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In this paper three approaches on transitions pathways are bridged to study the role of agricultural nature conservation in a sustainability transition of the Dutch land use domain. Sustainability transitions in the way society uses land involve a vast number of actors and institutions on very different levels, from individual farmers and consumers over companies or social groups to national or supranational systems. The analysis of these complex transitions can profit from different research lenses. The three perspectives used are the Multilevel Perspective (MLP), Initiative Based Learning (IBL) and Integrated Assessment Modelling (IAM). The analysis provided insights in how the combination of different research approaches may improve the understanding of certain empirical observations related to the studied transitions. IAM provides insight in the measures needed to achieve global sustainability goals on biodiversity and climate while ensuring food supply, and MLP and IBL provide insights in how far these measures are realistic based on current developments in the agricultural and nature regime and on practices at the local level. This is important because a lot of measures and modifications ask for changes at the local level, and studying real life interactions and social relations provides insight into these mechanisms. A combined perspective caters for a deeper understanding of the underlying processes, reasons and motives as well as points towards potential future development and opportunities for intervention.

The agro-food sector is under pressure to move towards sustainability. Given the complex value chain, not only technical, but also socio-institutional changes are needed. The innovation processes aiming at a sustainable agro-food chain involve many actors, such as knowledge institutes, governments, farmers, businesses, intermediary organizations and societal organizations. Such encompassing innovation processes, concerning the whole agro-food chain, entail questions about the alignment of perspectives and about the reframing of issues, identities and processes in interaction between actors. Moreover, while sustainable development is an openended term which may circulate in discourse it will be articulated more precisely in concrete actions and interactions. Accordingly, the research question addressed in this paper is: What reframing processes are taking place within and between actors of the agro-food value chains and how can these reframing processes be understood? We will first investigate the concept of 'reframing' and relate it to current theories of framing. We suggest including 'material frame' as a third category next to 'cognitive' and 'interactional' frames. Subsequently, we will empirically investigate different types of reframing. We compare and contrast several cases of reframing that we draw from a study of a Dutch project aimed at sustainable agro-food chains. On the basis of in-depth interviews and document analysis we gain more insight into reframing, and the way they influence the outcome of innovation processes We conclude with a reflection and present insights in reframing processes, in relation to innovation processes, in which different types of reframing can be distinguished and different contextual factors influencing reframing can be found.