PEOPLEThomas Streifeneder

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Thomas Streifeneder

Head of Institute
Institute for Regional Development

T +39 0471 055 315

thomas.streifeneder@eurac.edu

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7588-8206

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About

Main areas of research:

Economic Geography,
Rural & Regional Geography/Development,
Agricultural Geography,
Socio‐economy of rural/mountain regions,
Literary Geography,
Spatial Studies.

Short CV:

PD Dr. Thomas Streifeneder has been working as the head of the Institute for Regional Development of Eurac Research in Bolzano/Bozen (Italy) since 2009. After studying economic geography at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University in Munich (LMU), he got his PhD and habilitation at the Department of Geography of the LMU. In his research he deals with agricultural and socio-economic transformation processes in rural areas, focusing especially on mountain and Alpine regions. In 2018, he organized the First World Congress on Agritourism (https://agritourism.eurac.edu/) and has since then been actively involved in research concerning this topic. Also, he is particularly interested in literary geography and spatial literary studies. His research focuses on how rural lifestyles and economies are portrayed in prose, how exactly literature perceives them and what statements emerge from them (www.rural-criticism.eu).

Research Gate: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Thomas-Streifeneder

Scientific Publications

Journal article2025

How tourists change farms: The impact of agritourism on organic farming adoption and local community interaction in the Tyrol-Trentino mountain region

Grillini G, Streifeneder T, Stotten R, Schermer M, Fischer C

Thomas Streifeneder

Agritourism, a growing trend in rural tourism, offers various agricultural activities designed to draw visitors to farms. However, the impacts that tourists have on agricultural operations and farm families are still largely undocumented. This study focuses on the mountainous Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion (IT – AT), aiming to explain how agritourism affects farms’ adoption of organic production and engagement with local commu nities as proxies for environmental and social sustainability. We gathered data from 493 farms with and without agritourism through an online survey. A deeper analysis of the 229 agritourism operators, using logistic regression analysis, revealed that activities in agritourism encourages the adoption of organic farming practices, thus aligning with the farm families’ preferences for a more sustainable production. At the same time, hosting, and catering for holiday guests on the farm significantly reduces family free time and decreases the family in teractions with the local community. Our findings shed light on the various indirect ways how tourists influence farms and their development strategies, emphasizing the need for further research to understand the broader and lasting effects of this shift from traditional farming to more complex farm settings that include service-oriented activities in rural areas.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2024.103531

Edited book2025

Literatur & Wissen(schaft)

Streifeneder T, Vescoli C, Prackwieser J

Thomas Streifeneder, Josef Prackwieser

ISBN: 978-88-946405-2-6

Literature enables the interpretation of reality, the communication of knowledge, and the experience of history.

LITERATUR & WISSEN(SCHAFT) is an invitation to explore the fascinating and complex dialogue between Literature and Science, demonstrating how two seemingly distant disciplines are actually linked by fertile common ground: the search for knowledge and the shaping of reality.

Through the contributions of authors and linguists, scientists and historian, this collection dismantles the prejudice that views science as a mere provider of data and literature as simple entertainment.

On the contrary, we discover that Literature is the true catalyst that stimulates scientific inquiry, providing the capacity to interpret reality, convey knowledge, and make History a living experience.

This volume is not just an essay collection, but a critical and multidisciplinary reflection on how we construct, communicate, and comprehend the world.

Journal article2024

Comparative analysis of alpine agritourism in Trentino, Tyrol, and South Tyrol: Regional variations and prospects

Grillini G, Streifeneder T, Sacchi G, Fischer C

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Kompetenzzentrum Agrotourismus

