Based on the research activity within the ISLE International Sustainability Network, this paper represents a step forward aiming to find some contacts points in the experiences some international cases (USA, Brazil, Italy and France) have grown in the development of agritourism in mountain contexts. Despite the singular differences and the national specificities, agritourism is generally considered a particular form of social innovation in agriculture and rural development of mountainous areas, aiming at recomposing the natural and the human dimensions within the framework of a new sustainable way of doing agriculture. At the basis of the research is the hypothesis that agritourism operations are slowly and gradually shifting towards a new perspective/model. Some years ago, agritourism was traditionally viewed as a way for farmers to integrate or diversify their incomes. Nowadays instead—as the diversity of practice has grown and new values have emerged—the range of farmers’ motivations has become much broader. Some of these motivations include not only economic issues but also social, environmental and cultural ones, while addressing a more comprehensive idea of community-based and sustainable development. Case studies from South Carolina (USA), from Italian mountain regions, from Santa Catarina State in Brazil and from France are illustrated in which different innovation perspectives are highlighted.

Biopreservatives have received considerable attention in recent years as natural alternatives to synthetic preservatives. This seems to be a response to an increased demand for natural and organic foods. This study investigates the potential market for products enriched with biopreservatives in Italy. Data were collected from a sample of Italian consumers (N = 479) using a web-based survey. The main results indicate that 64% of respondents declared themselves to be willing to consume biopreservatives only if they replaced synthetic preservatives. Principal component analysis (PCA) was applied to reduce the number of variables. The factorial scores of the components obtained from PCA were used for a Cluster Analysis related to consumers’ perceptions about biopreservatives. Moreover, the survey highlights that the respondents had positive opinions about biopreservatives, although they showed difficulty in perceiving the exact meaning of the term. The study could provide useful implications for food manufacturers and facilitate the design of marketing strategies for foods enriched with biopreservatives.

Muitos agricultores familiares ligados à associação de agroturismo “Acolhida na Colônia” (AC) produzem alimentos orgânicos em quantidade superior à venda no estabelecimento. O presente artigo analisa a orientação deles ao mercado, testando a hipótese de que a procura por outras possibilidades de venda poderia aproveitar a relação que eles já construíram com os consumidores, adotando uma abordagem de marketing de relacionamento. Foi pesquisada a relação dos agricultores familiares com os circuitos curtos de comercialização (CCC), identificando as motivações e problemáticas para a inserção deles nesses circuitos, diferenciando-os em clusters, conforme a orientação de mercado praticada. Foi identificado que todos possuem sensibilidade para formas de marketing de relacionamento, mas que grande parte não as pratica. Dentro dos diferentes clusters, entretanto, há diversos agricultores com sensibilidade, experiência e conhecimento para uma qualificada comunicação bi-direcional e para o compartilhamento de objetivos com os consumidores. Eles poderiam ser a base para uma estratégia organizacional de marketing de relacionamento.