In this article we develop a conceptualisation of retro‐innovation, simply defined as the purposeful revival of historic practices, ideas and/or technologies, and apply this conceptualisation to the analysis of the development of the organic farming movement in the Czech Republic. Within the agricultural sector, we argue that retro‐innovation represents a critical practice, undertaken to counter modernisation trends. Retro‐innovation processes are thus often embedded within social movements. We identify four key mechanisms of retro‐innovation: reflexivity, reminiscence, revival, integration and learning. Drawing on 25 key informant interviews, we demonstrate how the growing critique of socialist collective farms in the 1980s coalesced with new policy supports in the 1990s to enable re‐learning and revival of traditional farming practices, situating organic farming approaches as the revitalisation of positive historical practices. However, as the Czech case demonstrates, the numerous options for and social memories of past innovations can lead to fragmentation of efforts and products.

The shift toward post-productivist agricultural production in developed countries in recent decades has brought a growing focus on local sustainability and quality food production. This trend has been reflected in the development of a variety of alternative food networks and short food supply chain initiatives. In Czechia, the local and good-quality movement has been significantly represented by the boom in farmers' markets during the past 2 years. The aim of this paper is to examine the actual potential of the Czech agricultural sector to supply the recently developed network of farmers' markets. Even though these markets are generally considered to offer farmers better revenues than selling their products to big processors and retail companies, many Czech farmers' market managers face a lack of potential vendors for their markets. Therefore, we ask if there are producers and self-processors of goods typically sold on farmers' markets of the appropriate size and legal form in suitable locations in relation to the areas of the biggest demand. The quantitative approach applied was based on the national statistical data on the agricultural sector. It was used to develop a set of indicators which have been displayed in maps and further examined. The results show a high theoretical potential of the Czech agricultural sector to supply farmers' markets because there are relatively many small farmers producing products sellable on farmers' markets. In the Czech context, where the tradition of running independent businesses was interrupted by the country's communist past, the lack of experience with private entrepreneurship and marketing among farmers seems to be the main obstacle to broader involvement of farmers on farmers' markets.

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