Agritourism is an increasingly popular form of tourism that entails visiting farms to engage in activities and gain insights into the farming way of life. This research explores the economic, social, and environmental dynamics of agritourism in the Tyrol–South Tyrol–Trentino Euroregion with a specific emphasis on the three distinct regional entities in Austria and Italy: the Austrian state of Tyrol (comprising North and East Tyrol) and the Italian autonomous provinces of South Tyrol and Trentino. It addresses two key research aims: uncovering regional distinctions among these Alpine provinces and understanding the motivations, challenges, and future plans of agritourism operators. A comprehensive review of existing literature frames the study, while data collection involves an online survey of agritourism farms in the region. Distinctive characteristics emerge, with Trentino emphasizing restaurant services, sustainability, and community engagement. South Tyrol prioritizes quality accommodations and work–life balance, while Tyrol aligns closer with South Tyrol’s focus. Notably, economic factors exert a substantial influence on their motivations to embrace agritourism, underscoring their pivotal role in this context. Despite facing challenges such as “time management and labour,” “meeting visitors’ expectations,” and “local permits and taxes,” most agritourism operators across the region display willingness to expand their activity in the future. Overall, agritourism in the study area is characterized by significant structural and operational differences resulting in different future public support and regulatory needs.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.1515/opag-2022-0281

Inbook2024

Schauspiele auf dem Land - Das utopische Potential des "Malser Wegs" in Südtirol

Streifeneder T

Thomas Streifeneder

Utopien entwickeln sich aus herrschenden Missständen (Schölderle 2012: 17). Ihre Kritik entzündet sich über eine »fundamentalkritische Analyse der Gegenwart« (ebd.: 7) an gegenwärtigen Krisen. Sie entstehen, weil »ausgesprochene Krisenzeiten und Perioden des großen sozialen Umbruchs« (ebd.: 17, 158) existieren. Gleichzeitig gelten Utopien als »gesellschaftliche Gegenentwürfe« (vgl. Leser/Schwarz/Hilpert 2018: 2). Was sind kritikwürdige und unerträgliche Zustände in ländlichen Räumen? Was charakterisiert eine »schlechte und kritikwürdige Welt der Gegenwart« (ebd.: 158) auf dem Land? Und was sind sozial-utopische Alternativen? Dieser Beitrag erörtert zwei Thesen: erstens, dass agrarindustrielle Bewirtschaftungsmethoden ursächlich für nicht-nachhaltige ländliche Lebensbedingungen sein können und zweitens, dass sich mit dem Südtiroler »Malser Weg« – eine soziale Bewegung mit dem Ziel, in der Gemeinde Mals pestizidfrei zu werden – ein sozialer Gegenentwurf und damit ein Modell für eine ländliche Utopie entwickelte. Hierfür werden anhand agrarökologischer Kriterien prekäre landwirtschaftliche Zustände benannt und der sozial-utopische Gehalt des »Malser Wegs« diskutiert. Der Beitrag zeigt die Konflikte auf, die ihn seit seiner Entstehung vor rund 15 Jahren prägen. Die jahrelangen Auseinandersetzungen eine pestizidfreie Gemeinde in Südtirol und dem größten Apfelanbaugebiet Europas zu verwirklichen, mündeten in einen unlängst entschiedenen Rechtsstreit.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.14361/9783839472330

Inbook2024

Words of warning: What natural-hazard fiction set in the Alps can teach us

Streifeneder T, Piatti B

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Rural Criticism - Bookscapes and stories from rural worlds

What can we learn from Alpine literature about natural hazards in Alpine areas and how they affect local communities? In this essay, we contend that fiction can be an important means of learning more about environments, and how human fate is inextricably linked to them. Heinrich von Kleist’s 1807 novella “The Earthquake in Chili” (Das Erdbeben von Chili‘) about the Spaniard Rugera’s experience and survival of a catastrophic event in 1647 and Voltaires works on the Lisbon earthquake, the “Poe`me sur le desastre de Lisbonne” (1756) and “Candide” (1759), are considered literary milestones in the fictional depiction of the forces of nature acting on mankind. These famous works help us to remember these disasters while also stimulating thought about them beyond the scientific community of researchers studying disasters. Disaster and apocalyptic narratives have a long tradition in literary and cultural history. They deal with natural hazards such as earthquakes, storm tides and floods, landslides, avalanches, and similar events (Dürbeck & Stobbe, 2015, p. 332). Depicting these danger zones and destructive events in literature allows us to ask fundamental questions about humanity’s relationship with nature.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.1016/B978-0-443-32824-4.00008-0

