Socio-technical transitions in farming: key concepts - Transition Pathways towards Sustainability in Agriculture: Case Studies from Europe - page 23

multi-actor participation; individual and collective learning; building on the interplay
between economic, technical, organizational and social innovations; as well as the
importance of collaboration and territorial governance (Tisenkopfs et al. , 2009). A
longitudinal study of the development of a niche showed how it was influenced by the
evolution of its network (Hermans et al. , 2013), an evolution that was driven by internal
processes of convergence of expectations, as well as the learning and experimentation
processes resulting from the projects it undertook.
Other studies (e.g. Bos and Grin, 2008; Elzen et al. , 2011) have focused on pressures
from the socio-technical landscape and on niche-regime interactions that have enabled (or
not) the establishment of a niche such as, for example, pressure on pig husbandry systems
to comply with animal welfare and sustainability concerns. These studies can be seen as
first case studies of ongoing ('emerging') transitions. They highlight how processes at each
of the three analytical levels need to align for an innovation to 'break through' and
transform the regime.
FarmPath: emergent regional-level transitions to sustainability
Overlapping niches and regimes
FarmPath focuses on emerging transitions. In the framework of the research project, these
are defined as established niches that have engaged with actors and organizational
structures at the regime level in a significant way. That a niche is 'established' implies that
there is a stable pattern (rules and standards are defined, networks are established, etc.). To
initiate a 'transition to sustainability' an established niche would need to seek radical
change. This is change that:
 affects a whole sector, a whole value chain, or a whole territory;
 leads to a new alignment of actors, networks or regimes;
 is based on rules and values that are clearly distinct from those of the regime;
 addresses a sustainability issue that is clearly defined by the actors involved in the
emerging transition.
Studies building on the MLP have tended to emphasize the role of structure (e.g. the
role of technological innovations), while at times underplaying the role of 'soft factors'
such as consumer preferences, beliefs and power structures (Elzen et al. , 2004a; Holtz et
al. , 2008; Geels and Schot, 2010). However, transitions to sustainability in agriculture may
not be primarily technology-driven. It is likely that social innovation will play an important
role, and that radical change in agriculture will require changes in beliefs and values by a
wide range of societal actors. The focus of the analysis in this topic is on capturing these
social processes, especially in the interaction between the niche and the regime.
Conceptually, to analyse niche-regime interactions the analysis builds on the notion of
'anchoring' (Elzen et al. , 2012) and 'linking' (Smith, 2007) (Fig. 2.2). Focusing on how the
niche and the regime are interdependent and interact, these authors propose a less
hierarchical representation of niches and regimes. By considering that they may overlap
(Fig. 2.2., see also Diaz et al. , 2013), it allows for 'hybrid actors' (regime actors that are