Vol. 79 No. 2 (2024)
Keynote Article

The new challenges of agricultural policy: new actors and redefined development paradigms

Teresa Del Giudice
Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Naples Federico II

Published 2024-10-15

Keywords

  • Innovation ecosystem,
  • stakeholder mapping,
  • science-policy-society interface

How to Cite

Del Giudice, T. (2024). The new challenges of agricultural policy: new actors and redefined development paradigms. Italian Review of Agricultural Economics (REA), 79(2), 3–17. https://doi.org/10.36253/rea-15365

Abstract

The role of the agricultural sector has had to evolve as our global social economic system has been changed by drivers such as climate change, demographics, ecosystem depletion, changes in dietary patterns and rising food demand. A key characteristic of 21st century agriculture is the reaffirmation of its primary function: producing sustainable food for a growing global population living in increasing inequality and political instability. However, the role of agriculture also goes beyond feeding the planet; it increasingly involves maintaining the environment. Meeting these challenges will require significant changes in the sector’s organisational and operational boundaries and bold intervention from the research community and public sector alike to generate new knowledge and innovation systems. This paper aims to describe and analyse, where possible, the changes this transition will entail in terms of stakeholders, policy interventions, governance, development models and, finally, the role research should play in future scenarios.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

Metrics

Metrics Loading ...