Journal article2023

Differences in sustainability outcomes between agritourism and non-agritourism farms based on robust empirical evidence from the Tyrol/Trentino mountain region

Grillini G, Sacchi G, Streifeneder T, Fischer C

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Kompetenzzentrum Agrotourismus

Agritourism is an increasingly popular form of rural tourism that involves agricultural activities and operations aimed at attracting visitors to a farm. We contribute to the literature by examining the sustainability differences between agritourism (ATFs) and non-agritourism farms (non-ATFs) in the Tyrol-South Tyrol-Trentino Euroregion and the impact of agritourism on traditional farming activities. The research questions are answered using collected farm survey data (n = 493) and propensity score techniques that allow to estimate treatment effects of agritourism adoption by controlling for selection biases. The results reveal that agritourism adoption has a positive impact on economic sustainability outcomes such as income increases, but negative impacts on production quantity and production value. As to social sustainability outcomes, we find negative effects of agritourism activity on family free time and interactions with the local community, but a positive impact on partner involvement in farm activities. Environmentally, some practices adopted by ATFs become more sustainable, such as a higher use of organic production, renewable energies and active waste management, but others do not. The results indicate that agritourism can offer sustainability advantages, but a differentiated assessment is necessary. Therefore, for policy decisions, it is crucial to understand the benefits and drawbacks of agritourism and align public support measures with overall rural development policy objectives while also considering agritourism promotion effects on food security and local-food production needs.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103152

Journal article2023

The future of agritourism? A review of current trends of touristic commercialisation in rural areas

Streifeneder T, Hoffmann C, Corradini P

Thomas Streifeneder, Philipp Corradini, Christian Hoffmann

Projekt: Kompetenzzentrum Agrotourismus

Tourism in rural areas has enjoyed increasing demand and experienced new forms of
implementation. The expanding quantitative and qualitative development of highquality agritourism establishments in South Tyrol/Italy is an interesting and exemplary case for the commercialisation of rural tourism. For this scope, we analysed the websites of seventeen high-quality agritourism businesses in this region. We studied, how they conduct the commercialisation of agricultural and touristic features and to
what extent offers and services have been commodified. Our findings show in most cases very professionally managed websites that feature high-quality hotel-like facilities. At the same time, they provide significantly less information on farming and related activities. Thus, our results highlight the characteristics of this growing touristic commercialisation of high-quality (commercial) agritourism establishments. Furthermore, we discuss the implications for the objectives of this sector, in which authentic everyday experiences of agriculture and rurality are a crucial feature for the target groups and the perception of farming and the image of the sector.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.1007/s00168-022-01126-w

Journal article2022

Qualitative Assessment of Agritourism Development Support Schemes in Italy, the USA and South Africa

Grillini G, Sacchi G, Chase L, Taylor J, C. Van Zyl C, Van Der Merwe P, Streifeneder T, Fischer C

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Kompetenzzentrum Agrotourismus

Agritourism has grown rapidly in many countries worldwide. However, for all this success,
little is known about the concrete implementation, actual extent, and effectiveness of public and
private agritourism support measures aimed at keeping up farming and promoting agritourism.
Hence, the objective of this study is to provide an overview and a comparison of agritourism supports
and policies in different countries. To this purpose, specific political, legal, financial, and promotional
instruments for agritourism have been investigated. The focus is on three countries with strong
agritourism sectors and different socio-cultural characteristics: Italy, the USA, and South Africa.
The analysis of these case study areas is motivated by examination of agritourism from different
continents with a diverging status of development as well as history. Italy and the USA are two
countries with well-established and successful agritourism sectors; however, these are based on very
different framework conditions, resulting in specific development paths and various supportive
driving factors. South Africa has been included as a representative case study of a developing country
where agritourism operations are growing rapidly through the support of an active private sector
association. By assessing commonalities and differences in public and private support backgrounds
in three different continents, the present study represents the first exploratory attempt to understand
the influences of public and private national and regional framework conditions for agritourism
development. Our findings suggest that both public and private supports contribute to success;
however, clear criteria and further research are needed in order to fully understand the implications.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.3390/su14137903

