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Digital technologies promise to transform agri-food systems such that they contribute to a more inclusive, economically, and/or environmentally sustainable future. However, without careful attention to the approaches for their introduction, development, and rollout, they are likely to fail to address key aspects of inclusion. Contemporary inclusive innovation mechanisms focus on the involvement of farmers in the innovation processes, but do not elucidate how to operationalize a deeper inclusivity that takes account of the nature of engagement with the farmers and dynamics of the relationships required for successful outcomes. This article analyzes the concept of inclusivity and its operationalization using the case of the Kenya Agricultural Livestock and Research Organization (KALRO). We develop lines of inquiry on how inclusivity can be defined, sought and operationalized in digital agri-food systems. Based on a case study approach, we interviewed 36 stakeholders in the KALRO digital transformation initiative reflecting on literature discussions from secondary data. Primary and secondary data were synthesized to develop lines of inquiry that enabled a deeper exploration of inclusivity. KALRO's rollout and scale-up of digital agriculture technologies for farmers hinges on three evaluative criteria – usability, accessibility, and relevance – which are associated with aspirations for inclusive innovation. Despite these efforts, some technologies they developed included some farmers and excluded others. For the included, inclusion was limited to the accessibility of certain types of information while desired forms of information lacked sufficient mechanisms for access or were not made available. The practice of promoting access, usability and relevance of the technologies while has supported innovation for and with the farmers, there are still challenges in innovating with the farmer. The lines of inquiry "inclusive innovation with" and "inclusive innovation for" introduced in this paper not only help stakeholders gain a deeper, more nuanced and holistic understanding of inclusive innovation, they also reveal the complexity of inclusivity and its operationalization in agri-food systems that are digitalizing. This paper analyzes inclusivity from a practice perspective highlighting areas where the theoretical perspective and empirical observations diverge. The paper makes the case for meaningful changes in how inclusivity is approached, considering the practical needs and preferences of those directly impacted by innovation and the potential of operationalizing 'inclusive innovation with ' as a deeper and more effective approach to inclusive innovation. [Display omitted] • Operationalizing deeper inclusivity in digital technologies can transform agri-food systems. • Using a case study, we develop lines of inquiry for understanding how inclusivity can be understood and sought. • The study reveals the complexity of inclusivity and its operationalization. • Pursuing an approach that focusses on 'innovation for' the farmer has limitations in enhancing inclusivity. • The study identifies benefits of distinguishing and pursuing 'inclusive innovation with' beneficiaries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper discusses how the theory of affordances can be used to investigate how a spectrum of opportunities, benefits, costs and risks is generated and unevenly distributed by different kinds of technology (where 'technology' is understood as techniques, processes and practices of doing and making, rather than technical artefacts and systems). Affordances are possibilities for action, which arise from relations between humans and entities that surround them. This paper discusses three kinds of affordances: material, cultural and socio-economic. The theory of affordances offers a coherent way to explain why different technologies have different implications, and why those implications vary for different stakeholders. Applied to the domain of development-oriented agricultural research and innovation, the theory of affordances could be used by researchers and practitioners to examine the differentiated implications of different kinds of farming technology and alternative programmes of technological change in agriculture, both ex ante (e.g. in their design, development and implementation) and ex post (e.g. in their evaluation). To illustrate the argument, the paper uses the example of weeding in the System of Rice Intensification. Since affordances in theory are generated relationally and situationally for each person, the full array of implications arising from the introduction of new technology could be wide and diverse. A practical challenge, therefore, is whether and how the theory of affordances can be used practically and operationally to design, implement and evaluate the appropriateness, accessibility, utility and value of agricultural technology and technological change for specific people and groups of interest. • The theory of affordances is applied to agricultural technology and innovation. • Affordances are perceived action possibilities, which arise relationally. • Affordances can be studied through material, cultural and socio-economic lenses. • The theory of affordances could be applied to development interventions ex ante and ex post. • Weeding in the System of Rice Intensification is used to illustrate the argument. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Global food systems are confronted with multifaceted challenges, including climate change, malnutrition, and biodiversity loss, disproportionately affecting the livelihoods of millions, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Recognizing its potential to address these challenges, innovation is increasingly central in public sector organizations. However, despite growing emphasis, the adoption of innovation portfolio management approaches remains limited. Drawing on a case study of CGIAR, a global research partnership dedicated to agricultural challenges, this paper seeks to accomplish two objectives. The primary objective is to produce a set of best practices in innovation portfolio management that can benefit public sector organizations. The secondary objective is to demonstrate how this offers an important precursor to guide organizational decision-making and investment towards responsible food system transformation. An in-depth analysis of CGIAR's approach to innovation portfolio management is based on qualitative and quantitative data from sources such as interviews, observations, documents, and archival records. The study adopts a descriptive case study approach, utilizing an analytical framework that recognizes the importance of methods, mindsets, and mechanisms in describing and analyzing the CGIAR case. Key lessons encompass the need for a holistic perspective on innovation portfolio management. The paper advocates for the integration of an innovation portfolio management approach within broader (1) organizational processes, including human resources, finance, legal frameworks, and risk management; and (2) innovation systems where food system transformation is the outcome of interactions and partnerships between government, public and private sector organizations. This study furnishes actionable guidance to public organizations seeking to harness innovation portfolio management for responsible and impactful food system transformation. [Display omitted] • Innovation portfolio management is underutilized in the public research and development sector. • CGIAR is mainstreaming an innovation portfolio management approach based on Scaling Readiness principles. • The objective is to enhance CGIAR's effectiveness and performance in achieving its 2030 research and innovation strategy. • Innovation portfolio management necessitates a holistic approach with investment in methods, mindsets, and mechanisms. • Integrating this approach into decision-making and program cycles serves as a significant incentive for its adoption and success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking Yantai Cherry as an example, this paper studies the influencing factors of customer satisfaction in online shopping of characteristic agricultural products, and analyzes five influencing factors: pre-purchase expectation, product quality, brand image, e-commerce platform and logistics distribution, and designs a scale, puts forward assumptions and verifies them. The results show that pre-purchase expectation has no significant negative influence on customer satisfaction, product quality, brand image, e-commerce platform and logistics distribution have significant positive effects on customer satisfaction. Finally, based on the research conclusions, this paper puts forward some countermeasures and suggestions on improving customer satisfaction of characteristic agricultural products e-commerce from four aspects, which is of certain significance for increasing sales of specialty agricultural products and promoting the development of agricultural e-commerce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Governments around the world are seeking to achieve socially just transitions to environmentally sustainable modes of agricultural production. Policy makers have increasingly sought to engage an array of societal actors in the collaborative design and implementation of associated policies, which we refer to as Agri-Environmental Policy (AEP) initiatives. Yet, the existing literature includes little context specific exploration of the motivations of those who engage with such initiatives. This paper addresses this gap by exploring the motivations of a small group of actors who established and coordinated a collaborative group to apply to one AEP initiative in Ireland – the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI). This group included three farmers, an agri-environmental policy advocate, and a research scientist. Drawing on assemblage literature, we illustrate how each of these actors' motivations emerged 1) based on the specific relationships in which they operated and 2) based on their imagining of potential future scenarios, which they sought to actualise through EIP-AGRI. This paper thus provides a qualitative account of how motivations emerge as different actors creatively navigate complex sets of relationships. We illustrate the utility of an assemblage approach to explore such motivations in ways that account for specific contexts and the capacity of each actor to engage with possible futures. We conclude that the capacity of collaborative