Long-term changes in business models in inland and mountainous areas for the promotion of sustainable food systems

Abstract

For the management of inland and mountainous areas to be economically viable, business activities in these environments must provide sufficient income for the local population without jeopardising the interests of future generations. In purely economic terms, the management of these areas requires that the production of such goods and services that constitute utility flows for an ecosystem and its local population be economically viable. This management must be able to provide an income for the local population; it cannot only support the costs inevitably incurred for the conservation and production of goods and services provided by the activities that take place in the mountain area. This study examines inland and mountain areas in Italy, areas with particular economic difficulties, that have been characterized by exodus and abandonment phenomena in recent years to verify which business models to identify to favour the permanence of agricultural activities in these environments. Business models of competitiveness were developed through the economic model of joint production analysis. The results of the study highlight that the strategies to be implemented are diversified according to the specificities of human capital and environmental resources.