GREEN INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT:

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1 GREEN INNOVATION IN AGRICULTURE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT: TOWARDS MORE EFFECTIVE POLICY-PRACTICE-RESEARCH LINKAGES Karlheinz Knickel, Frankfurt/Main

2 Overview Green innovation Innovation processes Understanding the demand Co-development Innovation Platforms The role of policy institutional frameworks

3 Green innovation Knowledge-based bio-economy Successful low carbon economy Resource efficiency Resilience of social-ecological systems in ecology: capacity of an ecosystem to respond to disturbance, resist damage, recover quickly environmental management which aims to build ecological resilience through analysis, adaptive resource management, and adaptive governance, e.g. control of water pollution Territorial development rural futures/amenities well-being, e.g. Regionalparks

4 Changes in strategic orientations From a sole production orientation towards multifunctional and sustainable pathways towards resilience Adapting, using new opportunities From governing /government governance Changes in strategic orientations need to realign agricultural and societal goals New (business) opportunities! e.g. renewables

5 Coexistence of different paradigms production volumes, global markets, mass consumption economies of scale specialisation high response to external inputs; yields productivity of labour and/or land; profitability food chains distinctiveness, quality, regional markets economies of scope diversification, multifunctionality, construction of synergies sustainable systems, efficiency of natural resoure use value added food networks

6 Innovation processes From systemic approaches to linear models and back again! Innovation as a (joint) learning process Systems and networks Different understanding of the role of researchers and innovation agents NL Mathieu Wagemans, InnovationNetwork: sustainable regional agricultural system Jan Rotmans: Transition Management

7 The problem of the linear model in AGR DEV Specificities of agriculture Diversity and, in large parts of the world, small farm sizes Supplier dominated and highly regulated sector Modernisation paradigm predominating in AKIS Green revolution as a top-down change of the technological regime Replacement of local knowledge with external / formalized knowledge Limited resilience of modern agricultural systems?

8 Linear vs. evolutionary approach Important questions Who is involved in the definition of 'the problem'? Nature of links between research, training, extension & practice Balance between public/private & central/decentralised structures Are diverse forms of innovation recognized? Is there trust in the socio-technical system?

9 Understanding the demand Why precisely is something not happening (yet)? e.g. Cost abatement curves related to low carbon Incentives, barriers/limiting factors, Markets Information: tension between agriculture and nature. the step towards an overall integrated approach is difficult addressing the symptoms instead of the real causes Investments

10 Co-development Multidimensionality of challenges Technological Organizational social capital Environmental Collaboration from the linear model to: Networks Innovation Platforms. Adaptive capacity!

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12 Practitioners need quality service Different from classical academic activity Collaborative facilitating, joint learning Realistic assessment of own competences Today's challenges are different from classical agricultural economics questions Societal demands.. policy needs

13 In a systemic perspective human, social and educational components are essential to innovations; not only technological focus drivers of innovation are important; motivations conflicts and negotiation phases are essential for innovation processes, for people to find consensus

14 The role of policy Institutional frameworks: There are currently two dominant forms of control in agriculture: market forces and government regulation (Wagemans) Markets: The dominance of the economic sub-system constantly forces government to take measures to protect valuable but vulnerable ecological and socio-cultural assets under pressure from economic forces. (Wagemans) The challenge is to design an internally balanced system that promotes sustainability (Wagemans) Innovation in institutions From regulation and control to collaborative approaches, e.g. related to water pollution

15 Key questions at policy-research interface How to operationalise natural capital and ecosystem services concepts? How to incorporate both in policy development and programming? How to move from overarching policy goals to strategies and measures? Green innovation at a territorial level Green innovation at a business level How to integrate environmental/sd goals in sector policies? Policy evaluation How effective are particular policies/instruments?. involvement of stakeholders. joint learning

16 CAP 2013 European Innovation Partnership (EIP) for agricultural productivity and sustainability COM: Without targeted action, EU agriculture would have difficulties in avoiding further deterioration of natural resources, decreasing productive capacities, and the loss of ecosystem services Scientists need to know better what the farmers want and farmers to know better what science does

17 Innovation Partnerships at sector, local and business level aim at overcoming perceived bottlenecks in transition processes Better information flows Better links between different actors farmers, advisers, enterprises, researchers Joint learning, exchange of experiences,

18 To sum up Green innovation is a rather wide field, going far beyond technological change is very meaningful and will remain important in the coming decades it is becoming mainstream is very relevant for agriculture and RD is multi-level, multi-actor, multi-dimensional often requires transdisciplinary approaches changes the role of researchers Many possibilities for research cooperation!