Category
food-systems
604 entries tagged food-systems.
Articles — 571
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Nanotechnology in Agriculture: Which Innovation Potential Does It Have?
Nanotechnology offers significant potential to improve agriculture by enhancing productivity and food security while reducing environmental harm. Nanomaterial-based systems—including controlled-release nutrient delivery, pesticide application, and nanosensors for monitoring soil and food quality—can support sustainable intensification and waste management. These innovations address agricultural challenges while promoting economic and social equity.
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Green Revolution in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications of Imposed Innovation for the Wellbeing of Rural Smallholders
Rwanda's Green Revolution policies increased agricultural yields and reduced conventional poverty measures, but harmed most rural smallholders. The policies forced farmers to abandon subsistence polyculture for specialized market crops using modern seeds and inputs. Only wealthier farmers could comply; poorer households experienced disrupted livelihoods, increased landlessness, lost knowledge systems, and reduced autonomy. The authors recommend pro-poor tenure reforms and cooperative arrangements alongside agricultural improvements, and call for rigorous impact assessments that examine effects on different social groups.
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Social innovation and sustainability; how to disentangle the buzzword and its application in the field of agriculture and rural development
Social innovation is widely cited as crucial to agricultural and rural development, yet its meaning remains unclear. This paper identifies three main interpretations: innovation's social mechanisms, innovation's social responsibility, and society's need for innovation. The concept appears more relevant to rural development than agriculture alone, particularly regarding sustainable production, collaboration, and social renewal. However, social innovation is often presented as a vague bundle of processes and outcomes, which weakens its critical potential. The paper argues for clearer definition to better support and monitor social innovation's actual contribution to social change.
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Exploring market orientation, innovation, and financial performance in agricultural value chains in emerging economies
This study examined 190 actors in Vietnam's beef cattle value chain to understand how market orientation drives innovation and financial performance. Market orientation itself did not directly improve performance, but customer orientation and inter-functional coordination within the chain significantly boosted innovation. Innovation then directly improved financial performance. The findings reveal how agricultural value chains in emerging economies can leverage internal coordination and customer focus to drive profitability.
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Edible Mushroom Cultivation for Food Security and Rural Development in China: Bio-Innovation, Technological Dissemination and Marketing
China's mushroom cultivation sector has grown rapidly over 30 years, now employing over 25 million farmers and generating 24 billion USD annually. The industry has shifted from forest collection to farming using diverse materials including agricultural waste. The paper examines how bio-innovation, technology dissemination, and marketing drive this growth, demonstrating mushroom cultivation's contribution to food security and rural development while supporting sustainable agriculture and forestry.
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Organic Farmer Networks: Facilitating Learning and Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture
Organic farmer networks in northeastern New York State drive agricultural innovation through social learning and participatory problem-solving. The study shows how farmers learn from each other and adopt sustainable practices within these networks. The research identifies opportunities for agricultural extension services to support organic farmer management by leveraging these existing social learning processes.
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Achieving food security in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia through innovation: Potential role of agricultural extension
Saudi Arabia faces severe food security challenges due to limited arable land and water in its desert climate, forcing heavy reliance on imports. The paper argues that agricultural extension services are critical to promoting innovative technologies—including hydroponics, greenhouse farming, seawater harvesting, and rainwater collection—that can increase domestic food production and reduce import dependency by 2050.
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Shaping agricultural innovation systems responsive to food insecurity and climate change
Agricultural innovation systems must adapt to climate change and food insecurity by learning from smallholder farmers' strategies in developing countries. The paper examines three regional cases and identifies four key features that strengthen food security: recognizing agriculture's multiple functions, ensuring access to diversity for resilience, building decision-maker capacity at all levels, and maintaining sustained commitment to farmer well-being. These insights guide policymakers in reshaping innovation systems.
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Rural Poverty Alleviation Strategies and Social Capital Link: The Mediation Role of Women Entrepreneurship and Social Innovation
Women entrepreneurs in rural Ghana's agribusiness sector leverage social capital from formal and informal networks to reduce poverty. The study of 333 women entrepreneurs found that women's entrepreneurial growth directly alleviates rural poverty, while social innovation and relational social capital strengthen this effect. Policymakers should expand women's entrepreneurial opportunities in agribusiness to combat rural poverty in developing countries.
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Social Innovation and Food Provisioning during Covid-19: The Case of Urban–Rural Initiatives in the Province of Naples
During Covid-19 lockdowns in Naples, Italy, self-organized urban-rural initiatives emerged to improve food access when mobility was restricted. The paper maps these initiatives and identifies Masseria Ferraioli, which distributes vegetables from mafia-confiscated land to people unable to afford food, as a leading social innovation example. Local communities and volunteer associations proved essential in addressing food provisioning challenges and reviving interest in local food systems.
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Food and agricultural innovation pathways for prosperity
Agricultural research investments can reduce poverty and improve rural prosperity through multiple pathways affecting farmers, laborers, value chain actors, and urban poor. The authors identify 18 plausible impact mechanisms linking agricultural research to poverty reduction outcomes and examine how urbanization and climate change reshape development contexts in low-income countries. They emphasize that measuring success requires understanding who benefits and loses, incorporating gender equity and nuanced definitions of prosperity beyond income metrics.
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Organic agriculture in Africa: a source of innovation for agricultural development
Organic agriculture in Africa generates innovations that advance agricultural development across the continent. The paper examines how organic farming practices create new solutions for farming systems, resource management, and food production. These innovations emerge from African farmers' adaptation to local conditions and constraints, offering pathways for sustainable agricultural improvement that benefit rural communities and food security.
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Social Innovation and Sustainable Rural Development: The Case of a Brazilian Agroecology Network
The Ecovida Agroecology Network in Southern Brazil demonstrates how social innovation drives rural development. This network of farming families, NGOs, and consumer organizations created innovations in horizontal governance, participatory organic certification, and local market relationships. These innovations influenced public policy and strengthened rural-urban cooperation, showing that collaborative food networks can challenge industrial agriculture while meeting consumer demand for healthy food.
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Economic and Social Sustainable Synergies to Promote Innovations in Rural Tourism and Local Development
A rural tourism network in southern Italy demonstrates how territorial collaboration strengthens local development. The initiative connected local producers with quality-conscious consumers, reduced transaction costs, and increased competitiveness in tourism and production chains. The case reveals that rebuilding trust and social capital through traditional and hybrid institutions—supported by research organizations—is essential for rural areas to develop sustainable tourism and achieve broader socio-economic growth.
