Projects per year
Abstract
Socio-ecological and economic challenges force European farmers to consider their business model (BM). Knowledge on the concept of BMs and BM change is currently lacking behind for agriculture. The agri-food sector as a whole differs in many ways from other sectors in which the BM concept is already widely applied. Therefore, there is relevance to check for the applicability within agriculture of existing knowledge on BMs and BM change. Specifically, this paper aims to study the applicability to the agricultural sector of a general framework to study BM change. By means of 19 interviews, BM change and influencing factors were investigated for the case of a feed composition change at farm level in Flanders. The results highlight that a comprehensive study of BM change requires an additional level of analysis, i.e. the entrepreneurial level, besides the farm and environmental level. Also, besides the factors influencing a BM change process (drivers and factors facilitating or hindering a change), the situation of the farm and its environment before and after a BM change should be analysed. The latter determines how an influencing factor affects the BM in a specific situation. This study contributes to the theory on boundary conditions of the BM innovation construct. In relation to a change in the feed composition at pig and broiler farms in Flanders, interacting factors were identified that shape a BM change. The analysis shows that BM change is a stepwise process of changes to specific BM components. Often, the BM resulting from such a process shows a fit with other BM components or with the environment. However, it often also depends on the initial drivers of the BM change. In conclusion, this study provides more insight into the complexity of BM change in the agricultural sector and highlights key aspects of BM change analysis.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Journal of Agriculture and Food Research |
Volume | 19 |
ISSN | 2666-1543 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 25-Dec-2024 |
Projects
- 1 Finished
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DEMOSOJAVRIJ: Soy free chicken and pig production
Delezie, E. (ProjectSupervisor), Lourenço Ribeiro Alves, M. (Researcher), Van Meensel, J. (ProjectSupervisor), Bourgeois, L. (Researcher), Cloet, T. (Researcher), Millet, S. (Project Manager) & De Campeneere, S. (ProjectSupervisor)
1/04/21 → 30/06/23
Project: Research