Socio-economic Trasition; Regional Value Chains; Participatory Approaches; Policy Impact Evaluation; Sustainable Food Systems
Transform value chains, businesses and policies to facilitate the transition to agroecology
Offer: Expertise in Agroecology and Regional Value Chains
The Agri-Food-Bioeconomy team at Ecologic Institute, a private, not-for-profit research entity based in Berlin, offers its expertise to consortia preparing proposals
Our contributions focus on three key themes:
A) Research on socio-economic dynamics for agroecological transitions
We have extensive experience in identifying leverage points and barriers for agroecological transitions. Key highlights include:
- Socio-cultural dynamics: Drivers and barriers influencing practices like reducing synthetic pesticide reliance (SPRINT).
- Transformation pathways: Real-world labs for shorter food supply chains between urban and rural areas (KOPOS) and dietary shifts towards plant-based diets (STErn).
- Systemic perspectives: Linking agricultural production to societal needs via living labs and public-private networks (BioSTEP, All-Ready).
B) Multi-stakeholder engagement and participatory approaches
We specialize in fostering collaboration through:
- Extensive networks across Germany’s food and agricultural value chains.
- Participatory methods (e.g., Living Labs, Q-method studies, Backcasting) for actionable solutions.
- Organizing stakeholder dialogues, workshops, and events to enhance knowledge exchange and decision-making.
C) Evaluation of policies, practices, and governance for agroecological transitions
Our expertise includes:
- Evaluating policies (e.g., CAP, Farm-to-Fork, EU Organic Action Plan) to support agroecology.
- Bridging policy and practice through actionable recommendations and participatory evaluations.
- Insights from coordinating three EU projects on bioeconomy strategies and sustainable resource management.
Proposed Project Idea
Building on our experience in Germany, we propose a project exploring the potential of regional value chains to advance agroecology across European regions. Previously, we facilitated market information events that connected producers, processors, traders, and retailers, enabling knowledge exchange, cooperation, and innovation.
For a European context, we envision replicating and expanding this approach to:
1. Facilitate multi-stakeholder dialogues fostering collaboration in agroecological value chains.
2. Develop strategies to overcome barriers like limited processing and marketing infrastructure.
3. Promote governance models and co-create solutions that enhance the economic viability of agroecological products while ensuring fair market access for producers.
4. Generate comparative insights from different European regions to inform policy and practice.
Why Ecologic Institute?
With a multidisciplinary team and years of experience in participatory research, policy evaluation, and stakeholder engagement, Ecologic Institute is uniquely positioned to contribute:
• Expertise in Living Labs and collaborative frameworks to integrate science, policy, and practice.
• Proven capabilities in evaluating policy effectiveness and enhancing governance structures for sustainable agricultural systems.
• A strong network of researchers, practitioners along the value chain and policymakers, dedicated to fostering equitable and sustainable food systems.
We are excited to collaborate with consortia aiming to unlock the transformative potential of agroecology across Europe. Together, we can drive systemic innovations, co-create impactful solutions, and shape policies to support the transition toward resilient and sustainable agroecosystems.