References

  1. Annosi M.C., Ráez R.M.O., Appio F.P., Del Giudice T. (2022). An integrative review of innovations in the agricultural sector: The roles of agency, structure, and their dynamic interplay. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 185. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2022.122035.
  2. Arnold N., Brunori G., Dessein J., Galli F., Ghosh R., Loconto A.M., Maye D. (2022). Governing food futures: Towards a ‘responsibility turn’ in food and agriculture. Journal of Rural Studies, 89: 82-86. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.11.017.
  3. Barquet K., Segnestam L., Dickin S. (2022). MapStakes: a tool for mapping, involving and monitoring stakeholders in co-creation processes. Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), Stockholm. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51414/sei2022.014.
  4. Benedetto G., Carboni D., Corinto G.L. (2014). The Stakeholder Analysis: A Contribution Toward Improving Impact of Rural Policy. In Agricultural Cooperative Management and Policy: New Robust, Reliable and Coherent Modelling Tools (pp. 179-196). Cham: Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-06635-6_10
  5. Bock B.B. (2016). Rural marginalisation and the role of social innovation; a turn towards nexogenous development and rural reconnection. Sociologia ruralis, 56(4): 552-573. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12119.
  6. Bock A.K., Krzysztofowicz M., Rudkin J., Winthagen V. (2020). Farmers of the Future. EUR 30464 EN, Publications Office of the European Union, Luxembourg, 2020, ISBN 978-92-76-26332-6. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2760/680650, JRC122308.
  7. de Boon A., Sandström C., Rose D.C. (2022). Governing agricultural innovation: A comprehensive framework to underpin sustainable transitions. Journal of Rural Studies, 89: 407-422. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.07.019.
  8. Bosworth G., Annibal I., Carroll T., Price L., Sellick J., Shepherd J. (2016). Empowering Local Action through Neo‐Endogenous Development; The Case of LEADER in England. Sociologia ruralis, 56(3): 427-449. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12089.
  9. Brunori G. (2022). Agriculture and rural areas facing the “twin transition”: principles for a sustainable rural digitalisation. Italian Review of Agricultural Economics, 77(3): 3-14. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/rea-13983.
  10. Cardwell M. (2004). The European model of agriculture. Oxford University Press.
  11. Cash D., Clark W.C., Alcock F., Dickson N.M., Eckley N., Jäger J. (2002). Salience, credibility, legitimacy and boundaries: linking research, assessment and decision making. Assessment and Decision Making (November 2002). DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.372280.
  12. Cejudo E., Navarro F. (2020). Neoendogenous development in European rural areas. New York: Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33463-5.
  13. Chatzichristos G., Perimenis A. (2022). Evaluating the social added value of LEADER: Evidence from a marginalised rural region. Journal of Rural Studies, 94: 366-374. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2022.07.016.
  14. Cowie P., Townsend L., Salemink K. (2020). Smart rural futures: Will rural areas be left behind in the 4th industrial revolution? Journal of Rural Studies, 79: 169-176. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2020.08.042.
  15. CREA (2023). PSRHUB – GLI INTERVENTI AKIS NEL PIANO STRATEGICO DELLA PAC 2023-2027, Roma.
  16. D’agostino D., Borg M., Hallett S.H., Sakrabani R.S., Thompson A., Papadimitriou L., Knox J.W. (2020). Multi-stakeholder analysis to improve agricultural water management policy and practice in Malta. Agricultural water management, 229. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agwat.2019.105920.
  17. Davidson E.A., Suddick E.C., Rice C.W., Prokopy L.S. (2015). More food, low pollution (Mo Fo Lo Po): a grand challenge for the 21st century. Journal of Environmental Quality, 44(2): 305-311. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2134/jeq2015.02.0078.
  18. De Bernardi P., Azucar D., De Bernardi P., Azucar D. (2020). The food system grand challenge: a climate smart and sustainable food system for a healthy Europe. Innovation in Food Ecosystems: Entrepreneurship for a Sustainable Future, 1-25. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-33502-1_1.
  19. Del Vecchio P., Passiante G., Barberio G., Innella C. (2021). Digital innovation ecosystems for circular economy: The case of ICESP, the Italian circular economy stakeholder platform. International Journal of Innovation and Technology Management, 18(01), 2050053. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1142/S0219877020500534.
  20. Dwyer J. (2022). AES presidential address, 2021: Policy analysis for rural resilience – Expanding the toolkit. Journal of Agricultural Economics, 73(1): 3-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1477-9552.12470.
  21. Eistrup M., Sanches A.R., Muñoz-Rojas J., Pinto Correia T. (2019). A “young farmer problem”? Opportunities and constraints for generational renewal in farm management: an example from Southern Europe. Land, 8(4): 70. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/land8040070.
  22. European Commission, Directorate-General for Enterprise and Industry (2010). This is European social innovation, European Commission, Brussels. DOI: https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2769/825.