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Climate‐Smart Innovations and Rural Poverty in Ethiopia: Exploring Impacts and Pathways
Conservation agriculture practices reduce rural poverty in Ethiopia, particularly in rainfall-stressed areas. Minimum tillage and cereal-legume intercropping effectively lower poverty incidence and depth by mitigating climate risks. However, crop residue retention alone provides limited economic benefit. The study cautions against overstating conservation agriculture's universal benefits and recommends tailored, portfolio-based approaches rather than rigid prescriptions.
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Innovations in Climate Risk Management: Protecting and Building Rural Livelihoods in a Variable and Changing Climate
Rural farmers face climate risks from both extreme weather and missed opportunities in favorable years. The paper argues that effective climate risk management combines three innovations: rural climate information services that help farmers make production decisions, decision support systems that translate climate data into actionable institutional guidance, and index-based insurance and credit products that protect livelihoods and enable technology adoption. These approaches together address immediate poverty while building long-term climate resilience.
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Multiple adoption of climate-smart agriculture innovation for agricultural sustainability: Empirical evidence from the Upper Blue Nile Highlands of Ethiopia
Smallholder farmers in Ethiopia's Upper Blue Nile Highlands adopt multiple climate-smart agriculture innovations when they have larger farms, access to credit, frequent extension contact, market access, secure land tenure, climate awareness, and formal education. Farm size, financial services, extension visits, information access, and perceived benefits of reducing climate risks drive adoption of practices like crop rotation, agroforestry, and soil conservation. Policymakers should scale portfolios of location-specific innovations through strengthened extension systems.
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Microbiome Innovation in Agriculture: Development of Microbial Based Tools for Insect Pest Management
This review examines how microbes can improve sustainable pest management in agriculture. The authors explain how insect-microbe relationships affect pest nutrition, immunity, and pesticide resistance, then describe methods to manipulate microbiomes to alter pest traits. They identify microbiomes as sources for discovering new biopesticides and show how beneficial microbes enhance mass-reared insects used in sterile insect and incompatible insect control techniques.
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Re-designing irrigated intensive cereal systems through bundling precision agronomic innovations for transitioning towards agricultural sustainability in North-West India
Researchers tested bundled precision farming innovations in irrigated cereal systems across North-West India, combining subsurface drip irrigation with conservation agriculture. Systems with drip irrigation achieved 13% higher profitability in rice-wheat rotations and 5% in maize-wheat rotations compared to flood-irrigated alternatives, even without subsidies, while improving agricultural sustainability.
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Platform, Participation, and Power: How Dominant and Minority Stakeholders Shape Agricultural Innovation
In Kenya's Yatta Sub-county, smallholder farmers participating in agricultural innovation initiatives face significant power imbalances with dominant stakeholders. Policy actors prioritize commercialization and modernization, but existing social hierarchies limit farmers' access to platform resources and control over decisions. These disparities risk marginalizing vulnerable groups further and reinforcing existing power structures, undermining inclusive and sustainable farmer-driven innovation.
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Innovation, cooperation, and the structure of three regional sustainable agriculture networks in California
Wine grape growers in three California regions form networks that support sustainability through multiple mechanisms: central actors diffuse innovations, closed triangles solve cooperation problems, and boundary-spanning ties connect specialized system components. Network structures vary by region based on geography and institutional history, affecting capacity to respond to environmental change.
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Measuring Women’s Empowerment in Agriculture: Innovations and evidence
This paper reviews how women's empowerment in agriculture is measured and what interventions actually work. The authors use the Women's Empowerment in Agriculture Index to analyze 11 agricultural development projects and livestock interventions. They find evidence linking women's empowerment to improved agricultural productivity, incomes, and food security. The paper offers recommendations for better measurement approaches and policy design.
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Progress and Innovations in Hydrogels for Sustainable Agriculture
Hydrogels—water-absorbing polymer networks—offer a sustainable solution to agriculture's major challenges: water scarcity, pesticide overuse, and soil degradation. These materials improve crop resilience and yields by retaining soil moisture, enabling controlled nutrient delivery, and enhancing seed germination. Hydrogels reduce irrigation needs while increasing productivity, though regulatory frameworks must address safety, biodegradability, and long-term environmental impacts.
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Climate change stimulated agricultural innovation and exchange across Asia
Climate cooling events across Eurasia between 3750 and 2000 years ago reduced crop yields and forced ancient farmers to innovate. Farmers on the Tibetan Plateau and Central Asia diversified their crops in response. Chinese farmers developed new cropping systems and grain transport networks connecting north and south. In areas with worse conditions, communities shifted toward pastoralism and long-distance trade networks. These innovations emerged directly from farmers adapting to climate-driven productivity losses.
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Effects of local institutions on the adoption of agroforestry innovations: evidence of farmer managed natural regeneration and its implications for rural livelihoods in the Sahel
Farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR)—where farmers actively control tree growth on their farms—significantly improves rural livelihoods across the Sahel by increasing cash income, cereal production, and caloric intake. Local institutions shape FMNR adoption unevenly: strong, independent formal and informal institutions encourage collaboration and resource management, while institutions perceived as government extensions discourage participation. FMNR works as both a productive practice and safety net across all dryland regions studied.
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Impact of Small Entrepreneurship on Sustainable Livelihood Assets of Rural Poor Women in Bangladesh
Small-scale agricultural entrepreneurship significantly improves livelihood assets for rural poor women in Bangladesh. Livestock and poultry enterprises boost financial, physical, and social capital; vegetable farming strengthens natural and physical capital; fisheries enhance human capital. NGO support through microcredit and institutional assistance proves critical to success. Resource scarcity, vulnerability, and weak institutional frameworks remain major barriers to long-term sustainability.
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The Increasing Multifunctionality of Agricultural Raw Materials: Three Dilemmas for Innovation and Adoption
Agricultural raw materials now serve multiple industries beyond food and fiber, including energy, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals. This expansion creates three critical challenges: competing goals among different sectors, competition between established and new companies, and blurred industry boundaries. The paper reviews innovation and adoption research in the bioeconomy and proposes conceptual frameworks to address these dilemmas.
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Women's Entrepreneurship and Rural Tourism in Greece: Private Enterprises and Cooperatives
Women entrepreneurs in rural Greece pursue agro-tourism through two distinct models: private enterprises and cooperatives. A survey of 199 women reveals significant differences between the two groups. Women choosing private enterprises tend to be younger, better educated, and more self-confident, while cooperative members are typically older, less educated, and more hesitant about business decisions.
