The impacts of Covid-19 on agri-food business models An empirical analysis of the fishing sector

Abstract

In March 2020, the world has been hit by one of the hardest pandemics ever experienced. The novelty and rapid spread of the Sars-Cov-2 virus discovered in China had implications not only from a health and scientific point of view, but from an economic one as well. With the outbreak of Covid-19, almost the entire planet was pushed toward taking extreme measures striving to contain the rapid spread of the infection. Lockdown, restrictive measures, social distancing brought companies to face dramatic challenges to survive. This essay outlines the major impacts of the pandemic on agri-food companies, with a particular focus on the fishing and aquaculture industry. The dissertation starts with a general overview of the concept of business model, the general sector analysis, followed by the in-depth sectoral analysis of the fishing and aquaculture industry. Finally, I will comment on the qualitative data gathered by interviewing companies working in the field. More specifically, I will illustrate the fundamental business model modifications companies underwent to face the challenges raised by the pandemic. The assumptions and observations are supported by empirical evidence emerged from the research conducted on a set of business cases from Triveneto.