  23. European Commission (2010). Guide to social innovation. Brussels.
  24. EU SCAR (2015). Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems Towards the Future – a Foresight Paper, Brussels.
  25. Eurostat (2022). Farmers and the agricultural labour force – statistics. https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?oldid=431368.
  26. Eversole R., Campbell P. (2023). Building the plane in the air: Articulating neo-endogenous rural development from the ground up. Journal of Rural Studies, 101, 103043. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2023.103043.
  27. FAO (2022). The future of food and agriculture – Drivers and triggers for transformation. The Future of Food and Agriculture, 3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4060/cc0959en.
  28. Flanagan K., Uyarra E., Laranja M. (2011). Reconceptualising the ‘policy mix’ for innovation. Research policy, 40(5): 702-713. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2011.02.005.
  29. Foley J.A., Ramankutty N., Brauman K.A., Cassidy E.S., Gerber J.S., Johnston M., Zaks D.P. (2011). Solutions for a cultivated planet. Nature, 478(7369): 337-342. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nature10452.
  30. Folke C., Jansson Å., Rockström J., Olsson P., Carpenter S.R., Chapin F.S., Westley F. (2011). Reconnecting to the biosphere. Ambio, 40: 719-738. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-011-0184-y.
  31. Friedman A.L., Miles S. (2002). Developing stakeholder theory. Journal of management studies, 39(1): 1-21. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6486.00280.
  32. Friedman A.L., Miles S. (2006). Stakeholders: Theory and practice. OUP Oxford.
  33. Frooman J. (1999). Stakeholder influence strategies. Academy of management review, 24(2): 191-205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.1999.1893928.
  34. Gava C.A.T., Giongo V., Signor D., Fernandes‐Júnior P.I. (2022). Land‐use change alters the stocks of carbon, nitrogen, and phosphorus in a Haplic Cambisol in the Brazilian semi‐arid region. Soil Use and Management, 38(1): 953-963. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/sum.12716.
  35. Geels F.W. (2019). Socio-technical transitions to sustainability: A review of criticisms and elaborations of the Multi-Level Perspective. Current opinion in environmental sustainability, 39: 187-201. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/acrefore/9780199389414.013.587.
  36. Glass L.M., Newig J. (2019). Governance for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals: How important are participation, policy coherence, reflexivity, adaptation and democratic institutions?. Earth System Governance, 2. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.esg.2019.100031.
  37. Graef F., Sieber S., Mutabazi K., Asch F., Biesalski H.K., Bitegeko J., Uckert G. (2014). Framework for participatory food security research in rural food value chains. Global Food Security, 3(1): 8-15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2014.01.001.
  38. Gkartzios M., Lowe P. (2019). Revisiting neo-endogenous rural development. The Routledge companion to rural planning, 159-169. DOI: https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315102375-17.
  39. Granstrand O., Holgersson M. (2020). Innovation ecosystems: A conceptual review and a new definition. Technovation, 90. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.technovation.2019.102098.
  40. Grimble R., Wellard K. (1997). Stakeholder methodologies in natural resource management: a review of principles, contexts, experiences and opportunities. Agricultural systems, 55(2): 173-193. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-521X(97)00006-1.
  41. Herrero M., Thornton P.K., Mason-D’Croz D., Palmer J., Benton T.G., Bodirsky B.L., Bogard J.R., Hall A., Lee B., Nyborg K., Pradhan P., Bonnett G.D., Bryan B.A., Campbell B.M., Christensen S., Clark M., Cook M.T., de Boer I.J.M., Downs C., Dizyee K., Folberth C., Godde C.M., Gerber J.S., Grundy M., Havlik P., Jarvis A., King R., Loboguerrero A.M., Lopes M.A., McIntyre C.L., Naylor R., Navarro J., Obertsteiner M., Parodi A., Peoples M.B., Pikaar I., Popp A., Rockström J., Robertson M.J., Smith P., Stehfest E., Swain S.M., Valin H., van Wijk M., van Zanten H.H.E., Vermeulen S., Vervoort J., West P.C. (2020). Innovation can accelerate the transition towards a sustainable food system. Nature Food, 1(5): 266-272. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-020-0074-1.
  42. Klerkx L., Aarts N., Leeuwis C. (2010). Adaptive management in agricultural innovation systems: The interactions between innovation networks and their environment. Agricultural systems, 103(6): 390-400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2010.03.012.
  43. Klerkx L., Mierlo B., Leeuwis C. (2012). Evolution of systems approaches to agricultural innovation: Concepts, analysis and interventions. In: Darnhofer I., Gibbon D., Dedieu B. (eds.), Farming Systems Research into the 21st Century: The New Dynamic. Springer, Netherlands, Dordrecht, pp. 457-483. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-4503-2_20.
  44. Knickel K., Redman M., Darnhofer I., Ashkenazy A., Chebach T.C., Šūmane S., Rogge E. (2018). Between aspirations and reality: Making farming, food systems and rural areas more resilient, sustainable and equitable. Journal of Rural Studies, 59: 197-210. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.04.012.
  45. Kok K.P., Klerkx L. (2023). Addressing the politics of mission-oriented agricultural innovation systems. Agricultural Systems, 211. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2023.103747.