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Highlighting the Retro Side of Innovation and its Potential for Regime Change in Agriculture
Farmer innovations based on rediscovering forgotten traditional knowledge create viable alternatives to dominant modern food systems. Two case studies reveal niche formation where old and new knowledge combine effectively. These retro innovations offer significant potential for rural development and can challenge prevailing food regimes. Social scientists are essential for understanding how these alternative knowledge systems influence agricultural practice.
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Cash crops and food security : contributions to income, livelihood risk and agricultural innovation
Cash crops drive food security and rural development in developing countries by generating income, employment, and agricultural investment. They stimulate innovation and institutional growth that enable commercialization. However, farmers must manage significant risks including price volatility, pests, and drought. Successful cash crop strategies require balancing production with food crops and implementing risk management approaches. Cash crops remain central to sustainable agricultural intensification that increases productivity while preserving soil and ecosystems.
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Technological innovations in agriculture: the application of Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence for grain traceability and protection
Blockchain and artificial intelligence technologies are transforming grain agriculture by creating transparent, immutable supply chain records and enabling AI-driven risk prediction and dynamic insurance contracts. Smart contracts automate financing based on preset conditions, improving grain quality, preventing fraud, and optimizing logistics. Together, these technologies build more sustainable and resilient agricultural systems that address climate change, price volatility, and supply chain transparency demands.
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Responsible Innovation for Life: Five Challenges Agriculture Offers for Responsible Innovation in Agriculture and Food, and the Necessity of an Ethics of Innovation
This paper examines how Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) can be applied to agriculture and food systems. The authors argue that agricultural innovation must balance economic, environmental, and social-ethical concerns, including animal welfare and food security. They identify five key challenges for implementing RRI in agriculture and call for ethical reflection on responsibility and innovation practices in the sector.
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The transformative innovation potential of cellular agriculture: Political and policy stakeholders’ perceptions of cultured meat in Germany
German political and policy stakeholders recognize that conventional animal agriculture faces serious environmental and economic problems, but they doubt cultured meat will transform the food system soon. The study identifies drivers and barriers to cellular agriculture adoption, finding that while stakeholders understand change is necessary, they view large-scale transition to cell-based farming as unlikely in the near term.
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The role of soil water monitoring tools and agricultural innovation platforms in improving food security and income of farmers in smallholder irrigation schemes in Tanzania
Soil water monitoring tools and agricultural innovation platforms significantly improve food security and household income for smallholder farmers in Tanzania's irrigation schemes. The study combined quantitative data from farmer field books and household surveys with qualitative focus group data across two schemes. Both interventions together, and the innovation platform alone, demonstrably enhanced farmers' food security and income outcomes.
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‘Workable utopias’ for social change through inclusion and empowerment? Community supported agriculture (CSA) in Wales as social innovation
Community supported agriculture (CSA) projects in Wales function as social innovations that address food system problems through bottom-up initiatives. These CSA models meet demand for ecologically sound, ethically produced food while empowering individuals and communities. The study finds CSA initiatives operate as viable small-scale social enterprises, but identifies barriers preventing their replication, policy participation, and scaling up that must be overcome for broader transformative impact.
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Innovation in urban agricultural practices: Responding to diverse production environments
Urban farms in seven US cities develop distinct innovations to overcome space constraints, limited land access, and non-traditional growing conditions. These operations prioritize community and social missions alongside food production, creating unique production systems unlike rural agriculture. The study identifies how local environmental factors and food system structures drive farms to adopt space-intensive techniques across diverse business models, from parking lots to warehouses, and highlights major ongoing challenges facing urban agriculture.
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How Can Innovation in Urban Agriculture Contribute to Sustainability? A Characterization and Evaluation Study from Five Western European Cities
Urban agriculture in five Western European cities generates innovations driven by specific problems farmers aim to solve. The study identified 147 novelties across environmental, social, and economic dimensions, with more innovations in environmental and social areas than economic ones. External stakeholders significantly supported these projects. The research demonstrates that greater innovativeness directly enhances overall sustainability outcomes in urban agriculture.
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Agriculture, seed, and innovation in Nepal: industry and policy issues for the future
Nepal's agricultural sector spans three distinct geographic regions—the Terai, Hills, and Mountains—each with different productive capacities. The Terai and inner Terai, at the lowest altitudes, generate the highest agricultural output. The paper examines seed industry development and agricultural innovation policy issues critical to Nepal's future farming productivity across these varied landscapes.
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Unpacking sustainable business models in the Swedish agricultural sector– the challenges of technological, social and organisational innovation
Swedish agri-food companies employ eight distinct sustainable business models, grouped into three archetypes. A survey of 1,143 companies found no regional differences in technological or social innovation, but significant regional variation in organisational innovation. Northern Sweden showed stronger organisational innovation than southern and eastern regions, likely driven by greater environmental and economic pressures. The study identifies pathways for translating social and environmental value into competitive advantage.
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A land of cheese: from food innovation to tourism development in rural Catalonia
Artisanal cheese production in rural Catalonia drives economic innovation and community development through food tourism. Small producers diversify income by attracting visitors to cheese-making operations, which preserves cultural heritage and local landscapes. The research shows how cheese tourism enables rural agri-food companies to survive economically while strengthening regional identity and entrepreneurship in the Catalan Pyrenees.
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Women empowerment through entrepreneurship: case study of a social entrepreneurial intervention in rural India
A social entrepreneurial initiative called Pahal in rural India enabled women to start a food delivery business, increasing their economic independence, household decision-making power, and social status. Men's attitudes shifted positively when women generated income. However, when the initiative stopped after one year, women's economic activities and social gains reversed, demonstrating that sustained institutional support is critical for lasting women's empowerment in patriarchal contexts.
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Incentives for Developing Resilient Agritourism Entrepreneurship in Rural Communities in Romania in a European Context
Economic factors like regional GDP and road infrastructure positively influence agritourism business creation in Romanian counties. Tourism-related factors—including employment, tourist numbers, and tourism sector turnover—also drive agritourism entrepreneurship. The study demonstrates that agritourism development directly supports sustainable regional development and resilient rural communities.
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The system of rice intensification as a sustainable agricultural innovation: introducing, adapting and scaling up a system of rice intensification practices in the Timbuktu region of Mali
The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) was successfully introduced and scaled in Mali's Timbuktu region over three years, growing from 1 to 450 farmers. SRI increases rice yields while reducing seeds, water, and chemical inputs through single young transplants, wide spacing, compost, mechanical weeding, and intermittent irrigation. Success depended on technical adaptation, farmer training, government collaboration, and funding. Farmers achieved significantly higher yields and income, and the approach inspired further local innovations in sustainable rice production.
