Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Tourism: Advantages for the Agri-Food Chain

Dear Colleagues,

Changes in society worldwide are also reflected in agricultural enterprise strategies, which are constantly evolving and may be developed with regard to both the agricultural sector and the tourism sector. In this case, the problem of sustainability in agriculture shifts the focus onto local development processes that strengthen the link between farm and territory. In this context, the role of agricultural enterprises in sustainable development processes has become a topic increasingly observed by researchers of various disciplines because it is connected to rural tourism, an expression of forward-looking entrepreneurship which can play a very important role in the perspective of sustainable development.

Environmental sustainability has acquired increasing importance in the production processes of all economic sectors. The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development has contemplated major transformative action for the agrifood sector. Sustainability serves to ensure the stability of an ecosystem, and all of us, as consumers, have a fundamental role in determining the stability of the environment. A sustainable consumer can make choices that support sustainable agriculture understood as a set of practices that are responsible for the environment and for peoples.

The agrifood chain has significant impacts on the environment. Current policies directed at both producers and consumers are aimed to improve the efficiency of food resources and to increase consumer awareness. This approach develops the environmental performance of agrifood systems; nevertheless, it must be further implemented to achieve the sustainability objectives of global environmental policies.

The progressive interest in slow tourism—“paths” and “routes” and the growing demand for authenticity and unrepeatability of the tourist experience—are the most appropriate basis for providing value to the principles upon which the heritage of rural territories is based. The design of complex supply systems, that combine the enjoyment of the landscape, the natural environment, and the economic, cultural, and agrifood heritage, can be an impetus for sustainable development, i.e., economic development compatible with the preservation of the environment and free assets for future generations up to the so-called “green economy”. Rural tourism can also contribute to sustainable development by creating new job opportunities and generating added value to the system wherein agriculture, catering, crafts, trade, and tourist services are developed. On the basis of these principles, the research can and must provide new answers for the need to plan the harmonious development of the territory, linking the hills and inland mountains with the coastal territory, including through the promotion of seasonal and delocalized tourism. Ideas can be provided to reformulate strategies of agricultural policy and integrated territorial tourism for the enhancement and promotion of local territories, which are the cradle of agrifood production.

The demand for sustainability in the agrifood system concerns the direct and indirect use of the territory: agritourism, walking trails, social inclusion, but also organic farming and animal welfare. Moreover, today, agriculture is increasingly found at the center of the discussion regarding the role that innovation in agriculture has in significantly contributing to the challenge of environmental sustainability. The agricultural sector, therefore, is increasingly interested in projects related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the production of renewable energy: transformation of solid urban waste into biomethane and compost; wind energy, solar energy, and even the production of hydrogen. Agriculture is therefore being called upon to play an important role in defining new models of development. Innovation has the potential to significantly contribute toward winning the challenge of achieving environmental sustainability, and innovation in agriculture is—and will be—increasingly important.

The objective of this Special Issue is to analyze the role of sustainable agriculture and tourism from the perspective of different research fields, in which an interdisciplinary approach is favored for studying all aspects and providing effective and current answers. The identification of new trends will provide answers for tourist and agrifood chain operators with the aim of implementing territorial actions to support sustainability.

Researchers are invited to submit manuscripts showing how their research results contribute to providing answers to problems that arise from the current global dynamics.

Submissions detailing original, multidisciplinary approaches are especially encouraged.

• sustainable agriculture;
• precision farming;
• sustainable tourism;
• integrated rural development;
• sustainable agrifood chain;
• sustainable agricultural policies;
• innovation and sustainable development;
• marketing of sustainable agrifood products,
• sustainability and consumers behavior;
• sustainability and tourist motivation.

Prof. Stefania Chironi
Dr. Marzia Ingrassia
Prof. Dr. Paula Silva
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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• integrated territorial tourist marketing
• rural tourism
• agritourism
• green tourism
• agrifood marketing
• organic farming
• supply chain
• sustainable agricultural practice
• animal care
• environmental protection
• sustainable agroengineering
• clean energy
• clean productions