  46. Lechi F. (1993). Politica ed economia in agricoltura. ETAS libri.
  47. Li Y., Wang Y., Wang L., Xie J. (2022). Investigating the effects of stakeholder collaboration strategies on risk prevention performance in a digital innovation ecosystem. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 122(9): 2045-2071. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IMDS-12-2021-0805.
  48. Lindberg M.B., Markard J., Andersen A.D. (2019). Policies, actors and sustainability transition pathways: A study of the EU’s energy policy mix. Research policy, 48(10). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2018.09.003.
  49. Lioutas E.D., Charatsari C., De Rosa M. (2021). Digitalization of agriculture: A way to solve the food problem or a trolley dilemma?. Technology in Society, 67. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101744.
  50. Lockwood M., Davidson J., Curtis A., Stratford E., Griffith R. (2010). Governance principles for natural resource management. Society and natural resources, 23(10): 986-1001. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/08941920802178214.
  51. Lokesh K., Ladu L., Summerton L. (2018). Bridging the gaps for a ‘circular’ bioeconomy: Selection criteria, bio-based value chain and stakeholder mapping. Sustainability, 10(6): 1695. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su10061695.
  52. Maria K., Maria B., Andrea K. (2021). Exploring actors, their constellations, and roles in digital agricultural innovations. Agricultural Systems, 186, 102952. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2020.102952.
  53. Matthews A. (2021). The contribution of research to agricultural policy in Europe. Bio-based and Applied Economics, 10(3): 185-205. DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/bae-12322.
  54. McIntire J., Dobermann A. (2023). The CGIAR needs a revolution. Global Food Security, 38. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gfs.2023.100712.
  55. Morgan P., Taschereau S. (1996). Capacity and institutional assessment: frameworks, methods and tools for analysis. prepared for CIDA Policy Branch.
  56. Mugabe P.A., Mbah M.F., Apollo A. (2022). Towards an Integrated Approach to Climate Change Education in Tanzania: The Role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems. In Indigenous Methodologies, Research and Practices for Sustainable Development (pp. 267-284). Cham: Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-12326-9_16.
  57. Navarro F.A., Woods M., Cejudo E. (2016). The LEADER initiative has been a victim of its own success. The decline of the bottom‐up approach in rural development programmes. The cases of Wales and Andalusia. Sociologia ruralis, 56(2), 270-288. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/soru.12079.
  58. Neumeier S. (2017). Social innovation in rural development: identifying the key factors of success. The geographical journal, 183(1): 34-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/geoj.12180.
  59. Nylund P.A., Brem A., Agarwal N. (2021). Innovation ecosystems for meeting sustainable development goals: The evolving roles of multinational enterprises. Journal of Cleaner Production, 281. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.125329.
  60. OECD (2019). Principles of Rural Policy. Paris: OECD Publications.
  61. OECD (2023). Place-based policies for the future: Workshop #3. Avoiding a tragedy of the commons: Public goods provision through place-based policies.
  62. Olmedo L., O’Shaughnessy M. (2022). Community‐based social enterprises as actors for neo‐endogenous rural development: a multi‐stakeholder approach. Rural Sociology, 87(4): 1191-1218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ruso.12462.
  63. Pigford A.-A.E., Hickey G.M., Klerkx L. (2018). Beyond agricultural innovation systems? Exploring an agricultural innovation ecosystems approach for niche design and development in sustainability transitions. Agricultural Systems, 164: 116-121. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2018.04.007.
  64. Poppe K. (2012). Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems in transition: Findings of the SCAR Collaborative Working Group on AKIS. Improving Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems; OECD Publishing: Paris, France.
  65. Ray C. (2000). The EU LEADER programme: rural development laboratory. Sociologia ruralis, 40(2): 163-171. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9523.00138.
  66. Reed M.S., Graves A., Dandy N., Posthumus H., Hubacek K., Morris J., Stringer L.C. (2009). Who’s in and why? A typology of stakeholder analysis methods for natural resource management. Journal of environmental management, 90(5): 1933-1949. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.01.001.
  67. Rivera M., Knickel K., de los Rios I., Ashkenazy A., Pears D.Q., Chebach T., Šūmane S. (2018). Rethinking the connections between agricultural change and rural prosperity: A discussion of insights derived from case studies in seven countries. Journal of Rural Studies, 59: 242-251. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2017.07.006.
  68. Rockström J., Steffen W., Noone K., Persson Å., Chapin F.S., Lambin E.F., Lenton T.M., Sheffer M., Folke C., Schellnhuber H.J., Nykvist B., de Wit C.A., Hughes T., van der Leeuw S., Rodhe H., Sörlin S., Snyder P.K., Costanza R., Svedin U., Falkenmark M., Karlberg L., Corell R.W., Fabry V.J., Hansen J., Walker B., Liverman D., Richardson K., Crutzen P., Foley J.A. (2009). A safe operating space for humanity. Nature, 461(7263): 472-475. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/461472a.