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Does investment in innovation impact firm performance in emerging economies? An empirical investigation of the Indian food and agricultural manufacturing industry
R&D investment significantly boosts firm growth in India's food and agricultural manufacturing sector. Younger firms benefit most from innovation spending. The study finds that exporting firms gain competitive advantages through R&D, while those importing raw materials face headwinds. Government fiscal incentives and R&D subsidies can accelerate private innovation investment and firm expansion in this emerging economy.
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Contribution of farmers' experiments and innovations to Cuba's agricultural innovation system
Farmers in Cuba conduct their own experiments and innovations that significantly contribute to the country's agricultural system. The study found that government support for participatory knowledge development, combined with interactive meetings like farmer field schools, enables knowledge exchange between farmers and researchers. This multi-stakeholder approach institutionalizes farmer knowledge and builds resilience in farming systems.
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The Institutional Limits to Multifunctional Agriculture: Subnational Governance and Regional Systems of Innovation
This paper examines how regional governance in England's East Midlands implements multifunctional agriculture policies. The author uses a regional innovation systems approach to show that while multifunctionality is promoted across Europe, translating this concept into actual policy faces significant institutional challenges. The study reveals gaps between the theoretical appeal of postproductivist agricultural strategies and the practical capacity of subnational governance to deliver them.
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In pursuit of responsible innovation for precision agriculture technologies
Agricultural decision support systems using satellite data, drones, and machine learning reshape how farms operate, but create uneven benefits and risks. Research with farmers in Vermont and South Dakota reveals these technologies transform knowledge production, change labor arrangements, and distribute advantages unevenly. Developers must adopt inclusive deliberative processes when designing these systems to ensure ethical, equitable, and sustainable outcomes.
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Entrepreneurial Intention among Rural Youth in Moroccan Agricultural Cooperatives: The Future of Rural Entrepreneurship
Rural youth in Moroccan agricultural cooperatives face significant barriers to entrepreneurship. Using planned behavior theory, researchers surveyed 130 young cooperative members and found that financing constraints and agribusiness risks discourage entrepreneurial intentions, particularly among women. Socio-demographic factors, personal perceptions, prior experience, and cooperative activities all influence whether youth pursue self-employment or remain cooperative members.
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THE SYSTEM OF RICE INTENSIFICATION (SRI) AS A SYSTEM OF AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION
The System of Rice Intensification, developed in Madagascar, now reaches 500,000 farmers across 20+ countries who increase rice production while reducing external inputs and costs. Rather than examining the innovation itself, this paper analyzes the transnational system of innovation that emerged around SRI. Farmers voluntarily extended the methodology to peers, adapted it to reduce labor demands, and applied it to rainfed rice and other crops. Diverse organizations formed innovative alliances to disseminate and adjust the methodology, driving global adoption despite institutional resistance.
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A New Path of Sustainable Development in Traditional Agricultural Areas from the Perspective of Open Innovation—A Coupling and Coordination Study on the Agricultural Industry and the Tourism Industry
In Henan province, China, agricultural and tourism industries show increasing coordination from 2009 to 2018, with coordination scores rising from 0.278 to 0.921. The study demonstrates that integrating these two industries effectively drives rural economic development and poverty alleviation. The authors recommend optimizing agricultural structure, extending tourism chains, and implementing supportive policies to sustain this integrated development model.
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Human Poverty Alleviation through Rural Women’s Tourism Entrepreneurship
Rural women in China who start tourism businesses reduce poverty across multiple dimensions beyond income alone. The study identifies five pathways: improved physical and mental health, increased cultural literacy, greater participation in public affairs, better living environments, and enhanced self-worth. Tourism entrepreneurship provides rural women with feasible routes to alleviate knowledge poverty, rights poverty, and overall human poverty while promoting sustainable rural development.
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Organic agriculture: A fountain of alternative innovations for social, economic, and environmental challenges of conventional agriculture in a developing country context
Organic farming in Kenya generates multiple innovations addressing conventional agriculture's failures. Farmers adopted financial innovations, peer learning systems, and agro-tourism. They converted waste into pest control and soil fertility products, created new marketing channels like farmers' markets and delivery schemes, and established participatory certification systems. These innovations reduce information gaps, market risk, and financial service barriers. However, government policy support remains insufficient.
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Global investment gap in agricultural research and innovation to meet Sustainable Development Goals for hunger and Paris Agreement climate change mitigation
Agricultural research and development investments must increase by $4 billion annually, plus $6.5 billion yearly for climate-smart farming technologies, to end global hunger by 2030 and meet Paris Agreement climate targets. The analysis models how conservation tillage, improved nitrogen use, better livestock management, and other sustainable practices reduce greenhouse gas emissions while cutting hunger to 5% worldwide.
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Using diffusion of innovations theory to understand agricultural producer perspectives on cover cropping in the inland Pacific Northwest, USA
Farmers in the inland Pacific Northwest resist adopting cover crops despite research showing benefits. Using diffusion of innovations theory, interviews with 28 producers revealed that low perceived profitability, incompatibility with existing systems, and complexity of experimentation deter adoption. Focus groups with 48 stakeholders identified opportunities to improve adoption by providing region-specific agronomic and economic data, aligning policies with producer goals, and tailoring outreach to local conditions.
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Barriers to Sustainable Business Model Innovation in Swedish Agriculture
Swedish agriculture faces declining farm numbers and employment while regulatory demands and sustainability expectations increase. This qualitative study of six family farms identifies barriers preventing farmers from adopting sustainable business model innovation. The research finds that barriers are external, internal, and contextual in nature, explaining why Swedish farmers rarely pursue sustainable business model innovation despite its proven benefits for creating sustainable businesses and societies.
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Enabling rural innovation in Africa: An approach for integrating farmer participatory research and market orientation for building the assets of rural poor
The Enabling Rural Innovation approach integrates farmer participatory research with market orientation to help small-scale farmers in Africa develop profitable agroenterprises. Testing in Malawi, Uganda, and Tanzania shows farmers select crops based on mixed economic and non-economic criteria. Success requires building human and social capital, strengthening partnerships between research organizations and communities, and connecting local innovations to national and regional market institutions.
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Transforming Agricultural Productivity with AI-Driven Forecasting: Innovations in Food Security and Supply Chain Optimization
AI-driven forecasting models, including machine learning and deep learning, transform agricultural productivity and food supply chains by enabling real-time crop monitoring and resource optimization. Integration of IoT, remote sensing, and blockchain technologies improves decision-making across European hydroponic systems and Southeast Asian aquaponics. AI also enhances food preservation through advanced processing techniques. However, data quality, model scalability, and prediction accuracy remain significant barriers, especially in data-poor regions. Success requires context-specific implementations and public-private collaboration.