approaches to AEP to appeal to actors from different backgrounds relies heavily on such actors' ability to envisage and anticipate new possibilities. This line of exploration helps us to better understand the extent to which collaborative AEP may align the multiple goals associated with transitioning to environmentally sustainable and socially just food production systems. • Agri-Environmental Policy (AEP) initiatives increasingly promote collaboration. • More case-study research is needed on actor motivation to engage with AEP. • Motivations emerge as actors navigate relationships and envisage new possibilities. • Assemblage provides a useful framework for analysing this process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The establishment of effective national agricultural knowledge and innovation systems (AKIS) became a European policy imperative in the 2010s, lodged in a political ideology which emphasised the importance of innovation to economic growth. We argue that the recent deployment of the AKIS concept in EU policy presents important opportunities for the agricultural sector and associated academic research but has significant weaknesses in terms of the scale of analysis (over emphasis on national levels) and disconnection from academic thinking on innovation processes. In this paper we progress the AKIS approach by utilising assemblage theory. We argue that assemblage concepts – in line with other 'more-than-human' approaches - offer mechanisms for recognising and integrating the role of non-human actants in innovation processes. Inclusion of these actants highlight the co-constructed nature of farm knowledge and associated transition processes. Assemblage concepts of historicity and rupture demonstrate how the path dependencies of farming are embedded in the material conditions of production, and the learning processes which occur when path dependencies are interrupted. We illustrate these contentions with empirical case studies of the 'microAKIS' – self-assembled farmer knowledge networks and associated processes - characterising four innovations across Europe: the introduction of a new commodity (avocado) in Greece, mainstreaming of robotic milking in Norway, retro-innovation of direct marketing in Latvia, and outsourcing of (dehumanised) farm labour in France. • MicroAKIS are the processes and sources of knowledge brought together by farmers. • Assemblage theory integrates new kinds of actors and the knowledge they produce. • Assemblage theory emphasises the materialities of innovation processes. • Learning processes territorialise farm assemblages. • Contemporary AKIS policies focus too heavily on traditional AKIS actors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Controlled release technology of chemical fertilizers is an important cornerstone for the efficient development of sustainable agriculture. Damage to the coating layer and fragmentation of particles during the application of controlled release fertilizers can lead to the loss of their controlled release properties, making the development of effective damage reduction operations a key focus in the study of such agricultural materials. Therefore, this paper employs the bonded particle model (BPM) method within the discrete element method (DEM) framework to investigate the mechanism of coating damage in controlled-release fertilizers. It establishes a classification of damage types based on the level of damaged particles as an effective analytical approach. Furthermore, a comparative analysis is conducted between the discrete element particle model (DEPM) method and the bonded particle model method in terms of their performance in discharge mechanics and flow characteristics. The results indicate that the breakage rate of fertilizer discharge is influenced by both the formation of a steady state and the depletion of the fertilizer load within the container, with an average breakage rate of 1.511% over the total period. Differences in the average maximum compression force and mass flow rate between the discrete element particle model group and the bonded particle model group were 60.355 N and 1.998 g/s, respectively, reflecting limitations imposed by the fertilizer models on expected damage deformation behaviors. This study elucidates the process and potential impacts of fertilizer particle damage and deformation, revealing the strengths and limitations of two simulation model approaches under different application conditions, providing insights for sustainable agricultural production and technological innovation in fertilization equipment. [Display omitted] • Construct of model using the reciprocating piston mechanical stacking method. • Breakage rate is affected by stable state formation and fertilizer consumption. • Particle quantity gradation forms the criterion for categorizing types of damage. • Damage types reflect overall trends, predominantly partial and missing types. • The presentation of damage deformations is constrained by the fertilizer model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural innovations are inclusive when they are used by any member of society who wants to use them. Conversely, agricultural innovations that can only be used by a specific privileged group within society can be characterized as "exclusive". The first objective of this paper is to examine the inclusivity of agricultural innovations in Ethiopia, using national representative data and considering a wide portfolio of innovations resulting from the collaborative research between CGIAR and its national partners. Second, we also examine how measurement error may affect how we characterize the inclusivity of agricultural innovations. We use nationally-representative survey data from Ethiopia (collected in 2018/19) in which best-practice measures of the adoption of a large number of agricultural innovations were embedded, including the adoption of CGIAR-related improved maize varieties measured using two different approaches: subjective, self-reported survey data; and objective DNA fingerprinting of crop samples taken from the same farmers' plots. A rich set of household variables is also collected in the survey, which allows characterizing the types of farmers that are adopting different innovations, and the extent to which conclusions regarding the inclusivity of innovations depends on the measurement of the latter. Many innovations are not disproportionately more likely to be adopted by male, larger, richer, or more connected farmers. When using self-reported data on adoption of improved maize varieties, adoption appears positively correlated with having larger landholdings and households with lower female participation in agriculture, and negatively correlated with poorer households (being among the bottom 40% of consumption distribution). Substituting survey responses with the results of DNA fingerprinting these correlations disappear, with farm size, gender and poverty status no longer predictive of adoption. The results suggest the potential value of offering a menu of innovations to farmers to increase inclusivity, as it allows each farmer to be a critical consumer of potential innovations and select those that best correspond to their own needs and constraints. We also highlight how important data quality is in ensuring we have correct information about inclusive innovation. [Display omitted] • Nationally representative data on adoption of agricultural innovations for Ethiopia. • Examines importance of representative samples and valid measurement in shaping understanding of inclusive innovation. • Patterns of inclusiveness are innovation-specific and can be subject to measurement error. • Objective measures (e.g. DNA fingerprinting for crop variety adoption) can provided unbiased picture of inclusive innovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite accelerated developments in agricultural innovations, there has been a limited progress in their adoption by smallholder farmers, especially in the Global South. Innovations are not adequately reaching farmers, and new technologies are often unsuitable for farmers, or the overall innovation landscape is discouraging the deployment of innovations at scale. The methodological approaches to designing, testing and scaling of innovations play an important role. Involving farmers in the innovation process from the start increases the likelihood of them being more relevant and having a higher chance of adoption. Whereas there is much literature on participatory approaches, there is a limited guidance on choosing an appropriate level of farmer participation across the innovation process. This study aims to develop practical guidance for researchers, development agents and project managers on how to choose an appropriate methodological approach with a suitable level of farmer participation for designing, testing and scaling of agricultural innovations, according to levels of innovation readiness and innovation use. Relevant scientific literature on participatory design, research and scaling of agricultural innovations was reviewed, followed by compiling lessons learned from selected vegetable innovation projects implemented by the World Vegetable Center (WorldVeg) in Asia and Africa. A list of methodological approaches for participatory design, testing and scaling of innovations was generated, with various levels of farmer participation. A simple guiding framework was then developed for choosing an appropriate approach with a suitable level of farmer participation, according to the readiness and use of the innovations. Examples of selected approaches and application of the proposed guidance are given in project case studies. Based on the literature review and experience at WorldVeg, we believe it is critical to choose the right level of participation based on how ready are the innovations for application in the local setting. This dimension of how ready the innovations are has been largely overlooked in earlier frameworks on farmer participation. The developed guidance generally recommends increasing participation with higher levels of technology readiness and use. In addition, farmer consultation in early research design should also be strengthened, to co-design locally relevant innovations. The overall innovation systems' landscape must be considered when researching and scaling new innovations. The guidance, experiences and lessons provided in this paper will be useful to various scholars, researchers, development agents, funders and project managers who aim to design, test and scale agricultural innovations in a more inclusive and responsible