  69. Rockström J., Gupta J., Qin D., Lade S.J., Abrams J.F., Andersen L.S., Armstrong McKay D.I., Bai X., Bala G., Bunn S.E., Ciobanu D., DeClerck F., Ebi K., Gifford L., Gordon C., Hasan S., Kanie N., Lenton T.M., Loriani S., Liverman D.M., Mohamed A., Nakiceovic N., Obura D., Ospina D., Prodani K., Rammelt C., Sakschewski B., Scholtens J., Stewart-Koster B., Tharammal T., van Vuuren D., Verburg P.H., Winkelmann R., Zimm C., Bennet E.M., Bringezu S., Broadgate W., Green P.A., Huang L., Jacobson L., Ndehedehe C., Pedde S., Rocha J., Scheffer M., Schulte-Uebbing L., de Vries W., Xiao C., Xu C., Xu X., Zafra-Calvo N., Zhang X. (2023). Safe and just Earth system boundaries. Nature, 619(7968): 102-111. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-023-06083-8.
  70. Rogge K.S., Reichardt K. (2016). Policy mixes for sustainability transitions: An extended concept and framework for analysis. Research policy, 45(8): 1620-1635. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.respol.2016.04.004.
  71. Rowley T.I., Moldoveanu M. (2003). When will stakeholder groups act? An interest-and identity-based model of stakeholder group mobilization. Academy of management review, 28(2): 204-219. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/amr.2003.9416080.
  72. Saint Ville A.S., Hickey G.M., Phillip L.E. (2017). How do stakeholder interactions influence national food security policy in the Caribbean? The case of Saint Lucia. Food Policy, 68: 53-64. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.01.002.
  73. Schnebelin É., Labarthe P., Touzard J.M. (2021). How digitalisation interacts with ecologisation? Perspectives from actors of the French Agricultural Innovation System. Journal of Rural Studies, 86: 599-610. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jrurstud.2021.07.023.
  74. Singh B.K., Fraser E.D.G., Arnold T., Biermayr-Jenzano P., Broerse J.E., Brunori G., Caron P., De Schutter O., Fabbri K., Fan S., Fanzo J., Gajdzinska M., Gurinovic M., Hugas M., McGlade J., Nellemann C., Njuki J., Tuomisto H.L., Tutundjian S., Wesseler J., Sonnino R., Webb P. (2023). Food systems transformation requires science-policy-society interfaces that integrate existing global networks and new knowledge hubs. Nature food, 4(1): 1-3. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s43016-022-00664-y.
  75. Singh B.K., Fraser E.D.G., Arnold T., Biermayr-Jenzano P., Broerse J.E., Brunori G., Caron P., De Schutter O., Fabbri K., Fan S., Fanzo J., Gajdzinska M., Gurinovic M., Hugas M., McGlade J., Nellemann C., Njuki J., Tuomisto H.L., Tutundjian S., Wesseler J., Sonnino R., Webb P. (2023). Ensuring societal considerations are met when translating science into policy for sustainable food system transformation. Trends in Food Science & Technology, 137: 104-108. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tifs.2023.04.021.
  76. Stoker G. (1998). Governance as theory: five propositions. International social science journal, 50(155): 17-28. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/1468-2451.00106.
  77. Šucha V., Sienkiewicz M. (2020). Science for policy handbook. New Zealand Science Review, 76(4): 109-109. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/C2018-0-03963-8.
  78. Surucu-Balci E., Tuna O. (2022). The role of collaboration in tackling food loss and waste: Salient stakeholder perspective. Journal of Cleaner Production, 367. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.133126.
  79. Van den Hove S. (2007). A rationale for science-policy interfaces. Futures, 39(7): 807-826. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.futures.2006.12.004.
  80. Vellema S., Van Wijk J. (2015). Partnerships intervening in global food chains: the emergence of co-creation in standard-setting and certification. Journal of Cleaner Production, 107: 105-113. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.03.090.
  81. Voorberg W., Bekkers V., Timeus K., Tonurist P., Tummers L. (2017). Changing public service delivery: learning in co-creation. Policy and Society, 36(2): 178-194. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/14494035.2017.1323711.
  82. Wittman H., James D., Mehrabi Z. (2020). Advancing food sovereignty through farmer-driven digital agroecology. Ciencia e investigación agraria: revista latino americana de ciencias de la agricultura, 47(3): 235-248. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7764/ijanr.v47i3.2299.
  83. Wolfert S., Verdouw C., van Wassenaer L., Dolfsma W., Klerkx L. (2023). Digital innovation ecosystems in agri-food: design principles and organizational framework. Agricultural Systems, 204. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2022.103558.
  84. Vecchio Y., Masi M., Del Giudice T., De Rosa M., Adinolfi F. (2024). Technological innovation in fisheries and aquaculture: What are the “discourses” of the Italian policy network?. Marine Policy, 159. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2023.105947.
  85. Webb P., Sonnino R., Fraser E., Arnold T., Biermayr-Jenzano P., Broerse J., Brunori G., Caron P., De Schutter O., Fan S., Fanzo J., Gurinovic M., Hugas M., McGlade J., Nellemann C., Njuki J., Singh B., Tuomisto H., Tutundjian S., Wesseler J. (2022). Everyone at the table: Transforming food systems by connecting science, policy and society. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2777/122358.