Rural Innovation Ecosystems and Agricultural Transition

Rural areas suffer from inadequate infrastructures, low web connection, lack of human capital, and skill gaps, which severely limit their ability to engage fully with the digital transition. To address these pressing barriers, it is necessary to rethink an approach to innovation that cannot be linear but should be characterised by flows of information and knowledge exchanges involving relations within all actors in the territory. This open access contributed volume explores how innovation is reshaping rural agriculture through multi-actor interactions among farmers, cooperatives, institutions, researchers, businesses, and rural communities.

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. It will be of great interest to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners working on rural development, agricultural innovation, sustainability, and digital transition.

Gianluca Brunori is a Full Professor of Food Policy at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Italy.

Teresa Del Giudice  is a Full Professor of Agricultural Economics and Policy at the Department of Agriculture, University of Naples Federico II, Italy.

Marcello De Rosa  is a Professor of Agrifood Economics at the Department of Economics and Law, University of Cassino and Southern Lazio, Italy. 

Chiara Mignani  is a Post-Doctoral Researcher at the Department of Agriculture, Food and Environment, University of Pisa, Italy.