way. [Display omitted] • Despite rapid developments in agricultural innovations, there has been limited adoption by smallholder farmers. • There is limited guidance on choosing an appropriate level of farmer participation in the innovation processes. • A list of participatory approaches for design, testing and scaling of innovations was created. • A guidance for choosing a suitable level of participation based on 'innovation readiness and use' was developed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Institutional change strategies that prioritize transparency, fairness, and respect will advance inclusive agri-food systems innovation. This short communication posits that institutional change strategies are a linchpin, necessary for International Agricultural Research Centers to implement models promoting inclusive agri-food systems innovation. Models promoting inclusive innovation are pivotal for generating and advancing research for development actions tailored to specific contexts. Context-specific approaches demonstrate superior adaptability compared to universal actions. They contribute to the effectiveness of agriculture research for development, particularly in times of increasing volatility and inadequate progress toward global sustainability and equity goals. Targeted institutional change strategies foster three sister strategies that bolster inclusive innovation: navigating trade-offs; enhancing partnerships; and diversifying measurement. The paper stems from consultations within the Independent Science for Development Council (ISDC) and ISDC's related advising to CGIAR. Institutional change is the linchpin among four strategies identified by ISDC for driving inclusive agri-food systems innovation in Agriculture Research for Development. [Display omitted] • Context specific actions are needed to address gaps in progress toward global sustainability and equity goals. • Inclusive agri-food system innovation models generate and promote context-specific actions. • Strategies exist to advance inclusive agri-food system innovation models in agricultural research for development (AR4D). • Institutional change strategies are a cornerstone for inclusive and effective AR4D. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current research emphasises that agricultural innovation projects are influenced in multiple ways by the Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) in which they operate. Yet little attention has been paid to the reverse direction of this relationship, i.e. how agricultural innovation projects affect AIS in the course of their innovative activities. Accordingly, there are currently no tools to measure such AIS spillovers from agricultural innovation projects. This paper shows that even where agricultural innovation projects have not been designed with the explicit aim of influencing AIS they can have spillovers on the AIS in which they operate. Based on this finding, it argues that designing agricultural innovation projects in a way that maximises such positive and reduces negative AIS spillovers would be a useful tool for strengthening agricultural innovation capacities in a particular territory or sector. Based on the concept of agricultural innovation projects as Organisational Innovation Systems (OIS) that are embedded in AIS, the paper develops an analytical framework for assessing spillovers of such projects on AIS and applies it to a case study of an Operational Group in the German Federal State of Hessen. The case study shows that agricultural innovation projects may yield diverse spillovers on the AIS in which they operate. In addition to considering how agricultural innovation projects are shaped – constrained and/or enabled – by AIS, the research community on agricultural innovation should pay more attention to this side of the interrelation of AIS and agricultural innovation projects. Designing agricultural innovation projects responsibly so that spillovers on AIS are monitored can help to improve national or sectoral AIS. This paper points to an underexplored issue in research on agricultural innovation and, related to this, a thus far unused potential policy tool for improving national and sectoral AIS. It further develops the concept of innovation projects as OIS into an approach for assessing the effects of projects on AIS; an area of project assessment that until now has not been adequately covered. [Display omitted] • Agricultural innovation projects may have spillover effects on the Agricultural Innovation Systems (AIS) they operate in. • We develop a heuristic framework for assessing such AIS spillovers and apply it to a case study of an innovation project. • We find that the project yielded several effects on the AIS as spillovers from its innovative activities. • These effects included actors' knowledge gains in project administration and a strengthened local culture of cooperation. • This suggests that a spillover-sensitive design of agricultural innovation projects can be a tool for strengthening AIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a critical examination of smart farming. I follow other critical analyses in recognizing the centrality of innovation processes in generating smart farming products, services, arrangements, and problematic outcomes. I subsequently use insights from critical human geography scholarship on the significance of understanding topological transformations to move beyond interpretations that identify only a narrow range of smart farming problems, such as a lack of coordination or limited uptake by farmers. Instead, I examine a broader set of challenges produced by smart farming developments. The overriding concern, I argue, is that smart farming unfolds via the production of numerous 'misconfigured innovations.' Using insights from literature on responsible research and innovation I then probe the stakes of looking beyond the misconfigured innovations of smart farming and discuss how new technologies might come to play a role in producing emancipatory smart farming. I pay attention to research on the 'internet of people,' which paints a stark new picture of social life generally, and in particular how rural life might be computed and calculated according to new conceptualizations of sociality and spatiality. • Smart farming developments amplify the relationship between agriculture and the planetary cognitive ecology. • Extant smart farming developments yield 'misconfigured innovations'. • 'Emancipatory smart farming' is needed to move beyond 'Responsible Research and Innovation' frameworks. • 'Internet of people' technologies look set to play an unpredictable role in the creation of emancipatory smart farming. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate services are integral to climate change adaptation in agriculture. Inclusive innovation prioritises inclusion of marginalised actors, grassroots knowledge and accessibility of use. Yet many innovation processes are multi-stakeholder, complex and may not prioritise inclusion from the outset. In these circumstances, researchers and designers may seek to influence existing projects towards greater inclusivity. This paper explores efforts to increase the inclusivity of existing innovation processes, focusing on the design of My Climate View, an online Australian climate services platform for agriculture. Findings relate to contemporary issues in inclusive innovation literature, including: (1) Who should be included in innovation processes (within given resourcing)?; (2) How requirements for inclusion or exclusion can emerge through the design and use of a technology; and (3) The influence of program level structures upon inclusivity and design. Our approach is informed by Responsible Innovation and Inclusive Innovation theory and enacted through user-centred design. Findings are synthesised from analysis of 60 semi-structured interviews with farmers, advisors and extension officers. We additionally draw on observations as researchers in the multi-actor My Climate View development team, where extensive engagement separate to research activities has included agricultural and Indigenous stakeholders. Engaging with a broad sample of potential target users enabled diverse and sometimes unexpected use cases. Customisation of interface parameters allowed the incorporation of tacit knowledge and positively affected the inclusivity of My Climate View, extending the value of the platform to growers of niche commodities outside of the original scope. Inclusivity in innovation can be impacted by diverse factors, including design team decisions, structural factors, budget and external factors. Requirements for inclusion and exclusion can emerge and evolve throughout a design process, supporting Responsible Innovation's framing of inclusivity alongside principles of reflexivity and responsiveness. The findings enrich the evidence base for climate services and broader agricultural technology development processes by providing insights for those seeking greater impact by practicing inclusivity in innovation. We provide four implications for increasing inclusivity in the design of climate services: (1) Maximising customisation and avoiding prescriptive interpretation enables greater flexibility of use; (2) Sampling broadly within target users to uncover unanticipated values and opportunities for inclusion and exclusion; (3) It is important to embed efforts towards inclusion alongside processes of reflexivity; and (4) Responsible and inclusive approaches to climate services design are valuable even if brought in once development has commenced. [Display omitted] • Explores the challenges of steering a largescale climate services innovation project towards greater inclusivity. • Maximising customisation options for users and avoiding prescriptive interpretation enables greater flexibility of use. • Responsible and inclusive approaches to climate services design are valuable even if adopted once development has commenced. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a study focused on the analysis of phytosanitary treatment sales in the Souss Massa region of Morocco. The objective of the study is to predict the sales of agricultural products, particularly crop protection solutions, aiming to optimize supply chain operations and meet customer demand effectively. Data for this study are collected from multiple sources, including the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system called Microsoft Dynamics AXAPTA used by a leading agricultural company operating in the region. Information such as the date of sale, farming type, climate, and specific sales locations within the Sous Massa region is gathered. Machine learning techniques are applied for forecasting. Various regression models, including the Gradient Boosting Regressor algorithm, are employed to determine the most accurate predictor. Evaluation of the models reveals promising results, with a Mean Absolute Error (MAE) of 0.0035 and a Root Mean Square Error (RMSE) of 0.0066. The results obtained by applying various regression models, including the Gradient Boosting Regressor algorithm, demonstrate promising prediction scores. These findings contribute to the field of sales prediction in the agricultural industry while considering the impact of climate conditions, farming practices, and regional factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A key strategy in progressing towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is scaling innovations to improve livelihoods of marginalized populations globally. Consequently, there has been a heightened emphasis on Agriculture Research for Development (AR4D) innovation teams' ability to swiftly identify innovations that can be scaled for broad impact. However, insufficient attention has been paid to the equitable distribution of benefits among different demographic groups, leading to documented unintended consequences affecting some of the most marginalized communities. To effectively contribute to the SDGs and avoid harm to specific groups, AR4D innovation teams must conscientiously consider various dimensions of diversity, including gender and other relevant factors. Our objective is to introduce GenderUp, a new conversational method for responsible scaling, oriented to making scaling initiatives more inclusive and anticipatory of socially differentiated trade-offs. This new AR4D scaling tool seeks to ensure that scaling efforts not only contribute effectively to the SDGs but also consider and mitigate unintended consequences for marginalized communities. This paper describes a new socially responsible scaling tool. Starting with a defined innovation, GenderUp helps: i) identify relevant diversity and intersectionality among intended innovation users; and ii) re-direct scaling strategies to better anticipate and mitigate unintended consequences for specific social groups. Through a series of five stages, a GenderUp facilitator guides teams through discussions, learning activities, and practical integration to develop a socially responsible scaling strategy. We provide details about each stage and reflect on the results of two early pilot experiences. There is a need for increased recognition of the distribution of innovation benefits based on dimensions of diversity. GenderUp is proposed as a new method to systematically address social differentiation in the scaling of AR4D innovation. GenderUp supported two different innovation and scaling teams to rethink their scaling strategies. Both innovation teams identified at-risk intersectional profiles and made adjustments to their scaling strategies to ensure these groups were not harmed by the innovation or scaling activities. These promising examples suggest that GenderUp provides a simple ex-ante analysis that can reduce unintended consequences more broadly within AR4D. Although gender and social equity are prioritized globally there are very few experts, tools, and systems in place to achieve these cross-cutting goals. While GenderUp only addresses innovation at the scaling stage, it is a step towards systemizing responding to social differentiation within AR4D to at least do no harm, and at best improve social outcomes. [Display omitted] • Research for Development actors increasingly rely on achieving Sustainable Development Golas through scaling innovation. • Gender and social equity are global priorities, but tools for addressing social differentiation in scaling are lacking. • Based on Responsible Research and Gender studies, GenderUp is a method for more equitable agricultural innovation scaling. • GenderUp guides innovation teams through five stages emphasizing conversations, learning, reflexivity, and integration. • GenderUp fosters a socially responsible scaling strategy, helping to advance gender-positive and socially equitable outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The "Living Lab" (LL) model of innovation practices is increasingly applied and strongly supported by innovation policies in the agricultural sector. But while the main principles of LLs imply specific approaches to collectively implementing open innovation processes, few studies have developed an understanding of the different ways of doing so, in relation to the experimental practices on which they rely. While the specificities of agricultural LLs are beginning to be described, little is known about how they more particularly reconfigure experimentation in agricultural innovation systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the diversity of experimentation practices in agricultural LLs. It looks at how these practices correspond to different contextualized appropriations of an open innovation model, as translated into key principles for LL implementation. First, we produced an analytical framework that combines the principles of the LL model as described in the LL literature with generic dimensions of experimentation as analyzed in Science and Technology Studies. Second, we used this framework to analyze the diversity of experimentation practices in eighteen cases of LLs in the agricultural and food sectors. Cases were analyzed via two approaches: 1- three small and recent ongoing LLs located in France were studied during a one-year immersive observation; and 2- a collection of 15 other cases (identified in scientific and technical literature, each case corresponding to experiments that are forms of appropriation of the LL model of innovation, sometimes in several similar LLs) were analyzed, mostly based on scientific papers (describing the LLs or their outcomes), technical documents and available information such as videos online, with additional visits and discussions with LL actors for a subset of cases. Our results enable us to characterize three ideal-types of experimentation practices within agricultural LLs: 1- experimentation as a game of creativity in a predefined space; 2- experimentation as a progressive contextual adaptation for innovation adoption; and 3- experimentation as a catalyst for long-term local collective action. Each ideal-type corresponds to a particular combination of ways of (i) controlling what happens within the experimentation space, (ii) defining a perimeter for experimentation, (iii) integrating plural knowledge in problematization, and (iv) integrating various actors' evaluations of experiments. Beyond a clear distinction among ideal-types, appropriations of the LL model reveal different ways of anchoring the experimental process in an explicit temporality and situation, and of considering the construction of the LL itself as experimental and open-ended. Our analytical framework opens a new way to distinguish between various experimentation practices claiming to develop open innovation processes in agriculture. The three ideal-types that we have identified show the need to pay attention to the relation between collective experimentation practices and the LL expected outcomes. [Display omitted] • Many Living Labs are developed as new models of and for innovation processes in the agricultural sector, and transform experimentation practices. • A new analytical framework of experimentation practices within agricultural Living Labs is developed and applied. • Three widely different ideal types of experimentation practices within agricultural Living Labs are identified and described. • These ideal types promote reflexivity on the processes and outcomes targeted by actors implementing agricultural Living Labs. • Our analysis offers an understanding of how products and outcomes of innovation processes relate to experimentation practices. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is still an open question how to assess the contribution of digitalisation in agriculture to the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals, and how digitalisation then can be done in a responsible way. A socio-cyber-physical system (SCPS) concept can help this analysis, but little experience exists with its operationalisation and application, and its integration with the Responsible Research and Innovation approach. To address this gap, this paper has a twofold purpose: a) operationalise the SCPS concept within an integrated assessment framework adaptable to multiple levels of analysis, contexts, and purposes (e.g. ex-ante, ongoing, ex post evaluation) to shed light on impacts of digitalisation in relation to SCPS entities, relationships, and activities; b) apply the designed framework in 21 multi-stakeholder platforms (Living Labs), which were established to explore needs and expectations in specific subjects relevant for European agriculture, forestry and rural areas. Impacts were assessed through interviews (158 respondents), focus groups (378 participants), online surveys (273 respondents), and other secondary data. The findings indicate that the SCPS framework enables elucidating relationships between digital and broader sustainable development goals and needs, and can sharpen earlier assessments, going beyond a pessimistic or optimistic dichotomy associated to digitalisation by specifying effects and trade-offs in terms of enabling, disenabling, boosting and depleting impacts of digital agriculture. However, the framework being comprehensive and open to emerging socio-cyber-physical interactions, makes that Livings Labs doing participatory impact assessments struggled with the complexity and multiple dimensions of the topic. The paper provides both conceptual and operational knowledge to set up impact evaluations of responsible digitalisation in agriculture and outline concepts that can help anticipating the consequences and trade-offs. [Display omitted] • The paper outlines concepts for anticipating the consequences and trade-offs of digitalisation. • Application of a socio-cyber-physical framework to assess digitalisation impacts in 21 Living Labs. • Presenting a typology of enabling, disenabling, boosting and depleting impacts of digitalisation. • This framework and typology enable impact evaluations for responsible digitalisation in agriculture. • Responsible digitalisation means working in parallel on design, access, and system complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural sector is undergoing