Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item:
http://hdl.handle.net/10071/29356
Author(s): | Sousa, C. Ferreiro, M. de F. |
Date: | 2023 |
Title: | Small, smart and sustainable: Networking to develop the medicinal and aromatic plants value-chain in Portugal |
Journal title: | European Countryside |
Volume: | 15 |
Number: | 3 |
Pages: | 442 - 464 |
Reference: | Sousa, C., & Ferreiro, M. de F. (2023). Small, smart and sustainable: Networking to develop the medicinal and aromatic plants value-chain in Portugal. European Countryside, 15(3), 442-464. http://doi.org/10.2478/euco-2023-0024 |
ISSN: | 1803-8417 |
DOI (Digital Object Identifier): | 10.2478/euco-2023-0024 |
Keywords: | Agri-food value-chain Medicinal and aromatic plants Network Collaboration Smallness Sustainability Business development Portugal |
Abstract: | The paper aims to study the use of medicinal and aromatic plants (MAP) farmers’ networking activities to overcome challenges in the development of their business. MAPs are mostly cultivated in small farms located in rural territories. This presents many challenges in different dimensions of business development through the value-chain, namely in commercialization. That is why networking and collaboration with other actors may have an important role, by providing the scale and critical resources towards business success and value-chain sustainable development. The paper draws on a purposefully collected set of data on a network of Portuguese producers of MAP, organized under the EPAM project. The data was collected through a questionnaire and quantitatively analyzed in order to understand: i) how MAP farmers perceive the importance of networks for the development of their businesses? ii) How are networks enabling farmers with different profiles to develop their businesses? The results confirm the importance of networks for the development of these businesses, namely with other firms. However, it is possible to identify some diversity in the assessment of the role of those networks, both by taking into consideration the location of the farms and their positioning in the value-chain. The study contributes to a better understanding of how networking contributes to overcome barriers in the sustainable development of an agri-food value-chain, by stressing a variety of networking proposes and partners and the existence of differences across types of firms. |
Peerreviewed: | yes |
Access type: | Open Access |
Appears in Collections: | DINÂMIA'CET-RI - Artigos em revistas internacionais com arbitragem científica |
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article_97864 .pdf | 1,58 MB | Adobe PDF | View/Open |
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