Future-oriented trajectories of business model innovation for agri-food SMEs

Purpose Agri-food small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) must innovate their business models (BMs) to ensure sustainability in increasingly complex economic, social and environmental scenarios. This study identifies promising future-oriented trajectories of business model innovation (BMI) for these firms, highlighting the key roles of new technologies and sustainability goals. Design/methodology/approach This study adopted a qualitative approach combining a long interview technique and template analysis. Information was gathered from key informants with extensive knowledge about the agri-food sector. This study was conducted in Italy. Findings The analysis revealed multiple future-oriented BMI trajectories for each of three BMI components, namely, value creation, value proposition and value capture. The findings also indicate that some themes were common to all three BMI components, including the increasing importance of the partnership-based nature of BMI, new technologies acting as a driving force in shaping BMI and concerns regarding the sustainability and well-being of the actors involved in the agri-food sector. Research limitations/implications This study adopted a comprehensive view of the agri-food supply chain and did not focus on the specific perspectives of actors at each stage of the supply chain. Moreover, future studies should approach SMEs directly and examine their recent and future BMIs in different countries. Originality/value This study is the first to adopt a future-oriented approach to identify BMI trajectories for agri-food firms. In addition, it contributes to reconciling previous findings from studies on BMI in the agri-food sector and highlights the links between sustainability and technology in BMI processes.