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Social Entrepreneurship in Agriculture, a Sustainable Practice for Social and Economic Cohesion in Rural Areas: The Case of the Czech Republic
Social farming in the Czech Republic uses agricultural enterprises to address rural social exclusion and service gaps through therapeutic activities, sheltered employment, and educational programs. The study examines fifteen Czech social farms to determine whether they meet social entrepreneurship criteria and assesses their contribution to rural development. Social farms successfully integrate vulnerable populations while supporting economic sustainability and social cohesion in countryside communities.
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Responsible to whom? Seed innovations and the corporatization of agriculture
Hybrid and genetically engineered seed innovations were developed alongside corporate and chemical industry interests, systematically disadvantaging small farmers and alternative agricultural practices. The paper traces how these technological shifts occurred with minimal public controversy because they were embedded in cultural narratives about seeds and farming that normalized corporate control. The author argues that examining seed innovation through technopolitics and cultural analysis reveals how responsibility gets built into technology design, before those choices become locked into material systems and social practice.
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The Role of Agency in the Emergence and Development of Social Innovations in Rural Areas. Analysis of Two Cases of Social Farming in Italy and The Netherlands
This paper examines how agency—the ability to turn challenges into opportunities—drives social innovation in rural agriculture. Researchers studied two social farming cases in Italy and the Netherlands, developing a framework to evaluate agency dimensions using both quantitative and qualitative data. The findings show that a strong innovation idea, agency resilience, and the agency's embeddedness in local context are critical for social innovations to emerge and develop in rural areas.
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Agricultural Innovation and the Protection of Traditional Rice Varieties: Kerala a Case Study
India's plant variety protection and geographical indication laws aim to promote agricultural innovation and benefit farmers growing traditional crops. A survey of 401 rice farmers in Kerala found most were unaware of these laws or misunderstood them. Farmers rarely registered their varieties or claimed benefits when their crops were used commercially. The study concludes that awareness campaigns are essential before these policies can effectively support agricultural innovation.
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Scaling up research-for-development innovations in food and agricultural systems
Research-for-development innovations in food and agriculture often fail to scale despite successful pilots, particularly in poor regions. The Canadian International Food Security Research Fund supported applied research to develop and scale innovations. Key lessons show that successful scaling requires embedding innovations within local socio-ecological systems, engaging end users throughout research, enabling participatory decision-making, and ensuring innovations deliver returns for end-users.
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Supporting rural entrepreneurship in the UK microbrewery sector
The UK microbrewery sector has grown rapidly, but declining pub numbers threaten sustainability. This study finds that rural microbreweries generate value beyond economics—including job creation, heritage preservation, and tourism benefits. Funding boosted entrepreneurial activity but risked distorting competition. As the market intensifies, microbrewers must innovate to survive, and policymakers need better tools to assess how grant funding affects local economies and entrepreneurship.
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Effectiveness of Climate-Smart Agriculture Innovations in Smallholder Agriculture System in Ethiopia
This study evaluated how climate-smart agriculture innovations affect smallholder farmers in Ethiopia's highlands. Using data from 424 farmers, researchers found that improved crop varieties, compost, row planting, and agroforestry simultaneously boost food security, climate adaptation, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Crop rotation and soil conservation each delivered two of these three benefits. Crop residue management failed to meet the targets. The authors recommend farmers adopt a portfolio combining improved varieties, crop rotation, compost, row planting, soil conservation, and agroforestry.
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The role of agricultural innovation on Pacific Islands: a case study from Hawai'i Island
Between 1400 and 1650, Hawaiian farmers developed terraced fields, irrigation systems, and windbreaks that opened 60 percent of available farmland. These innovations enabled agriculture in marginal areas, increased food surplus, and supported population growth and elite competition. The expanded agricultural base allowed societies to support non-producers across larger territories, driving the transition to surplus-driven economies.
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Developing capacity for agricultural market chain innovation: Experience with the ‘PMCA’ in Uganda
The Participatory Market Chain Approach (PMCA), originally developed in the Andes to drive pro-poor agricultural innovation, was successfully adapted and applied in Uganda to stimulate technological and institutional innovation in local commodity chains. The approach requires intensive capacity development that builds social networks, shifts attitudes, and develops both technical and social skills among researchers, farmers, market agents, and policymakers working together across the value chain.
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Making technological innovations accessible to agricultural water management: Design of a low-cost wireless sensor network for drip irrigation monitoring in Tunisia
Researchers developed an affordable, open-source wireless soil moisture sensor for drip irrigation monitoring in Tunisia. The device addresses barriers to water management technology adoption by eliminating high costs and technical complexity that prevent farmers from using commercial sensors. Field testing over a growing season showed the low-cost sensor performs comparably to commercial alternatives and enables real-time irrigation monitoring and water management decisions.
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Addressing the paradox – the divergence between smallholders’ preference and actual adoption of agricultural innovations
Smallholder farmers in Rwanda prefer certain tree species for agroforestry but don't adopt them without enabling conditions. The study identifies five critical requirements for adoption: available quality inputs, compatibility with existing farming systems, climate resilience, simple management, and market access. National one-size-fits-all strategies fail; instead, tailored approaches addressing specific constraints for priority species in different agroecological zones drive sustainable adoption.
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Innovations, food storage and the origins of agriculture
The paper argues that nomadic hunter-gatherers transitioned to sedentary agriculture by building on existing skills in foraging, pottery, and food storage. As their tool kits grew heavier and more diverse, settling in one place became practical. Sedentarism then enabled specialization in the very activities that had burdened them—plant cultivation and food storage—ultimately driving the global emergence of agriculture.
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Addressing soil salinity for sustainable agriculture and food security: Innovations and challenges in coastal regions of Bangladesh
Soil salinity threatens Bangladesh's coastal agriculture and food security, affecting 30% of arable land. Traditional mitigation methods fail to address the problem effectively. The paper proposes climate-smart agriculture and microbial-assisted phytoremediation using endophytic bacteria as innovative solutions that enhance plant growth and nutrient absorption under salinity stress, supporting sustainable food production and poverty alleviation.
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The impact of social grant-dependency on agricultural entrepreneurship among rural households in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa
Social grant dependency negatively affects agricultural entrepreneurship among rural farming households in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The study of 513 households found that grants create disincentive effects that inhibit entrepreneurial development. Conversely, asset ownership, government support services like extension and credit, and infrastructure access like tenure security and market access all strengthen agricultural entrepreneurship. The findings suggest policymakers should enhance household risk-bearing capacity and government support to boost smallholder farmer entrepreneurship.
