Stakeholder engagement for knowledge sharing across networks and beyond the project level

Abstract

Calls for innovation have become increasingly frequent as people begin to recognize the need for change and transformation in the way human beings relate to each other and to the environment and the dramatic effects of climate change and environmental degradation, which is causing disasters in agriculture and human health, such as the current Covid-19 pandemic. Therefore, innovation, particularly in agriculture and food systems is key to find viable, resilient and sustainable solutions to many of the world’s most complex problems. This extended abstract focuses on the growing phase of the co-innovation process, whereby the innovation and knowledge that has resulted from the co-creation process is embedded and disseminated outside the partnership to achieve greater impact and transformation. We use an innovation systems perspective as it provides an analytical framework to study transformation and change in agriculture as a process of actions and interactions among a diverse set of actors engaged in generating, exchanging, and using knowledge (Hall et al., 2003; Spielman et al., 2008). In fact, transformation occurs when some of the rules that govern the system change in response to a novelty (Watzlawick et al. 1974), hence spreading its impact. This transformation is a type of change that alters relationships at different scales (Moore and Wesley, 2011). Scaling refers to the adaptation, uptake and use of innovations such as practices, technologies, and market or policy arrangements across broader communities of actors and/or geographies (Eastwood et al., 2017; Glover et al., 2017). Rising popularity has contributed to the perception that “scaling” is something one can do and should aspire to when pursuing Sustainable Development Goals (Wigboldus et al., 2016; (Schut et al., 2020). The scaling of innovation, although often interpreted along the lines of adoption, diffusion or extension, refers to more sophisticated and holistic approaches and strategies whereby innovations contribute to and become embedded in broader processes of systemic change in society (Wigboldus et al., 2016; Schut et al., 2020). Through this extended abstract we support the fact that the process of scaling social innovations to achieve systemic impacts involves three different types of scaling—scaling out, scaling up, and scaling deep—and that in order to achieve large systems change (LSC)a combination of these types will most likely be required Moore et al., (2015). And that there are certain strategies that can be associated with each type of scaling process. The aim of this extended abstract is therefore to analyse the position and strategies of the different European multi-actor innovation partnerships towards scaling (up, out and deep) and generating impact and transformative change.