Purpose

This paper contributes to entrepreneurship theory by studying entrepreneurs' and local innovation support system actors' visions on rural sustainability. We see that not only entrepreneurs, but also local innovation support system actors, shape the context and thus influences entrepreneurial processes and policymaking.

Approach

This study focuses on rural Southern Sweden, using qualitative narratives from entrepreneurs and local innovation support system actors. These narratives provide reflections and insights that inform their perceptions on addressing challenges of sustainability and innovations in rural contexts. By employing rural proofing to assess context, we identify various factors influencing the entrepreneurship process.

Findings

The preliminary findings suggests that entrepreneurs and local innovation support system actors envision different sustainable futures for rural areas in Sweden. Both rural entrepreneurs' perceptions and local innovation support system actors’ perceptions have the same objective in relation to long-term sustainable rural enterprises such as ecologic farming versus short-term solutions. However, their perspectives on sustainability and innovative ways of doing entrepreneurship differ.

Originality

We are contributing to the growing interest in context, agency, and policy. The interviewed entrepreneurs and local innovation support system actors does not talk the same language when it comes to rural sustainability. This hampers efforts for a sustainable rural future. To foster innovation and sustainability in rural settings, we must systematically assess context and involve both entrepreneurs and local innovation support system actors