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Toward Sustainability: Novelties, Areas of Learning and Innovation in Urban Agriculture
Urban agriculture in U.S. cities generates innovations across four key areas: financing, production technology, market development, and social acceptance. Researchers interviewed practitioners in New York, Philadelphia, and Chicago to identify how they overcome obstacles and drive change. The study finds that urban agriculture novelties can enhance positive impacts on cities and create opportunities for social learning and broader societal transformation.
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Assessment of the Enabling Rural Innovation (ERI) approach: Case studies from Malawi and Uganda
The Enabling Rural Innovation approach strengthens rural communities in Malawi and Uganda by linking smallholder farmers to markets and building entrepreneurial capacity. Results show households increased incomes and assets, farmers gained market analysis and negotiation skills, and gender decision-making became more shared at household and community levels. Women acquired skills at lower rates than men. Participatory research boosted farmer investments in soil fertility technologies.
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Automation and AI in Precision Agriculture: Innovations for Enhanced Crop Management and Sustainability
AI and automation technologies in precision agriculture significantly improve crop monitoring, resource efficiency, and yields. Drones, autonomous tractors, AI-driven irrigation, and predictive analytics increase crop health assessment accuracy by 30–50 percent, boost yields by 5–15 percent while reducing water and fertilizer use by 25–40 percent, and cut labor costs by 20–40 percent. However, scalability, affordability for small farms, and data privacy remain barriers. Future integration of 5G, blockchain, and edge computing could enhance decision-making and transparency.
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Using nature-based water storage for smallholder irrigated agriculture in African drylands: Lessons from frugal innovation pilots in Mozambique and Zimbabwe
Smallholder farmers in Zimbabwe and Mozambique can access water for irrigation from shallow sand river aquifers using low-cost well-points and solar pumps, costing under $1,000 per 0.2 hectares. Pilots show water availability is not the constraint; instead, success depends on farmers' prior experience, market access, and willingness to adopt individual commercial farming rather than traditional communal irrigation schemes. The approach scales gradually as farmers expand operations.
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Factors affecting the adoption of agricultural innovations on underutilized cereals: The case of finger millet among smallholder farmers in Kenya
Smallholder finger millet farmers in Kenya adopt agricultural innovations—improved varieties, conservation tillage, pest management, and group marketing—based on specific factors. Plot size, off-farm income, household credit, and extension contact increase adoption likelihood and intensity. Technical training boosts adoption depth but sometimes discourages initial uptake. Understanding these drivers enables policymakers to design strategies that raise innovation adoption rates, improving food security and farmer incomes.
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Exploring Opportunities for Enhancing Innovation in Agriculture: The Case of Oil Palm Production in Ghana
This study identifies institutional barriers limiting innovation in Ghana's oil palm sector. Researchers found that technical farm-level innovations alone cannot drive sustainable production and poverty reduction without addressing systemic constraints. The study recommends integrating small-scale processors into value chains, organizing farmers for better negotiating power, improving access to high-yielding seedlings, and reforming tenancy arrangements to incentivize tenant farmer investment.
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Roles of ‘small- and medium-sized enterprises’ in service industry innovation: a case study on leisure agriculture service in tourism regional innovation
Small and medium-sized enterprises in Taiwan's leisure agriculture sector boost competitiveness through cooperation that engages customers in value creation. The study identifies four evolutionary stages of leisure agriculture services and shows that SME collaboration overcomes resource constraints while shifting the tourism industry from product-focused to service-focused business models.
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What innovations impact agricultural productivity in Sub-Saharan Africa?
This study analyzes which agricultural innovations boost productivity across 22 Sub-Saharan African countries from 1996 to 2014. Pesticides and irrigation increase productivity, while fertilizer shows mixed results. Crop diversification improves profits and output. Labor-saving machinery like tractors and harvesters significantly raise productivity. The findings inform policy recommendations for agricultural development in the region.
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Social Innovation in Rural Areas? The Case of Andalusian Olive Oil Co-Operatives
Andalusian olive oil cooperatives function as social innovations that address rural development challenges by helping farmers compete internationally while preserving rural livelihoods. The study finds that these cooperatives are slowly adopting organizational and management innovations with broader social benefits. Despite historical market competition difficulties, cooperatives maintain rural populations and improve quality of life, warranting government support as public goods.
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‘Freedom from Poverty is Not for Free’: Rural Development and the Microfinance Crisis in Andhra Pradesh, India
The 2010 microfinance crisis in Andhra Pradesh reveals fundamental failures in neoliberal development narratives. Microfinance institutions exploited rural vulnerability caused by trade liberalization, drought, and agrarian collapse, encouraging poor farmers to take loans for consumption and debt management. The crisis demonstrates that integrating the poor into formal financial systems without addressing underlying agrarian dislocations creates instability rather than poverty reduction.
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Does microfinance reduce rural poverty?
Microfinance borrowing causally increases household consumption and housing improvements among farm households in northern Ethiopia. Using panel data tracked over four rounds, the study finds that repeated borrowing produces cumulative long-term poverty reduction effects. Short-term impact estimates underestimate credit's true benefits on rural poverty.
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Managing indigenous knowledge for sustainable agricultural development in developing countries: Knowledge management approaches in the social context
Indigenous knowledge about agriculture in Tanzania is shared through weak, informal networks, causing significant knowledge loss. The study found that gender, location, culture, trust, and ICT access shape how farmers acquire and share agricultural knowledge. Knowledge management approaches can integrate indigenous knowledge with other systems while accounting for these differences, supporting sustainable agricultural development in developing countries.
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Chefs as change-makers from the kitchen: indigenous knowledge and traditional food as sustainability innovations
Kitchens and chefs drive food system transformation by leveraging traditional knowledge of local food species to create nutritious, delicious dishes. The paper identifies cooks as key innovators addressing food security and sustainability challenges. By connecting indigenous food knowledge to contemporary culinary practice, chefs help build more equitable and environmentally sustainable food systems.
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From Sink to Source: The Honey Bee Network Documents Indigenous Knowledge and Innovations in India
The Honey Bee Network documents indigenous innovations and traditional knowledge developed by tribal communities and local people across India's biodiverse regions. Communities in remote, economically disadvantaged areas have created effective agricultural techniques and identified medicinal plants by adapting to harsh environmental conditions. These innovations remain largely unrecognized globally, despite their practical value for subsistence and local development.