Journal article2021

Agritourism around the globe: Definitions, authenticity, and potential controversy

Lamie RD, Chase L, Chiodo E, Dickes L, Flanigan S, Schmidt C, Streifeneder T

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Kompetenzzentrum Agrotourismus

This commentary identifies the variability in definitions of agritourism that exists in a variety of different countries, discusses reasons why this variability might produce problems, and provides examples of efforts to harmonize these definitions, including an ongoing international dialogue on the topic.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.5304/jafscd.2021.102.002

Journal article2021

Can Social Innovation Make a Change in European and Mediterranean Marginalized Areas? Social Innovation Impact Assessment in Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, and Rural Development

Ravazzoli E, Dalla Torre C, Da Re R, Marini Govigli V, Secco L, Górriz-Mifsud E, Pisani E, Barlagne C,

Cristina Dalla Torre, Thomas Streifeneder, Elisa Ravazzoli

Projekt: SIMRA - Soziale Innovation in marginalisierten ländlichen Räume

Social innovation (SI) impacts are long-term changes that affect different dimensions of territorial capital (i.e., economy, society, environment, governance) for the territory in which SI occurs. Yet, systematic empirical evidence and theoretically sound assessments of the impacts of SI are scarce. This paper aims to fill the gap and assess the different aspects of SI’s impacts in European and Mediterranean areas that are characterized by marginalization processes. To assess the impacts of SI in marginalized areas, we use the evaluation framework developed within the Social Innovation in Marginalized Rural Areas (SIMRA) Horizon 2020 project and apply it to nine SI initiatives related to the fields of agriculture, fisheries, forestry, and rural development. Our findings show that SI produces cross-sectoral (societal, economic, environmental, and governmental) and multi-level impacts (on individuals, community, and society), which have improved the societal well-being, and contributed to the reduction of certain forms of marginality, mainly inside the territory in which SI occurred.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.3390/su13041823

Journal article2021

Matthew Picton's Urban Narratives. Or how a three-dimensional paper map can beam you into the London bombing nights of 1940

Streifeneder T, Piatti B

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Rural Criticism - Bookscapes and stories from rural worlds

The ﬁrst impression is a delicate paper city with a river. Homes and blocks of houses formed from printed pages. The buildings are open at the top, the words and the text fragments unfold inside, in stylish typography, with some passages in capital letters, most of them clearly legible: ‘Like lost souls leaking’ , ‘Fear’ , ‘Germany’ s full force’ , ‘the last of sunset’ , ‘safety curtain’ … . But the most striking are its burnt, scorched parts. A paper city badly destroyed by ﬁ re: what a powerful image. If you have not already guessed, the title of the four-part work (4 panels) provides the information about the place and time: ‘London 1940’ . The dimensions: 37′′×30′′. Picton’ s sculptural maps are so fascinating and so convincingly prepared as allusive reliefs that one is literally sucked into them. Suddenly, you undertake a psychogeographical trip walking through dark, unlit street canyons with illuminated façades on both sides.The walls have become huge projection surfaces with man-sized letters telling place-based stories. The sentences drive you from house to house, street to street in a fantastic walkable narrated space.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.1080/23729333.2021.1921379

Inbook2021

Rural Criticism - Oder: Welche Erzählungen über das Drama des ländlichen Raums brauchen wir dringend? Ein Plädoyer

Piatti B, Streifeneder T

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Rural Criticism - Bookscapes and stories from rural worlds

