Governing agricultural innovation: A comprehensive framework to underpin sustainable transitions. (January 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: de Boon, Auvikki; Sandström, Camilla; Rose, David Christian
• Is Part Of: Journal of rural studies. Volume 89(2022)
• Page Start: 407
• Page End: 422
• Publication Date: 2022-01
• Subjects: Sustainable governance -- Agricultural innovation -- Sustainability -- Legitimacy -- Social justice -- Reflexivity; Sociology, Rural -- Periodicals; Country life -- Periodicals; Rural development -- Periodicals; Land use, Rural -- Planning -- Periodicals; Rural conditions -- Periodicals; Sociologie rurale -- Périodiques; Vie rurale -- Périodiques; Développement rural -- Périodiques; Sol, Utilisation agricole du -- Planification -- Périodiques; Conditions rurales -- Périodiques; Country life; Land use, Rural -- Planning; Rural conditions; Rural development; Sociology, Rural; Periodicals; 307.72
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.07.019
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0743-0167

Abstract

Abstract: Innovations have the potential to help us address and overcome many of the challenges that agriculture is facing today. Yet, at the same time, they have the potential to create new, sometimes even more challenging, problems, especially when they are not governed in a sustainable way. Governing agricultural innovation sustainably requires understanding of all components that influence, and are influenced by, innovation processes, interactions across societal levels, and the normative and power dynamics that come together to shape the direction and outcomes of innovation processes. Hitherto, approaches to (agricultural) innovation and transition tend to specialize on a specific societal scale or sub-aspect of innovation or transition processes. In this article we aim to bring the strengths of some of the main approaches (Multi-Level Perspective, Agricultural Innovation Systems, Responsible Innovation, Innovation Management, Theory of Planned Behaviour) and insights from environmental governance literature together into a comprehensive framework. The framework describes seven key components and their interactions: macro context, governance system, immediate context, innovative and adaptive capacity of the actors, psychosocial factors, and the innovation process itself. Based on these, we present a subset of guiding questions that can be used diagnostically or for design purposes to support the sustainable governance of agricultural innovation processes. Highlights: Agricultural innovation processes are inherently normative, political undertakings. Sustainable governance of agricultural innovation requires a comprehensive understanding of all components that interact during innovation processes across societal scales. Key components that need to be considered are: macro context, governance system, immediate context, innovative and adaptive capacity, psychosocial factors, and the innovation process itself.