The activity is registered with the RS Tax Administration within the prescribed deadline, and the host keeps a basic record of income and issues an invoice for services. Consulting an accountant is recommended so you choose the right tax regime for the scale of your offer and avoid later penalties.

East Herzegovina specifics

Trebinje, Bileća, Nevesinje, Gacko, Ljubinje, Berkovići, and Istočni Mostar have clear comparative advantages: the wine and vineyards of the Trebinje area, honey and medicinal herbs, lamb and dairy from the high plateaus, and proximity to cultural and natural attractions. Given the terrain and seasonality, agritourism is a logical way to connect primary production with experience here. Early consultation with the municipal agriculture office and the local tourist organisation is recommended, as the details of classification and local taxes differ from one municipality to another.

Practical steps — from field to guest

1. Confirm the status of your property — settle ownership or lease of the land and building.
2. Enrol the farm in the RPG — through the competent municipal/city authority; collect the certificate and farm number (the record is kept by APIF).
3. Choose commercial status if you plan to sell services and products to guests.
4. Renew/update the RPG on time each year to keep your right to support.
5. Register and classify the facility as a rural household (hospitality rules) before receiving your first guests.
6. Settle your tax status with the RS Tax Administration and arrange bookkeeping.
7. Set up guest registration and the sojourn tax per the municipal decision.
8. Apply for support (Ministry of Agriculture, IRB RS, EU/IPARD when available) under the current public call.
9. Promote the offer through the tourist organisation and digital platforms such as AgroTour Connect.

Useful sources: the Government of Republika Srpska, APIF, the RS Tax Administration, IRB RS, the RS Tourist Organisation, and information on EU pre-accession funds at europa.eu.