several transitions through "smart-farming" technologies. To make this innovation responsible, it is critical to support technological innovation at different stages of innovation with customized strategies for the individual technology. What are the critical support functions at different stages of technological innovation in agriculture? Four technologies are analysed: Automated Milking Systems (AMS), a digital fencing system for the virtual herding of goats, a technology for drone-based observation and management in agriculture and forestry, and round baler silage systems. These are analysed as sociotechnical constructions of multiple stakeholders, with heterogeneous pathways to societal acceptance and practical usage on the farm. To provide information about how such technology can be created in a responsible manner, the paper suggests a Balanced Readiness Level assessment (BRLa) to highlight five dimensions for technological maturity: technological, market, regulatory, social acceptance, and organizational maturity. Through this approach, the findings show that each phase of the technological development benefits from specifically targeted support and that support functions should not be underestimated in order to get technology to a higher level of acceptance. Agriculture is facing challenges that demand transition of the sector. Supporting invention to stimulate innovation is important; supporting implementation is also important, but identifying the supporting functions that can have an impact at the societal level is crucial to stimulating transition of the system. This paper clarifies the variations of the supporting functions. [Display omitted] • Exploring critical support functions at different stages of technological innovation in agriculture • Balanced Readiness Level assessment (BRLa) highlight technology, market, regulation, social acceptance, and organization • Technology is socio-technically constructed by multiple stakeholders negotiating technological innovation • Crucial to identify the supporting functions that have an impact to stimulate the system's transition at the macro-level [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two major agricultural transformations are currently being promoted worldwide: digitalisation and ecologisation, that include different practices such as organic farming and sustainable intensification. In literature and in societal debates, these two transformations are sometimes described as antagonistic and sometimes as convergent but are rarely studied together. Using an innovation system approach, this paper discusses how diverse ecologisation pathways grasp digitalisation in the French agricultural sector; and do not discriminate against organic farming. Based on interviews with key representatives of conventional agriculture, organic agriculture and organisations that promote or develop digital agriculture, we explore how these actors perceive and participate in digital development in agriculture. We show that although all the actors are interested and involved in digital development, behind this apparent convergence, organic and conventional actors perceive neither the same benefits nor the same risks and consequently do not implement the same innovation processes. We conclude that digitalisation has different meanings depending on the actors' paradigm, but that digital actors fail to perceive these differences. This difference in perception should be taken into account if digital development is to benefit all kinds of agriculture and not discriminate against organic farming and more widely, against agroecology. • Impacts and opportunities of digitalisation are shared across the agricultural sector. • Digitalisation is perceived differently by organic and conventional players. • Consequently, organisations participate differently in digitalisation innovation processes. • Differences in digitalisation processes are not perceived by digital organisations. • Promoting the diversity of digitalisation pathways is a challenge for policies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The agricultural waste is large in number and the utilization rate is extremely low in China, requiring remediated. Formatting the project system and introducing the Public-Private-Partnership (PPP) mode are inevitable to realize the specialization and socialization in resource utilization of agricultural wastes. However, the confusion of financing, management, responsibilities of participants and difficulties in coordinating interests limit the expected effect of the resource utilization of agricultural wastes (RUAW). To this end, combined with the examination of actual cases, this paper constructs a tripartite evolutionary game model of RUAW PPP projects among local government, social capital and farmers, then conducts simulation and case study. We find that the local government does not supervise, social capital acts opportunistically, and farmers choose to cooperate is the evolutionary stable situation, and the cost of supervision for local government and the reward and punishment mechanism of local government to social capital will largely influence the strategy choice of the stakeholders. Strengthening the local government's sense of responsibility and regulatory capacity, optimizing the reward and punishment system, vigorously making technological innovations, and improving the operational capacity of the special purpose vehicle can effectively improve the efficiency of cooperation. The results of the study have some guiding significance for further improving the level of circular agriculture in China even in developing countries and forming a more complete system of resource utilization of agricultural wastes. • The PPP model was used in projects of resource utilization of agricultural wastes. • The local government plays an important role in coordinating between social capital and farmers. • The probability that the social capital will act opportunistically in the PPP project is extremely high. • Farmers' willingness to cooperate is sometimes fragile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sustainability-Oriented Innovation (SOI) is recognized as a way to address agrifood system sustainability challenges. Because of its complexity, SOI requires inter-organizational collaboration between actors within and around value chains. Since farming practices account for a large part of the environmental impact of food products, farmer involvement in SOI processes is key. However, there is a lack of evidence on the degree of farmer engagement in inter-organizational collaboration, as well as the diversity of partners involved. Moreover, our understanding of the heterogeneity of collaboration in relation to the sustainability dimensions of the innovation SOI processes is limited. The objectives of our research are twofold. First, to propose a novel conceptualization of SOI, converging the sustainability specificities of the innovation process and the characteristics of the collaboration supporting the innovation process. Second, to unpack heterogeneous forms of collaboration in SOI with attention to farmer engagement in these forms. We developed the SOI framework and analyzed SOI processes in the fruit and vegetable sector across Europe. A multiple correspondence statistical analysis was carried out based on data from more than one hundred value chains that have implemented a SOI process. A hierarchical clustering analysis was performed to reveal patterns of collaboration in SOI. The results show different patterns of collaborative SOI in European fruit and vegetable chains. The SOI differ as regards to three specific dimensions: the diversity, the direction, and the distribution; and they rely on various collaboration forms. Seven clusters are analyzed and discussed, with specific attention to the farmer engagement in the collaboration forms. We differentiated between 1) Intermediary-led farm & food innovation with farmer collaboration; 2) Intermediary-led short food supply chain innovation with farmer collaboration; 3) Processor-led green food product innovation without farmer collaboration; 4) Farmer-led sustainable agricultural practices innovation with a collaborative network; 5) Farmer-led coupled innovation with downstream integration; 6) value chain actor-led coupled innovation with farmer collaboration; 7) Retailer-led distribution innovation without farmer collaboration. The relationship between diverse collaboration forms and SOI dimensions is discussed. Revealing the heterogeneity of collaboration forms in SOI processes is important for developing sound policies. Given the significant role of farmers in sustainable agrifood system transitions, this paper reveals various levels of farmer engagement in collaborative SOI processes in value chains. Results have implications for mission-oriented policies since they allow a more precise and targeted approach to agrifood chains within the broader agrifood system transformation. [Display omitted] • Sustainability-oriented innovation (SOI) has three dimensions: direction, diversity, and distribution • SOI requires collaboration among multiple actors within and around the value chain • SOI is characterised in 74 food value chains in Europe; seven clusters reveal the heterogeneity of collaboration • The relationship between heterogeneity of collaboration and SOI dimensions provides insights for targeted innovation policy [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current policy discourse in the European Union and elsewhere identifies the 'multi-actor approach' and 'co-innovation' as powerful tools for 'speeding up' innovation in agriculture and related sectors. This paper analyses tensions in five project-based multi-actor partnerships (MAPs) in Europe. The ways in which actors form partnerships and the evaluation principles they follow to coordinate their work are explored through a focus on 'objects of justification'. We identified four objects, on which partners express different opinions and disagreements: the creation of partnerships, how actors work together, their attitudes to societal challenges (in particular, the environment) and their understanding of the benefits of participation. The tensions that arose around these four objects were linked to different evaluation principles that the partners employ, which in turn were attributable to their contrasting experiences of working in MAPs. Convention Theory was applied to understand these points of tension and to identify significant problems that the project activity can generate. These included segmentation between