Introduction: Agritourism, combining agricultural with tourism, presents a unique opportunity for sustainable development. The business with its sustainable practices can raise awareness and impact the customer behaviour. Objective: This study explores sustanable business models (SBMs) in agritourism, focusing on their alignment with circular economy and sustanable development goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 12, which focuses on responsible consumption and production. Theoretical Framework: Main concepts and theories support the importance of the system and how things are connected speaking about sustainability, providing a solid basis for supporting the investigation. Method: Analizing two case studies in the country (Albania), the agritourism “Mrizi i Zanave” (Mrizi) and the village Thethi, the research highlights the agritourism’s role in fostering local economic growth, conserving cultural heritage, and promoting community resilience. Results and discussions: By promoting resource efficiency, reducing waste, and enhancing local engagement, agritourism embodies SDG 12’s call for sustainability in production processes and consumption patterns. Key challenges, including infrastructure, are evaluated alongside opportunities such as fiscal incentives and the integration of local food systems. Findings emphasize the importance of tailored strategies, community engagement, and policy support to balance increasing tourist demands with environmental and cultural preservation. Research implication: This research underscores the transformative potential of agritourism as a model for sustainable development, offering valuable insights for similar regions worldwide. Originality/Value: Being Albania a small country, there is not much interest on narrowing research on it, but as SDGs imply, the system thinking is very important, no country, no place behind, there is just one Earth. The study can be interesting for other small regions, going on the same specifics as Albania, like other developing countries in the world.

Albania’s transition from a centralized to a market economy has resulted in a fragmented and mostly informal business landscape, where small enterprises dominate and sustainability-oriented strategies remain underdeveloped. However, with EU accession, Agenda 2030 commitments, and global climate objectives, there is a growing urgency to align local business models with circular and inclusive practices. This study aimed to explore how sustainable business model frameworks can be effectively applied in emerging contexts by the Triple Layered Business Model Canvas (TLBMC) to Mrizi Zanave, a leading agrotourism enterprise in North Albania. The research employs a qualitative case study approach, combining two semi-structured interviews with founders/managers and desk research across multiple data sources, including the National Business Center registry, company websites, and social media communications. The results indicated that Mrizi Zanave creates value across economic, social, and environmental layers by embedding traditional knowledge, regional supply chains, and community-based employment. Quantitatively, the enterprise cooperates with 400 smallholder farmers, employs 105 staff and hosts approximately 90,000 visitors annually [As by the latest data delivered by the company on National Business Center registry (data for the business fiscal year 2024)]. However, formal measurement of environmental and social impacts remains limited, reflecting institutional and infrastructural constraints. By operationalizing the TLBMC in a context shaped by structural informality and historical marginalization, the study contributes to the international literature on business model innovation in post-socialist and emerging European contexts, particularly within the Western Balkans. It highlights both the opportunities and challenges of place-based entrepreneurship for sustainable rural generation in the Western Balkans.

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Background: The transition to a circular economy is critical in achieving sustainable consumption, particularly in emerging economies such as Albania. While circular economy strategies have gained attention in policy and academic discourse, their success heavily depends on consumer engagement. Albania presents a unique context as a post-socialist, EU-inspiring country with evolving infrastructure and limited consumer exposure to circular economy practices. Objective: This study investigates the readiness of Albanian consumers to engage with circular and sustainable practices, examining behavioral drivers, perceived barriers, and the influence of socio-demographic variables. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among respondents in North Albania, employing a structured questionnaire based on behavioral theories. Statistical analysis including regression models and structural equation modeling (SEM) is realized to assess relationships among latent variables. Results: Employment status, income and education significantly predicted circular economy knowledge and behavior. Key practices like sufficiency-driven consumption and donation of goods were associated with socio-economic variables, while motivational drivers such as environmental concern and practicality were more universally distributed. SEM results confirmed significant impacts of knowledge, behavior and practices on circular economy readiness, while preferences and influences had weaker predictive power. The findings inform context-specific policy and business interventions to support circular economy adoption in emerging economies. Conclusion: Behavioral engagement in circular economy in Albania is shaped by both structural constraints and evolving socio-cultural values. Policy and business strategies must consider contextual realities and co-create circular solutions with customers to ensure adoption. The findings contribute to the behavioral understanding of circular economy readiness in emerging economies and provide a basis for targeted interventions in similar contexts.

Introduction: This research paper delves into Comunity-based Agroecosystems Management (CBAM) in Albania, exploring its role in enhancing sustainability and food security through local initiatives. It integrates insights from sustainability and agricultural systems. The study goes along with the engagement of Albania to the Agenda 2030, and especially on the contribution of SDG2 on food secutrity and sustainable agriculture. Objective: The objective of this study is to understand the dynamics of CBAM in Albania, examining key practices and strategies employed by local communities for sustainable agroecosystem management, their contribution to biodiversity preservation and ecological balance. Theoretical Framework: Main conccepts on community-based agroecosystems give insights in key practices and strategies possibilities for local communities for sustainable agroecosystem management, the contribution to biodiversity preservation and ecological balance. Method: The study adopts a qualitative approach. It involves a comprehensive literature review, focus groups discusssions and participant observation. The paper also analyzes government reports and agricultural practices to understand policy context in Albana. Results and Discussion: Key findings reveal that local economies in Albania employ diverse strategies for sustainable agroecosystem management. Traditional practices and local knowledge play a critical role in shaping these management strategies which are pivotal in enhancing food security. Research Implications: The practical and theoretical implications of this research are discussed, providing insights to broader discourse on SDG goals in developing countries and offer valuable insights for similar contexts beyond Albania. Originality/Value: This study contributes to the literature by giving voice to sustainable practices in small economies in developing countries, considering all inclusiveness in the engagement for reaching SDGs.