Double-tier Business Networking in Rural and Urban Regions Geography Research Forum • Vol. 41 • 2022: 89-107. Zeevik Greenberg, Eli Gimmon & Yanay Farja* Rural regions are undergoing many changes, including the feld of employment, entrepreneurship development and the growth of small businesses. In many cases business owners in rural areas far from large cities face challenges such as cus- tomer shortage, seasonality, lack of professional workers and, therefore, unrealized growth potential. Consequently, the rate of development and success of these busi- nesses is relatively small compared to similar businesses in urban areas. Business networking is one way for business owners in rural areas to cope these challenges. Tis paper is based on an Israeli study, comparing small businesses in rural areas and similar small businesses in large cities, examining the business networking characteristics in rural areas and their impact on the development potential of these small businesses. We present both quantitative fndings and results from in- depth interviews conducted with entrepreneurs in rural areas. Te fndings clarify the rationale leading entrepreneurs in rural areas to set up small businesses and develop new and diferent business networks including local and external col- laborations, thus promoting the growth potential of their businesses and the rural areas in general. Keywords: Rural; Farm; Entrepreneur; Small Business; Double-tier; Networking; Local Development * Center for Rural Studies, Tel-Hai College, Kiryat Shmona, Israel : greenbrg@telhai.ac.il (corresponding author); gimmon@bezeqint.net; yanay@telhai.ac.il Tel-Hai College For three decades far-reaching changes have been taking place in rural areas in many countries around the world, mostly expressed in technological and structural chang- es in agriculture. Business corporations have identifed the proft potential inherent in agriculture and have centralized development, growth and marketing processes accompanying the agriculture industry (Busch, 2010; Carolan, 2013; Preibisch, 2012). Tese processes have promoted changes such as professional specialization, activity in the model of agricultural farms operating in large areas, and a reduction in the number of employees in agriculture (Lampe et al., 2014; Kline and Moretti, 2014). Tus, places for employment and livelihood began to develop in rural areas that are not based on agriculture, but on new branches that defne the rural econo- my as a diversifed economy.