‘Sharing the space’ in the agricultural knowledge and innovation system: multi-actor innovation partnerships with farmers and foresters in Europe

Abstract

Purpose: Networks and partnerships are commonly-used tools to foster knowledge sharing between actors and organisations in the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS), but in Europe the policy emphasis on including users, such as farmers and foresters, is relatively recent. This paper assesses user involvement in a diverse set of European Union (EU)-funded and non-EU (formal and informal) multi-actor partnerships. Design/methodology/approach: A review of 200 projects and other partnerships including farmers and foresters, drawn from an integrated database of several thousand such examples, assessed the types of innovation challenges tackled, solutions proposed, innovation supported, parameters of actor participation and the expectations of success in each example. Findings: All the reviewed policy instruments, not just those funded in the frame of the EIP-AGRI, can be used to involve users in co-innovation in agriculture, forestry and related value chains. Practical implications: The EIP-AGRI is just one part of a complex matrix of multi-actor co-innovation activities involving farmers and foresters in Europe. Interlinking of innovation programmes and more effective targeting of these programmes at groups of actors, especially users, who are currently not sufficiently engaged are worthy aspirations. Theoretical implications: Any analysis of co-innovation involving users must recognise the existence of a multiplicity (projects, nonproject activities, formal and informal) of multi-actor approaches. Originality/value: This research used a common methodology to review several forms of multi-actor partnerships involving users and other actors. Our data suggest that many of these are effective methods of supporting co-innovation and are, therefore, 'sharing the space' within the AKIS.

Farmers’ Participation in Operational Groups to Foster Innovation in the Agricultural Sector: An Italian Case Study

“…As an interactive project involves numerous goals, values, and interest from a group of actors [17], it needs an organized communication in which players know about each other's opinions, preferences, priorities, and concerns [62]. Being communicative and using an understandable language are considered crucial tools to facilitate the entire participatory innovation process [24], which requires a continual open and honest dialogue to share information, perceptions, experiences, and opinions to explore and generate new knowledge among the parties involved [63]. Written evidence witnesses that having straightforward and truthful communication is greatly valued by members of a project [64].…”

“…To analyse and understand producers' participation determinants are vital to policy makers to design attractive programs [23], to make visible that co-produced innovations have potential to respond to emerging obstacles [24], and to generate promising economic solutions in the agricultural sector [25]. Nonetheless, empirical experiences reveal that producers' integration in participatory approaches is not a simple task [26].…”

An Analytical Framework to Study Multi-Actor Partnerships Engaged in Interactive Innovation Processes in the Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development Sector

“…In this contribution, we focus on those collaborations that are multi-disciplinary and intersectoral; multi-actor co-innovation partnerships can be conceptualised as a social learning system where interactions take place in which members develop a shared practice over time via a shared repertoire of communal resources. Furthermore, the understanding of co-innovation, in line with [13] and [14] as a process in which multiple partners manage mutual knowledge flows across their organisational boundaries through joint activities while engaging actors in iterative learning processes, is congruent with activities performed by CoPs, as described by, for example, [12]. However, as CoPs are mostly defined as actors with similar characteristics (e.g., farmers), multi-actor co-innovation partnerships appear to fall in a conceptually fuzzy area between a CoP and an innovation network, which is more often understood as multi-disciplinary and intersectoral cooperation.…”

“…The ability of a farmer to adapt to changing conditions and maintain their agricultural activities, that is, their resilience, is not clearly related to farm type but rather depends on the creativity, mental agility, diversity of skills, and the ability of the farmer to repurpose or reallocate resources, explore possibilities, and keep options open [2]. This demonstrates a connection between resilience and the ability to innovate, such as by finding ways to enhance efficiency by improving nutrient Sustainability 2021, 13, 6428 2 of 19 and carbon cycling [3] or by diversifying farm activities and creating multiple income streams [4]. Farmers who wish to innovate face an array of challenges because they need to implement something that is, by definition, new to them, and for which they may not have the adequate knowledge or skills, while remaining within the technical, agronomic, and socio-economic boundaries [5].…”

“…Although multi-actor co-innovation partnerships are reasonably common in Europe, with more than 1300 identified by [13,15], there is insufficient understanding of how they work and, above all, how they might be supported in their efforts to enhance the development and implementation of innovation (or innovative practices). This suggests the value of a comparative analysis to identify the factors that enable or hinder their success.…”