the partners that influences the way the project objectives and activities are formulated, inadequate addressing of practical problems by the set project objectives and conflicts of environmental perceptions. Opportunistic actions may compromise the benefits of the project activity. To work together and overcome tensions, partners most often use a strategy of compromise. Denunciations and clarifications, although present, do not necessarily lead to a premature end of the project activities. • Multi-actor partnerships (MAPs) are collective structures that function also by overcoming various tensions due to moral dilemmas of actors. • Four main issues ('objects of justification') create tensions between MAPs partners, namely, the selection of partners, how they worked together, their perceptions of societal challenges, and their understanding of the benefits they derived from their collaboration. • Project-based multi-actor partnerships raise segmentation between partners due to their different experience with 'project world' but mitigate existing social and professional stereotypes; • The tensions do not necessarily lead to premature project or partnership closure. Applying Convention theory, we understand that the most common strategy used to solve tensions is that of compromise and clarifications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reducing agricultural carbon emissions is an essential lever for mitigating climate change and promoting high-quality agricultural development. Environmental regulation in the form of resource agglomeration, represented by the high-standard farmland construction policy, plays a vital role in the emission reduction process. Using the panel data of 31 provinces in China from 2001 to 2019 and taking the high-standard farmland construction policy as a quasi-natural experiment, this paper constructs a continuous differences-in-differences (DID) model to explore the impact and mechanism of environmental regulation in the form of resource agglomeration (RAER) on agricultural carbon emission reduction. The results show that RAER significantly reduces agricultural carbon emissions by an average of 3.9%. This conclusion still holds after robustness tests such as endogenous tests, eliminating policy interference, and sample reprocessing. This abatement utility is mainly realized through the technique effect of promoting green technology innovation and the composition effect of optimizing crop cultivation structure. Based on the resource attribute characteristics, the agricultural carbon emission reduction effects of RAER are, in descending order, capital and facility. Further study found heterogeneity in four aspects of the effect of RAER on agricultural carbon emission reduction: regional, planted crops, carbon emission sources, and carbon emission intensity. Therefore, decision-makers should deepen environmental regulation reform through resource agglomeration, implement adapting to local conditions for the high-standard farmland construction policy, and promote policy innovation and system optimization of agricultural carbon emission reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge, especially tacit knowledge (TK), has become the most strategic resource for firms' innovativeness and competitiveness. However, most agricultural firms struggle to effectively manage TK to improve their innovation capability. This study aims to examine the relationships between firms' proximity, including geographic proximity (GP), cognitive proximity (CP), social proximity (SP) and organizational proximity (OP), external tacit knowledge acquisition (ETKA) and incremental innovation capacity (IIC). The study also examines the mediating role of ETKA in the relationship between proximity dimensions and FFF's IIC. The paper draws on the theoretical framework of knowledge-based view and knowledge management (KM) and adopt structural modeling equation for research hypothesis testing. Primary data are collected between October and November 2021 through face-to-face interviews at 320 FFF level. The results reveal that SP and OP positively affect ETKA and IIC of FFF, while GP and CP failed. The evidence further shows that ETKA significantly improves FFF' IIC. The results also highlight the partial mediating effect ETKA. The study suggests that FFF owner-managers can improve ETKA and boost IIC by building and optimizing strong close relationships between FFFs based on trust and shared goals. The finding provides useful implications for policymakers and agricultural firms managers regarding the adoption of embedded open innovation paradigm based on proximity dimensions. This study extends the literature on agricultural innovation by providing evidence of the link between proximity-KM-IIC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Food security remains a major concern, as efforts to commercialise and specialise in agricultural production have been constrained. This is partly due to land scarcity, compelling smallholder farmers to operate on fragmented lands. Land reforms that seek to consolidate lands and promote crop specialisation can be welfare-enhancing because they can stimulate investment in agricultural innovation. Rwanda's 2008 land use consolidation (LUC) programme merges parcels of land and promotes crop specialisation. After more than a decade of its implementation, the beckoning question is whether LUC programme has improved technology adoption. Relying on previous three rounds of national survey data, capturing before and after the implementation of LUC programme, this paper contributes to the literature by (1) assessing the short- and long-run relationships between LUC and improved input uptake and (2) determining what conditions could influence the way LUC impact technology adoption. The result shows that the implementation of LUC leads to uptake of agricultural inputs both in the short- and long-run, but the impact is more in the long run. While in the short run, access to finance and asset ownership act as the underlying conditioning factors, in the long run, the dominant complementary factor is access to credit. These results suggest that there might be underlying structural factors that may inhibit the influence of LUC on technology adoption and hence the attainment of the goal of food security in Rwanda. • Nexus between farm input uptakes and land use consolidation policy in rural Rwanda. • Directly, LUC increased the input uptakes and adoption rates for Hybridge seeds, fertilizers, pesticides & farm irrigation. • Indirectly, the policy is associated with farm loans but not with livestock farming & nor households with salaries or wages. • This suggests that the land reforms should be aligned to support interventions that target the adoption of inputs' uptakes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are calls for social innovation to help with the effort to halt biodiversity loss. However, research on social innovation and biodiversity is dispersed and covers a multitude of disciplines. A systematic overview of research on social innovation and biodiversity is missing and this paper contributes by focusing on social innovation to tackle the drivers of biodiversity loss and unsustainability. The paper reviews research on social innovation in changing land use (agriculture, forestry, aquatic ecosystems and cities), in tackling exploitation of organisms (fishing, hunting, harvesting), and in addressing threats of climate change, pollution and invasive species. Across these drivers, we find a) a strong emphasis on social innovation as civic action for changing practices in addressing unsustainability, b) that social innovation research tends to focus on local experimentation although there are bodies of literature on policy-driven innovations and consumer/producer-driven innovations, and c) that there is very little research taking a critical perspective to explore negative or unintended consequences of social innovation. Drawing on the review, we propose three cross cutting issues that can be a focus for future research, practice and supportive policy: social innovation for nature-based solutions, social innovation for participatory governance, and social innovation for technology that tackles biodiversity loss. • Review covers social innovation tackling main drivers of biodiversity loss. • Social innovation for biodiversity focuses on civic action for changing practices. • Literature focuses on local experimentation with gaps on indigenous solutions. • Cross-cutting themes are nature-based solutions, technology and governance. • Transformation research needs a focus on social innovation and social exnovation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There is growing interest and importance for responsible research and innovation (RRI) among academic scholars and policy makers, especially, in relation to emerging technologies in the agricultural context. While the evolution of smart technologies in agriculture has led to an increase of available solutions that can be used by farmers, the RRI process of new farming technology has been minimally detailed in research contributions to date. This paper thus aims to describe the first 3 phases of a design thinking process to aid with the development of an agricultural innovation, namely, a geotag photo application for use on smart devices. The design thinking approach involved engaging with target users, such as farmers, farm advisors and inspectors, alongside research scientists, app developers and the national agricultural governing body in Ireland to commence the app development process. This paper describes methodology used to elicit the first three major phases of the design thinking approach: empathise, define and ideation. In the first phase a stakeholder mapping activity was conducted, as well as 7 focus groups and 10 interviews with users and other key actors regarding the challenges and needs related to using the app. The define phase included a reflection of results from the first phase and subsequent development of user-personas and problem statements to inform the third phase. The third phase, ideation, consisted of four interactive user-centred workshops, focusing on app needs, in which ideas and solutions were developed and prioritised. The design thinking approach supported multiple stakeholders to express and evaluate the benefits and challenges they associated with the initial development phases involved in designing a new geotag photo app. It also revealed that, by including farmers and additional actors in developing new farming technology enables technology