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Caring for country and sustainable Indigenous development: Opportunities, constraints and innovation
Indigenous community-based natural resource management in northern Australia generates both conservation and economic benefits. When Indigenous people actively manage their land, they achieve favorable fire regimes, control weeds, and harvest wildlife while producing income through arts, crafts, and commercial enterprises. The paper argues that removing barriers to Indigenous participation in these activities and providing equitable public support creates sustainable economic development that reduces Indigenous disadvantage while protecting biodiversity.
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Impact of microfinance of IBBL on the rural poor's livelihood in Bangladesh: an empirical study
Microfinance provided by IBBL to rural poor in Bangladesh significantly increased household income, crop and livestock productivity, employment, and expenditure. Clients' age, family farming members, land size, and ethical values positively influenced income gains. Beneficiaries reported improved economic organization, quality of life, and awareness of health and sanitation. The study recommends expanding the program with larger investments and demand-driven training.
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Climate change and small-scale agriculture in Africa: Does indigenous knowledge matter? Insights from Kenya and South Africa
Small-scale farmers in Kenya and South Africa use indigenous knowledge to predict weather, manage rainfall, preserve seeds, and adapt farming practices to climate change impacts. The study of 115 respondents shows local communities deploy traditional methods effectively to cope with adverse environmental conditions. The authors argue that combining indigenous knowledge with modern science creates stronger agricultural strategies for African farmers facing climate change.
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Knowledge management approaches in managing agricultural indigenous and exogenous knowledge in Tanzania
Western knowledge management models fail to address rural farming communities in developing countries. This study examined how Tanzanian farmers acquire and share both indigenous and exogenous agricultural knowledge. Indigenous knowledge spreads through small local networks, while exogenous knowledge reaches wider audiences via formal sources. Policies, legal frameworks, ICTs, and culture shape knowledge access. The researcher developed a new knowledge management model tailored to rural developing-world contexts.
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Indigenous agricultural knowledge: A neglected human based resource for sustainable crop protection and production
Indigenous agricultural practices in Ethiopia significantly improve crop production and reduce reliance on expensive chemical inputs. Farmers use traditional seed selection, pest management, and soil conservation methods adapted to local rainfall, soil, and crop conditions. Education level, marital status, and farming experience influence adoption of these practices. Documenting and scientifically validating indigenous knowledge could promote sustainable, organic farming and lower agriculture's environmental impact.
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The Resilience of Indigenous Knowledge in Small-scale African Agriculture: Key Drivers
Indigenous knowledge systems in northern Malawi drive agricultural innovation more effectively than modern scientific approaches for small-scale farmers. The study finds that household food security and soil fertility maintenance are the primary motivations shaping farming practices. Indigenous knowledge succeeds because it integrates deeply with local economic, social, and cultural contexts, whereas external development interventions have largely failed to take root.
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Integrating meteorological and indigenous knowledge-based seasonal climate forecasts for the agricultural sector : lessons from participatory action research in sub-Saharan Africa
This paper examines how combining meteorological data with indigenous climate knowledge improves seasonal forecasts for agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa. Through participatory action research, the authors demonstrate that integrating local knowledge systems with scientific forecasting creates more effective and culturally relevant climate predictions that farmers can use to make better agricultural decisions.
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Reducing vulnerability of rain‐fed agriculture to drought through indigenous knowledge systems in north‐eastern Ghana
Farmers in north-eastern Ghana reduce drought vulnerability in rain-fed agriculture by using indigenous knowledge systems. They plant multiple drought-resistant crop varieties, stagger planting across farms, apply organic manure, control soil erosion with grass strips and stone terracing, and adopt paddy farming for water conservation. The paper recommends integrating these indigenous practices into district development and climate adaptation planning.
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Enhancing Sustainable Production and Genetic Resource Conservation of Bambara Groundnut: A Survey of Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge Systems
Bambara groundnut is underutilized in Africa despite high market value and potential for commercial production. Researchers surveyed indigenous farming practices in Ghana's Upper West region to document traditional knowledge about crop production and genetic resource conservation. The study found that local farmers possess valuable knowledge about variety selection, pest management, and germplasm conservation. The findings identify research and extension priorities for improving production while preserving locally adapted varieties.
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Understanding indigenous knowledge: Bridging the knowledge gap through a knowledge creation model for agricultural development
Indigenous knowledge management in Tanzania's agricultural sector can be strengthened using Nonaka's knowledge creation theory. The study found that local communities need structured knowledge-creating environments to capture, preserve, and share traditional agricultural knowledge while integrating it with new technologies and innovations. Adequate resources for documentation are essential before this knowledge disappears.
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Impact of Population Aging and Renewable Energy Consumption on Agricultural Green Total Factor Productivity in Rural China: Evidence from Panel VAR Approach
Using panel data from 30 Chinese provinces (2000–2019), this study finds that population aging and renewable energy consumption both positively impact agricultural green total factor productivity in the long run. Population aging contributes 2.23% and renewable energy use contributes 0.56% to productivity gains over a 15-year lag period. The authors recommend improving agricultural infrastructure, increasing technology investment, building human capital, and strengthening international cooperation.
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Indigenous and local knowledge on social-ecological changes is positively associated with livelihood resilience in a Globally Important Agricultural Heritage System
Small-scale farmers in Chile's Chiloé Archipelago who possess greater knowledge about environmental and social changes show stronger livelihood resilience. The study surveyed 100 farmers using agrosilvopastoral systems and found a significant positive relationship between farmers' awareness of atmospheric, physical, biological, and human system changes and their ability to maintain resilient livelihoods across financial, human, social, physical, and natural capital assets.
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Agricultural Financing in Nigeria: An Empirical Study of Nigerian Agricultural Co-operative and Rural Development Bank (NACRDB): 1990-2010
Agricultural credit significantly drives economic growth in Nigeria, but loan repayment failures have hampered development. The study of Nigeria's Agricultural Co-operative and Rural Development Bank from 1990-2010 reveals a strong relationship between agricultural financing and economic growth. The research recommends increasing loan availability and reducing interest rates to boost rural agricultural development and national economic expansion.
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Digital inclusive finance & the high-quality agricultural development: Prevalence of regional heterogeneity in rural China
Digital inclusive finance significantly improves agricultural development in rural China, with the strongest effects in the Eastern region. The relationship is nonlinear, with two critical thresholds: below 4.77, digital finance has minimal impact; above 5.32, its positive effects strengthen substantially. Regional differences exist across China's three regions. The study recommends expanding digital finance in Central and Western regions to balance development and reduce financial exclusion in agriculture.
