A Conceptual Framework for an Agroecological Business Model Canvas

Sarah Stempfle (), Domenico Carlucci, Luigi Roselli and Bernardo Corrado de Gennaro
Additional contact information
Sarah Stempfle: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (Di.S.S.P.A.), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Domenico Carlucci: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (Di.S.S.P.A.), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Luigi Roselli: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (Di.S.S.P.A.), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy
Bernardo Corrado de Gennaro: Department of Soil, Plant and Food Sciences (Di.S.S.P.A.), University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via G. Amendola 165/A, 70126 Bari, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 19, 1-27

Abstract: Agroecological transition toward stronger sustainability demands systemic changes in various domains across farms, agroecosystem landscapes, and broader food systems. Business model innovation plays a critical enabling role, by aligning farming systems with agroecology. However, designing or transforming farming business models presents significant challenges, as it involves a radical rethinking of the foundational architecture of value creation, delivery, and capture. This study offers a structured and actionable approach to support this process, by developing a conceptual framework that systematically integrates the FAO’s 10 Elements of Agroecology into the Business Model Canvas, drawing on an exploratory literature review and following a five-stage process. The outcome is a prototype of an Agroecological Business Model Canvas (ABMC) that serves as both an analytical and strategic tool to support the design, evaluation, and improvement of agroecological business models. The proposed ABMC redefines conventional components and introduces additional ones to fully reflect agroecological principles and incorporate evaluation elements for assessing both the transition degree and multidimensional sustainability performance. By facilitating iterative reflection and co-design, the ABMC represents a practical device for advancing Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems and supporting farmers in developing context-specific sustainable, resilient, and socially grounded agroecological business models.

Keywords: sustainability; transition; agroecology; Business Model Canvas; 10 elements of agroecology; TAPE; AKIS (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8937/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/19/8937/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:19:p:8937-:d:1767060

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().