Search

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to analyse the use of Communities of Practice and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors. The associated research question is to what extent ICT supported a virtual Community of Practice and has been effective in counteracting fragmentation between research and advisory systems in terms of knowledge sharing between these two pillars of the Italian Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS). Design/Methodology/approach: The paper uses a mixed methods approach: a questionnaire submitted to the Community of Practice participants on their experiences, observation of interaction between Community of Practice participants and data on the use of the ICT platform. Findings: The ICT supported Community of Practice approach appears to improve knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors, and also draws in other actors of the broader Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System in which the AKS is embedded. However, ICT based tools alone are not sufficient and need to be complemented with face-to-face (non-virtual) interactions. A clear theoretical implication of this study is that this is an iterative process in which virtual and non-virtual interaction mutually reinforce each other: ICT interaction spurs real life and face-to-face interaction, and ICT supports follow-up on real life face-to-face interaction. Practical Implications: Communities of Practice can be a useful tool for knowledge sharing between research and advisory systems, but should have a degree of flexibility in terms of the topics they address and should accommodate new members when appropriate. ICT is supportive, but should be complemented by real life meetings. Originality/Value: The paper connects recent frameworks of the use of Communities of Practice with literature on ICT in agriculture and adds insights on the contribution of combining virtual and non-virtual interaction in Communities of Practice aimed at knowledge sharing.

Recently, food-related policy initiatives have proliferated, such as food strategies, food plans, food councils, food districts and food communities, just to name the more relevant ones. Far from being systematically defined and logically systematized, these concepts often overlap or are used as synonyms. The paper has systematically traced the current trends showing how these concepts are used in the current debate, the theoretical background on which they are grounded and the public policies they call for, following a threefold approach: (1) a literature analysis to establish the state of academic research on food systems in its multidimensionality; (2) a review of the existing national legislation to detect the utilization of food policy-related lemmas in the normative; (3) a computational linguistic analysis applied on institutional documentation to explore how cities and territories are using concepts and definitions in the grey literature. The results show that the construction of narratives around the topic of food systems planning is experiencing a momentum, with particular emphasis on principles, background premises and governance aspects. In this context, the risk of marginality for the agricultural sector in such discourses and narratives is highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There are different meanings of Social Farming (SF) both in the scientific, operational and administrative world, often linked to the different contexts in which the experiences have matured. The aim of the work, carried out with the Delphi method, is to reach a definition of SF as shared as possible, through an organized discussion between selected experts, allowing the use of common languages in explaining the activities related to the SF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this programming period, the most important initiative of the European agriculture innovation policy is the European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP AGRI) that is based on an interactive approach to innovation. The paper defines the theoretical framework of this approach and attempts to understand how the governance has facilitated or hindered this intervention. A comparative analysis of the Rural Development Programmes of four Italian Regions (Veneto, Emilia-Romagna, Umbria and Basilicata) was conducted, with particular attention to the rules and implementation criteria of the specific actions that financed the EIP AGRI projects (Sub-measures 16.1 and 16.2). The analysis shows the effects of regional governance on crucial factors of the EIP AGRI theoretical approach: co-creation of innovation between research and practice, centrality of farms and territories' needs, promotion of relations and networks, interactive action between the actors in the innovation chain. The Regions have paid different attention to the characteristics of this approach to the innovation; some factors are pursued by all Regions, while others have not yet been transposed and implemented. Some of these are clear and have been implemented through adequate rules and criteria, while for others, the appropriate implementation methods have not been identified and so the EIP AGRI projects are not consistent with the approach. The main notable conclusion is that all the Regions examined are substantially consistent with the dimensions of interactive approach that emerge from the international literature. Nevertheless, different methods and degrees of consistency have been highlighted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this paper is to study the sustainability of Social farming (SF), with attention to practices addressed people suffering from addictions. In this study the Social Return on Investment (SROI) has been used as assessment methodology; has been used, which is increasingly used to approach the quantification of social, environmental and economic benefits on different types of investment. The SF activity of the Agricoltura Capodarco Cooperative was studied in order to evaluate the outcome in monetary terms taking into account all the beneficiaries involved. The application of SROI allowed to estimate a return of investment, coming mainly from the social component, ranging from 1,89 to 4,10 times, according to the degree of conservativeness of the estimates. The study extends both the analysis of SF to people categories only marginally addressed before and the application fields of SROI as assessment methodology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The growing understanding of potential role of agricultural and rural resources to enhance the social, physical, mental and economic well-being draw the attention of an increasing range of stakeholders on Social Farming. The contribute discloses the main results of a study focusing Social farming in Italy: actors, activity, networks of relationships within which the initiatives are implemented, agreements among heterogeneous actors, etc. The main aim is to provide a whole analysis of the possible processes of social and working inclusion in agriculture activities, including purposes and methods, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses in the framework of the current welfare and rural development systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose:The aim of the paper is to analyse the use of Communities of Practice and Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to enhance knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors. The associated research question is to what extent ICT supported a virtual Community of Practice and has been effective in counteracting fragmentation between research and advisory systems in terms of knowledge sharing between these two pillars of the Italian Agricultural Knowledge System (AKS). Design/Methodology/approach:The paper uses a mixed methods approach: a questionnaire submitted to the Community of Practice participants on their experiences, observation of interaction between Community of Practice participants and data on the use of the ICT platform. Findings:The ICT supported Community of Practice approach appears to improve knowledge sharing between researchers and advisors, and also draws in other actors of the broader Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System in which the AKS is embedded. However, ICT based tools alone are not sufficient and need to be complemented with face-to-face (non-virtual) interactions. A clear theoretical implication of this study is that this is an iterative process in which virtual and non-virtual interaction mutually reinforce each other: ICT interaction spurs real life and face-to-face interaction, and ICT supports follow-up on real life face-to-face interaction. Practical Implications:Communities of Practice can be a useful tool for knowledge sharing between research and advisory systems, but should have a degree of flexibility in terms of the topics they address and should accommodate new members when appropriate. ICT is supportive, but should be complemented by real life meetings. Originality/Value:The paper connects recent frameworks of the use of Communities of Practice with literature on ICT in agriculture and adds insights on the contribution of combining virtual and non-virtual interaction in Communities of Practice aimed at knowledge sharing. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]