developers to harness the full value of multiples types of knowledge and expertise. In conclusion, future research on innovation development should consider that by enabling engagement among a wide variety of actors, such as that offered by the initial stages of design thinking, and attending to a greater diversity of values is essential to the development of a responsible, and responsive, digital tool. This study is the first to methodically document the early stages of developing a geotag smartphone app using a design thinking approach. This paper will therefore benefit other scholars aiming to include farmers, and other agricultural stakeholders to have an input on the agri-tech development decisions that will ultimately impact their farming lives. [Display omitted] • Design Thinking was used to develop an app • Methodological development of the app is presented • Design thinking highlighted disparate needs, motivations, and intentions for the app [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a direct link between farmers and manufacturers of technologies, the characteristics and activities of input suppliers can be expected to play an important role in the generation and diffusion of innovations in agricultural systems. While the agricultural innovation systems (AIS) literature recognises the importance of input suppliers, there are few studies from the Global South assessing the nature and implications of their activities. The aim of this paper is to improve the understanding of how input suppliers can influence the functioning and development of AIS in the Global South. We first adapt the 'functions of innovation systems' framework to examine the role of these private-sector actors in an AIS, identifying three activity categories, through which input suppliers can influence the AIS: market creation for technological innovations, the creation and dissemination of knowledge, and influence on technology priorities. We then apply the framework to a case study of the small-scale irrigation sector in Kenya. The case study documents the emergence of a new cohort of irrigation-equipment suppliers during the period of strong growth in the market for small-scale irrigation technologies since 2000, and examines how they affect the small-scale irrigation agricultural innovation system (SIAIS). We find that Kenyan irrigation-input suppliers perform important activities and roles in the SIAIS aside input supply, notably provision of advisory services, improvement of the supply chain for irrigation technologies, introduction and adaptations of new types of irrigation equipment, and facilitation of access to farm credit. Irrigation-input suppliers in Kenya thus play an important role in the functionality of the SIAIS, particularly regarding knowledge creation and dissemination. The novelty of the paper lies in its empirical assessment of input suppliers in the small-scale irrigation sector and its application of the functions framework. The paper shows that input suppliers can become effective agents of knowledge diffusion once the market has reached a sufficient size and documents how they contributed to knowledge development as they develop, adapt and test specific irrigation equipment. The paper also emphasises that input suppliers can form a key link between national AIS and foreign companies, as they bring in foreign expertise (know-how) to the market along with agricultural technologies. We therefore suggest that policy interventions in support of smallholder irrigation should seek leverage from the growth and capacities of input suppliers as a complement to public research and extension. [Display omitted] • Input suppliers are important actors in agricultural innovation systems (AIS). • We apply a 'functions' approach to study how input suppliers influence AIS. • We present a case on suppliers of small-scale irrigation technologies in Kenya. • Input suppliers influenced several functions in Kenya's small-scale irrigation AIS. • The 'functions' approach enabled an in-depth analysis of input suppliers in AIS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Enthusiasm for the potential of ICTs to transform agricultural markets in Africa has motivated considerable investment in market-oriented digital tool development. • However, progress made thus far has been limited to small-scale experiments that often fail to scale up. • Realizing the full potential of digital innovations in Africa requires further development of these solutions and more nuanced evidence from both successful and unsuccessful scaling efforts. Despite enthusiasm for the potential of digital innovations to transform agricultural markets in Africa, progress made thus far has been limited to small-scale experiments that often fail to scale up. Realizing the full potential of digital innovations – tools, technologies, applications, and services – in Africa requires not just further development of these solutions at meaningful scales, but also more nuanced evidence from both successful and unsuccessful scaling efforts. This paper reviews the conceptual and empirical evidence on the transformative potential of digital innovations for African agricultural markets with an in-depth examination of solutions that have been rolled out to date in the continent. Specifically, the review addresses the following questions: (i) how can digital innovations improve the functioning of agricultural markets in Africa? (ii) what explains the apparent disconnect of most pilots to scale-ups? (iii) what is required to realize their full potential? and (iv) what are the emerging risks and opportunities associated with digital innovations for agricultural marketing? Although our review of the landscape and literature on market-focused digital innovations in Africa identifies several reasons to remain optimistic, the prevailing disconnect between pilots and scale-ups merits further evaluation. In particular, there is a need for more systematic assessments of both successes and failures at both the piloting and scaling stages. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The demand for beef in Indonesia has increased over the last decade; however, national production barely meets half of the domestic demand. This gap creates an opportunity for beef smallholder farmers to improve their livelihoods by increasing their participation in the domestic market. Innovation is central to supporting smallholder farmers to benefit from this increase in beef demand in Indonesia. This paper aims to analyse the barriers to the innovation system in the Indonesian beef sector in the province of Nusa Tenggara Barat (NTB) to identify opportunities to increase smallholder beef productivity. In the analysis, we applied the agricultural innovation system (AIS) framework to identify constraints for boosting beef production in the province. We used qualitative data (in-depth interviews and focus group discussions) collected in NTB and data from a literature review. The results showed significant constraints across all AIS functions that ultimately translated to poor innovation in the beef sector in NTB. The results showed that the beef innovation system is constrained by multiple factors, including the lack of farmers' professionalisation, lack of agricultural R&D investments, underdeveloped beef value chain, and lack of incentives for PPPs. These findings inform policy in NTB and increase smallholder beef productivity. Additionally, the findings point to constraints that are likely common in beef production in many developing countries, and that could be considered when developing policy in other areas in Indonesia. [Display omitted] • Smallholder beef production in Indonesia does not meet the demand. • The barriers to the beef sector agricultural innovation system were analysed. • Lack of policies that support value chain development led to poor innovation. • Including all actors, strategic funding, and accessible credit could increase beef production. • These findings could be used to inform policy in Nusa Tenggara Barat and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Three types of PCMs suitable for agricultural system are summarized. • The integration of PCMs into agricultural cold chain logistics are summarized. • Agricultural cold chain logistics system future development offers some insights. The agricultural cold-chain logistics system is significant for agricultural product preservation and reducing losses. Moreover, it meaningfully promotes the income of farmers and rural revitalization in China, to a certain extent. The energy-storage technology as an emerging distributed solution has been attracting increasing attention over recent years. However, because of the low performance of energy-storage materials and lack of integration methods, many agricultural products rot during transportation. The current challenge resides in how the agricultural cold-chain logistics system can meet the requirements of stable and efficient continuous operation and reduce rot during the transportation of agricultural products. For this purpose, it is necessary to consider improving the performance of energy-storage materials and achieve their more-efficient integration into the entire agricultural cold-chain logistics system. Future trends in the agricultural cold-chain logistics system involve the high performance and low carbon footprint of energy-storage materials, which are key to meeting environmental standards and changing market demands. Advances in renewable energy technologies and energy-storage solutions have significantly accelerated the industrialisation of this system. The agricultural cold-chain logistics system will become the main force in promoting rural revitalisation in the future, which is a necessary condition for narrowing the development gap between China and other developed countries in this context. Therefore, this paper reviews the properties of the energy-storage materials that are suitable for the agricultural cold-chain logistics system and how to integrate these materials into that system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The social norm good farmer is investigated in farmers' decision--making on innovation adoption in rural Mozambique. • A pro-social idea of good farmer , highly concerned with the others in the community is shared among Mozambican farmers. • Empirical results show that education, information, training and income level are drivers of (radical) innovation adoption. • The pro-social idea of good farmer never prevents innovation adoption and significantly impacts the adoption of the most radical