Der ländliche Raum wird nicht erst seit gestern zubetoniert, ausgeräumt, monokultiviert. Energie- oder agroindustrielle Landschaften haben alte Kulturlandschaften abgelöst. Vieles stößt dort schon längst an eine ökonomischen, sozialen und ökologischen Grenzen. Und nimmt durch den Klimawandel noch mal richtig an Fahrt auf. Das Anthropozän, das entstand also auch bei uns, auf dem europäischen Land. Doch wer kann davon erzählen?
Was wir brauchen, ist eine neue Literatur der Ländlichkeit und Dörflichkeit, ein neues Rural Writing: Kenntnisreiche Texte voller Atmosphäre, die uns in die dramatischen Entwicklungen auf dem Land, in den Dörfern eintauchen lassen – wozu auch der enorme, zunehmende finanzielle und psychische Druck gehört, dem die Landwirte und Landwirtinnen ausgesetzt sind. Gerade die Literatur könnte bewegende Stories über diese Umwälzungen bringen. Sie könnte detaillierte Einblicke ermöglichen, um ein besseres Verständnis dessen zu fördern, was in diesen oft marginalisierten Gebieten vor sich geht. Doch trotz des vielfach konstatierten und auch schon umfassend untersuchten Booms der neuen Land- und Dorfromane (bei dem vorerst kein Ende abzusehen ist) fällt auf: Nicht wenige Texte scheitern daran, ein facettenreiches, adäquates Bild dieser ländlich-dörflichen Welt im Umbruch zu zeichnen.

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.14361/9783839454251

Journal article2022

Qualitative Assessment of Agritourism Development Support Schemes in Italy, the USA and South Africa

Grillini G, Sacchi G, Chase L, Taylor J, C. Van Zyl C, Van Der Merwe P, Streifeneder T, Fischer C

Thomas Streifeneder

Projekt: Kompetenzzentrum Agrotourismus

DOI Quelle

DOI: 10.3390/su14137903

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Thomas Streifeneder

About

Scientific Publications

How tourists change farms: The impact of agritourism on organic farming adoption and local community interaction in the Tyrol-Trentino mountain region

Literatur & Wissen(schaft)

Comparative analysis of alpine agritourism in Trentino, Tyrol, and South Tyrol: Regional variations and prospects

Schauspiele auf dem Land - Das utopische Potential des "Malser Wegs" in Südtirol

Words of warning: What natural-hazard fiction set in the Alps can teach us

Differences in sustainability outcomes between agritourism and non-agritourism farms based on robust empirical evidence from the Tyrol/Trentino mountain region

The future of agritourism? A review of current trends of touristic commercialisation in rural areas

Qualitative Assessment of Agritourism Development Support Schemes in Italy, the USA and South Africa

Agritourism around the globe: Definitions, authenticity, and potential controversy

Can Social Innovation Make a Change in European and Mediterranean Marginalized Areas? Social Innovation Impact Assessment in Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, and Rural Development

Matthew Picton's Urban Narratives. Or how a three-dimensional paper map can beam you into the London bombing nights of 1940

Rural Criticism - Oder: Welche Erzählungen über das Drama des ländlichen Raums brauchen wir dringend? Ein Plädoyer

Science Shots Eurac Research Newsletter

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Externe Inhalte

Scientific Publications

How tourists change farms: The impact of agritourism on organic farming adoption and local community interaction in the Tyrol-Trentino mountain region

Literatur & Wissen(schaft)

Comparative analysis of alpine agritourism in Trentino, Tyrol, and South Tyrol: Regional variations and prospects

Schauspiele auf dem Land - Das utopische Potential des "Malser Wegs" in Südtirol

Words of warning: What natural-hazard fiction set in the Alps can teach us

Differences in sustainability outcomes between agritourism and non-agritourism farms based on robust empirical evidence from the Tyrol/Trentino mountain region

The future of agritourism? A review of current trends of touristic commercialisation in rural areas

Qualitative Assessment of Agritourism Development Support Schemes in Italy, the USA and South Africa

Agritourism around the globe: Definitions, authenticity, and potential controversy

Can Social Innovation Make a Change in European and Mediterranean Marginalized Areas? Social Innovation Impact Assessment in Agriculture, Fisheries, Forestry, and Rural Development

Matthew Picton's Urban Narratives. Or how a three-dimensional paper map can beam you into the London bombing nights of 1940

Rural Criticism - Oder: Welche Erzählungen über das Drama des ländlichen Raums brauchen wir dringend? Ein Plädoyer

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