A conceptual business model for an agroforestry consulting company

While socioeconomic and environmental benefits of agroforestry are widely appreciated in the tropics, they were almost neglected from the plans for agronomic development implemented up to early 2000 as set by major policy schemes within the EU. However, such benefits had supported the rural economies of the Mediterranean EU countries-Greece included-in the past. Nowadays several unorganized traditional agroforestry systems persist, rather as remnants, and occupy extensive areas in Greece. Given its recognizable paramount importance as a lever for rural development, the EU included agroforestry in the forthcoming programming period of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP 2014-2020) as a greening, agro-environmental tool. While the institutional environment in Greece and the EU generally favours the initiation of agroforestry projects, farmers do not have such experience. The present paper sets as its major goals to set up and explore the major characteristics of a Business Model for an agroforestry consulting company (ACC) in Greece, by applying the Pillar/Blocks methodology of Alexander Osterwalder and his co-workers. Details on Customer Value Proposition, Customer Segmentation and Relationship, necessary Resources, Costs and Revenue streams are presented. Greening primary production, sequence of harvests, additional income, prospects for entrepreneurship, and transfer of EU provisions to the farmers are the main Value Propositions of the ACC. Dedicated personal assistance and co-creation are the relationship types expected to be developed with its customers. Key partners are local representatives, academic specialists and stakeholders, while key suppliers are tubex manufacturers, software providers and NGOs. Main revenue streams for the ACC are usage fees, subscription fees and advertising. The establishment of such a consulting company in a central location of the country, such as the region of Thessaly, where the agri-market environment appears promising, is expected to generate additional revenues for farmers that will introduce and/or maintain agroforestry systems and cause major improvements in an area with decreasing soil and water quality and deteriorating landscape values due to intensification of farming over the last decades.