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 purpose of this study is to explain how trust in organic food is created, with regard to the subjective perspectives of consumers and the ways in which they trust in the quality of organic food. Empirical study includes qualitative analysis focused on how consumers build trust in organic food and its quality. The findings of the study challenge the assumption that organic certification can successfully operate only if consumers have an adequate amount of information about what they are buying. The article shows that consumers possess strategies that enable them to find sufficient and satisfying solutions, also in those situations in which they objectively lack the necessary knowledge. Trust plays a key role in this situation, which is based on faith.

The paper outlines the backgrounds related to the necessity of searching for the new methods of assessing preliminary impacts of the rural development programmes. That is why the content analysis is tested in this paper for its possibilities to observe the preliminary impacts of one of the rural development tools – the Community initiative LEADER+ in the Czech Republic. The research pointed out that content analysis might be an appropriate method to define some impacts (and also the efficiency) of the LEADER+ approach. The results demonstrated that the transparency and public accountability of some local action groups (LAG) activities are not always on a high level. Also the differences among the LAGs are shown as for their ability to learn the principles of the LEADER+. The method also enabled to estimate how the LEADER+ contributes to eliminate the social exclusion in the countryside. It also pointed out a lower representation of farming oriented projects in the LEADER+ approach. The content analysis reflected the transfer of the best practices among the territories and also the possible knowledge of the public about the LEADER+ approach and about the projects implemented in this initiative.

Local Action Groups (LAG) as actors in the EU rural development policy refl ect the endogenous paradigm. Th ey utilize the cooperation of their members and social networks to achieve the goals defi ned in their strategies developed upon the EU regulations on rural development. Th e paper demonstrates how the printed Czech media refl ect the activities of LAGs. Such research gives a background to answer the question if the references to LAGs in the Czech Republic highlight the paradigmatic shift from the material factors towards the endogenous or hybrid resources embedded in using the intangible factors for development. Th e research consists in the quantitative content analysis of 498 articles about Czech local action groups. Th e analysis indicates that paradigmatic shift is only at the beginning. LAGs activities are still reported to be embedded in using the material factors (exogenous approach) instead of reporting and accounting the endogenous resources composed of both material and non-material factors of rural development.

Currently, there is an alarming increase in food insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic in many countries throughout the world. This will be seen particularly in the countries of the Global South (developing countries). Many countries are trying to show efforts to keep agriculture, food industry and markets running, the supply chains and access to the markets and affordable food is still not secured. Disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic are going to/or already have affected the poor and other marginalised groups, mainly those with less purchasing power. It is necessary to mitigate the pandemic's impacts across the food system, enhance the resilience of food systems and avoid any potential food shortages. Therefore, this paper provides an overview of past pandemics and tries to synthesise the main lessons learned from these while also outlining visions of post-COVID-19 agriculture and the effects on food security.