Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

Purpose: This study aims to explore the collaborative environment needed to support emerging energy innovations in farming.
Method: A qualitative, case study approach has been chosen, guided by an abductive research process. A literature search and interviews were carried out to inform the analysis.
Findings: Following the framework put forward by Glasbergen (2010) on “Partnerships for Sustainable Development” to facilitate the exploration of the phenomenon within the broader context of Agricultural Innovation Systems, the analysis of the case study tends to confirm the importance of trust and shared interests in multi-stakeholder settings, and highlights diverging expectations and goals, and compartmentalisation barriers.
Research limitations and implications: The research focuses on a specific project that hasn’t matured yet. The problem could be explored from different analytical perspectives and it would be useful to follow the project until its completion to report on its evolution and assess its outcomes.
Practical implications: Overall, the findings ascertain the need to take a multidisciplinary, holistic view of innovation in farming and support the applicability and further development of the “Ladder of Partnership Activity” framework for understanding the dimensions of sustainability and collective responsibility.
Originality/value: This study examines the overlooked topic of energy dependence in farms and rural areas, and reveals that there is lots of potential to further our understanding of innovation journeys and reinforce the role of innovation networks and partnerships in agriculture.