The role of SMEs in mountain areas

Socio-economic development in mountain areas is often characterized by negatively connotated conditions such large distances, low population densities accompanied by a shrinking and ageing population or challenges in service provision leading to reduced economic opportunities. The main focus when looking at economic activities in mountain areas often remains on a few branches or sectors, such as agriculture, forestry, construction or tourism and on the conservative approach and localism of local population. However, this perspective overlooks the diverse and innovative approaches of SMEs that thrive under specific contextual conditions. Furthermore, the economic diversity of businesses in mountain areas is broader than one may expect at first glance, considering in particular small businesses who generate local employment and supply products and services that sustain daily life of the area itself but also contribute to mountain-plain/ rural-urban nexus. This Focus Session encourages presentation that focus in particular but not exclusively on: • Innovative approaches to stimulate entrepreneurship in different sectors of the economy • The role of youth, newcomers and female entrepreneurship to maintain socio-economic resilience of mountain areas • ‘Creative conflicts’ showcasing good examples and challenges that SMEs face • The role of small businesses in the mountain-plain/ rural-urban nexus to foster (neo-)endogenous development in mountain areas Aim: to showcase critical contributions on the role of SMEs in creating sustainable livelihoods in rural mountain areas, addressing key mountain related challenges and fostering socio-economic diversification.