Boosting Sustainable Innovation in Densely Populated Areas: A Milieux Innovateurs Approach

Abstract

This paper deals with innovation adoption, with the purpose of analyzing the uptake of sustainable innovations among young farms working in urban and periurban contexts. Our hypothesis is that innovative milieus (IM) play a fundamental role in boosting sustainable innovation. In order to analyze the uptake of sustainable innovation, we will make reference to the two logics of the IM approach: the logics of interactions and the logics of learning. The former is focused on the socio-institutional domain, more precisely on relational assets and coordination mechanisms activated by the farms. The latter makes reference to the profile of innovation adopted and on various impacts innovation have under economic, social and environmental points of view. A questionnaire has been submitted to young farms participating to the Oscar Green Coldiretti Awards. In total, three dimensions of innovation are taken into account: economic, social and environmental. Data are processed through statistical tools aiming at describing the diversified set of interaction-learning mechanisms. Results evidence different innovative milieus which pave the way to diversified paths of innovation with different degree of sustainability and impacts.

Technological Innovation and Agrifood Systems Resilience: The Potential and Perils of Three Different Strategies

“…Actors usually develop (instead of adopting) a non-technological innovation by changing marketing methods, altering elements of their products and/or services, or remodeling organizational methods, business practices, and relationships with other entities (Schmidt and Rammer, 2007). In the agrifood sector, nontechnological innovation is a strategy used by many actors (Fuentes and Soto, 2015), thus recently attracting the interest of researchers (e.g., Klerkx et al, 2010;Lambrecht et al, 2014;Sebok et al, 2020;Vecchio et al, 2020).…”

“…Information asymmetries, often pursued within market environments because they can give actors competitive advantages, thus helping them survive and succeed, may also hinder the scope and effectiveness of RRI (Bhaduri and Talat, 2020). Transparency, which is a requirement for reflecting upon the process and responding to emerging needs, reduces these asymmetries and, hence, is not always an easy choice to make for private actors (von Schomberg and Blok, 2018).…”

“…Equally important, albeit less discussed in the RRI literature, is the issue of power imbalance among the actors who participate in the innovation (and reflection) process. Since funders and technology producers are expected to have a louder voice, they can have a more potent influence on the innovation path than other actors (von Schomberg and Blok, 2018).…”

“…Nevertheless, in policy documents, the emphasis is on the technological innovation. That is not surprising, given that the meaning of innovation is considered today as synonymous with commercialized technological innovation that aims to help the achievement of economic growth (von Schomberg and Blok, 2018).…”

Income Diversification Strategies of Italian Peri-Urban Farms: A Structural Equation Modeling Approach

“…This literature refers to external factors affecting diversification of peri-urban farming not only by considering the physical assets available (land, water, roads, and other infrastructures) but also the presence of institutional and social networks (local institutions, NGOs, civil society organizations, consumers' groups) as important drivers that may affect farmers' behavior [3,35]. In this regard, as shown in the exploratory research by Vecchio et al [36], innovative milieus may play a fundamental role in boosting the uptake of sustainable innovations among young farms working in urban and peri-urban contexts.…”