innovations. The adoption of new technologies by smallholder farmers to support economic and human development has received increased attention from scholars and development policymakers. This is particularly true for Africa, given the importance of the agricultural sector for economic growth and poverty reduction. Nevertheless, profitable innovations, such as improved seeds, fertilizers, and crop-protection chemicals, are not sufficiently adopted by farmers. This paper aims to contribute to a better understanding of this limited adoption by examining the drivers and obstacles to innovation by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa, with a special focus on cultural and behavioural aspects. The concepts of social norms and peer approval are considered in the farmers' decisions on innovation adoption. The focus is mainly on the social norm of being a 'good farmer', a distinction made amongst farming peers, based on the characteristics that are socially approved in the rural community. Adherence to the social norm of being a good farmer is considered one of the main drivers of farmers' decisions, including innovation adoption. The study is based on a survey of 300 smallholder farmers in Mozambique. The results of our study show that the social norm of being a good farmer differs from that mostly shared in developed countries mainly connected to maximizing farming production. What emerges from our investigation is a socially accepted idea of a good farmer being one who is extremely concerned about others in her or his community. The results of various quantitative analyses on the intensity and adoption of innovations show that this prosocial idea of the good farmer does not prevent farmers from adopting innovations and has a significant impact on the adoption of the most radical innovations. The present study reveals the need to contextualize the analysis of farmers' decisions in the cultural and social context in which they operate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Precision farming (PF) is a term that is now widespread throughout agricultural systems worldwide. It is studied in many ways, from its strictly technical connotation of a farm management strategy that uses information technology to support decision-making processes to the steppingstones and the dissection of the factors involved in the complex scenario of adopting related tools. Starting from the statement " In my opinion, precision farming is... ", the present work investigates the perspective of the agricultural entrepreneur in conceptualising PF. Some researchers have highlighted the role of the sphere of the self in adoption, but few efforts have been made to better understand the role played by farmers' perceptions in the formation of their thinking about innovative tools. This work aims to deepen the sphere of the self and, in particular, the role played by farmers' perceptions when faced with the innovation adoption choice. The study presents a new conceptual framework identifying key stages for analysing adoption processes, focusing on the relationships between behaviour, structural dimensions and adoption, interpreted from the farmer perspective. The Q methodology (QM) was used with a targeted sample of 23 farmers to identify prevailing discourses. In the first step, the socio-structural dimensions were analysed through descriptive analysis, and in the second step, the discourses were extracted by an intercorrelation matrix through the centroid procedure, translating the solution using varimax rotation. This paper highlights that the QM is an appropriate technique for exploring and studying farmers' attitudes when challenged with innovation. The results reveal discourses that summarise three macro perspectives: the "proactive approach", which represents farmers who perceive PF as having a key role for agricultural enterprises; the "conservative approach", which characterises those who distrust innovations; and the "doubtful approach", which is the more sceptical vision. This study demonstrates the importance of moving beyond simply quantitative studies that methodically analyse adoption processes and overcoming the constraints of qualitative research by employing a mixed approach to identify the common perspectives of farmers. This analysis can be used by policy makers as a new survey tool to make stakeholder consultations more effective, as the 3 approaches may help to enrich the discourse on PF. The results provide new perspectives to promote responsible policies to support the effectiveness of PF. [Display omitted] • Few efforts were made to better understand the role played by the farmers' perception in the adoption of innovation. • The Q methodology is used to study the perspectives on innovation in agriculture. • Different perceptions about innovation reflect the context in which farmers operate. • Understanding farmers' views can be useful for the policy network. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper introduces the Virtual Special Issue covering some of the latest developments in six research areas: Sustainable Energy System, Sustainable Waste Management, Sustainable Water Management, Sustainable Agriculture and Urban Food Supply, Nexus and Circular Economic and Cleaner Technology. These research topics emerged from the 6th International Conference on Low Carbon asia and beyond 2020 held in 2020. The purpose of this contribution has been to provide a brief introduction to the field and the research results included in this Journal of Cleaner Production Virtual Special Issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As a world leader in agricultural production, China feeds 20% of the world's population while containing only 8% of the global cropland. However, the increasing production capacity is associated with environmental and sustainability problems. This paper develops an assessment model using the set pair analysis method to evaluate the ecoefficiency of China's agricultural sector from 1997 to 2017. The input and output indicators of agricultural production were carefully selected based on an intensive literature review and after consultation with experts and then integrated and categorized into ecoefficiency levels with the assessment model. Finally, factors that influence agricultural ecoefficiency were screened out with a regression analysis. The findings indicated that the efficiency of most selected indicators and agricultural ecoefficiency of most provinces greatly improved, with a slight decline at the beginning of the 21st century and then a dramatic increase. The improving trend of ecoefficiency and its distribution among provinces can be explained by agriculture-related factors, such as the agricultural structure, cropland endowment, mechanization, and agricultural finance, among which agricultural finance contributed the most. This work expands the literature on agricultural ecoefficiency and presents an innovative assessment model. The results suggest the implementation of agricultural technologies, financial support, and institutional innovations in the agricultural sector for China and other developing and emerging economies. [Display omitted] • A new ecoefficiency assessment model is developed based on the SPA method. • Agricultural ecoefficiency of most provinces improves significantly. • A decline-first-and-then-rise trajectory appears in efficiency for most inputs. • The ecoefficiency of most provinces experiences a certain decline before the rise. • Agricultural finance plays a critical role in the improvement of agricultural ecoefficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The objective of the analysis is to investigate the production efficiency in the USA and Europe through the channel of knowledge spillovers from technological innovation in the agricultural sector. Since the empirical evidence concerning the climate change effects on the production efficiency is yet weak, the paper further contributes to the literature attempting to bridge this gap. To this end, the non-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) empirical methodology and Tobit regression are developed on the basis of a sector-based panel data set over the time period of 2002–2017. In particular, the empirical results evidenced a negative effect of land use spillovers on efficiency indicator for American firms and a positive effect for European ones. The study findings are innovative and invaluable to generate policy implications for the investigated country governments particularly in terms of developing industrial strategy instruments in the agricultural field: Government is supposed to establish the special funds to encourage the firms to expand innovation activities in their own production process and the investment of R&D is expected to increase, which can further improve the productivity and reduce the reliability of knowledge spillovers. Finally, it is important that the results are scalable, and the model could be extended also to developing countries. [Display omitted] • The impact of agricultural spillovers on production efficiency is investigated. • The Mahalanobis matrix is employed to compute agriculture spillovers. • Agricultural spillovers worsen production efficiency of American firms. • Agricultural spillovers improve production efficiency of European firms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Urban agriculture provides one of the most promising areas for innovation in green and blue infrastructure in cities, particularly in developing countries. It can address multiple economic, social and local environmental benefits. Despite this critical role, urban agriculture often faces many challenges, including land competition, lack of urban policy directives, unfair land use planning and land tenure decisions. The presence of such barriers is indicative of critical issues of governance. This article examines various actors' roles in different forms of governance in improving the sustainability benefits of urban agriculture. It draws policy lessons from Accra, Ghana, through empirical research conducted at two sites. The paper identifies the institutions and actors that govern urban agriculture and points to the problems and potential solutions to sustainable urban agriculture. These problems could be addressed by removing perverse incentives, conflicting regulations and unfair land management decision-making systems and providing more secure land tenure and large-scale technical support for agricultural and environmental management in a tropical urban environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]