Rural Innovation Ecosystems and Agricultural Transition: Empirical Insights, Theoretical Approaches and Governance Challenges

This open access book explores how innovation is reshaping rural agriculture through multi-actor interactions among farmers, cooperatives, institutions, researchers, businesses, and rural communities. Through empirical case studies developed within European and national research projects, the volume examines how these actors collaboratively navigate digital and green transitions, negotiate governance arrangements, and co-create knowledge and innovation within diverse territorial contexts.

The chapters investigate rural innovation ecosystems through themes such as digitalisation, Living Labs, Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS), governance, social learning, sustainability transitions, and collaborative innovation processes. Combining qualitative and quantitative approaches, the contributions explore how innovation emerges through experimentation, negotiation, and interactions between local knowledge, technologies, institutions, and policy frameworks. Particular attention is given to multi-actor networks and governance mechanisms that support more inclusive and sustainable rural transitions. The book will interest scholars, policymakers, and practitioners working on rural development, agricultural innovation, sustainability, and digital transition.