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Challenges of Managing Indigenous Knowledge with other Knowledge Systems for Agricultural Growth in sub-Saharan Africa
Tanzanian smallholder farmers struggle to manage indigenous agricultural knowledge and access external information due to personal, social, and environmental barriers including weak infrastructure, poor extension service linkages, and ICT adoption challenges. The study recommends governments improve rural infrastructure and extension services, knowledge providers foster knowledge-sharing cultures, and farmers receive training to document and disseminate knowledge through participatory approaches that integrate indigenous and external systems.
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A renewable energy-centred research agenda for planning and financing Nexus development objectives in rural sub-Saharan Africa
Rural sub-Saharan Africa faces overlapping development gaps: most cropland relies on rainfall alone, smallholder farmers lack electricity for irrigation and storage, and two-thirds of rural residents have no power access. This paper proposes a research agenda integrating renewable energy, water, climate, and agriculture to develop sustainable business models that help smallholder farmers increase yields and escape poverty while accounting for population growth and climate extremes.
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Finding the context indigenous innovation in village enterprise knowledge structure: a topic modeling
Indigenous communities possess deep knowledge of environmental sustainability and natural resource use that drives rural economic growth. This study analyzed 1,440 research articles on village enterprises using topic modeling to map their knowledge structure. The analysis identified key topics including local ownership, land use, services, economy, microfinance, environmental management, and social entrepreneurship. Four natural resource-based sectors emerged: traditional food production, bio-energy, agriculture, and tourism. The resulting knowledge structure provides a foundation for evaluating village enterprises and guiding future research.
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Decentralized renewable energies and the water-energy-food nexus in rural Morocco
A pilot project in Morocco's Youssoufia Province demonstrates how decentralized renewable energy initiatives benefit rural communities by addressing interconnected water, energy, and food challenges. The approach builds partnerships across sectors, reduces trade-offs between competing resource demands, and improves coordination for sustainable development and community well-being in the face of climate change and pandemic disruptions.
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MicroFEWs: A Food–Energy–Water Systems Approach to Renewable Energy Decisions in Islanded Microgrid Communities in Rural Alaska
Remote Alaskan communities face interconnected challenges across food, energy, and water systems. This paper introduces the MicroFEWs approach, which helps these isolated communities make renewable energy decisions while protecting food security. Using Cordova, Alaska as a case study, the authors show how increased renewable energy generation affects the local fish processing industry and overall community resilience. The framework offers a replicable model for other remote regions.
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Documenting and Disseminating Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Food Security: The Efforts of Agricultural Research Libraries in Nigeria
Agricultural research libraries in Nigeria document and disseminate indigenous farming knowledge to improve food security. The study surveyed librarians at agricultural research institutions to identify which traditional practices have been recorded and what obstacles prevent better documentation. Findings reveal gaps in capturing indigenous agricultural knowledge and offer recommendations for improving how libraries preserve and share these practices to strengthen food production.
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Indigenous knowledge and sustainable agricultural resources management under rainfed agro-ecosystem
Tribal farmers in Madhya Pradesh's rainfed regions have developed sophisticated agricultural systems adapted to harsh, risk-prone environments. These traditional practices—including crop diversity conservation, water management, and pest control—prove productive and sustainable without costly external inputs. The study documents Gond, Baiga, and Pradhan farming wisdom and urges agricultural researchers to systematically learn from and integrate these practices before they disappear.
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Impact of digital inclusive finance on agricultural total factor productivity in Zhejiang Province from the perspective of integrated development of rural industries
Digital inclusive finance—combining digital technology with inclusive financial services—significantly boosts agricultural productivity in Zhejiang Province, China. The mechanism works through integrated rural industry development. The effect is stronger in northeastern Zhejiang and mid-tier agricultural areas. Expanding digital inclusive finance and coordinating its regional development can improve overall agricultural productivity and support rural revitalization.
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Complementarity or Substitution: A Study of the Impacts of Internet Finance and Rural Financial Development on Agricultural Economic Growth
Using Chinese county-level data from 2014–2018, this study examines how internet finance and rural finance affect agricultural economic growth. The researchers found that both contribute to growth, but show substitution effects—internet finance reduces the marginal impact of traditional rural finance. Internet finance benefits wealthy counties but hinders development in poorer regions. The findings suggest policymakers should restructure rural financial markets and modernize traditional financial institutions.
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Protecting and promoting indigenous knowledge: environmental adult education and organic agriculture
Environmental adult educators can promote sustainable living by recognizing organic farmers' knowledge as indigenous knowledge. The paper argues that organic agriculture's knowledge system—including its spiritual dimensions—fits better within UNESCO's indigenous knowledge framework than Habermasian theory, while maintaining capacity for critique and transformation. This approach helps adult education address food security and environmental sustainability by connecting farming practices to indigenous knowledge systems.
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Weaving indigenous agricultural knowledge with formal education to enhance community food security: school competition as a pedagogical space in rural Anchetty, India
A school competition in rural Tamil Nadu, India successfully created a pedagogical space where indigenous agricultural knowledge about traditional small millets was integrated into formal education. Students, local farmers, and teachers collaborated through the competition, which strengthened community understanding of traditional farming practices and food security. Participants recognized the competition's potential to preserve indigenous knowledge while addressing local food security challenges.
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Indigenous knowledge and its relevance for agriculture : a case study in Uganda
This study examines indigenous knowledge about cultivating traditional vegetables in rural Uganda using participatory research methods. The findings show that indigenous agricultural practices differ from conventional approaches, vary within communities, and extend beyond technical knowledge. Comparing results with similar African studies, the authors conclude that understanding and integrating indigenous knowledge into agricultural research and extension programs would improve the effectiveness of future interventions.
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Recognizing Indigenous Knowledge on Agricultural Landscape in Bali for Micro Climate and Environment Control
Indigenous agricultural practices in Bali's terraced rice landscapes demonstrate sophisticated climate and environmental control mechanisms. The study reveals how traditional knowledge—particularly the Tri Hita Karana concept—integrates forest, temples, paddies, irrigation systems, and settlements to create sustainable landscapes on steep mountain slopes. The controlled irrigation system distributes water efficiently across impossible terrain, while the vertical landscape pattern protects against environmental degradation and strengthens adaptive capacity to climate change.
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A Comparative Analysis of the Use of Microfinance and Formal and Informal Credit by Farmers in Less Developed Areas of Rural China
Farmers in poor rural China use different credit sources for different purposes: microfinance funds livestock and non-agricultural investments, formal credit supports crop production, and informal credit covers consumption needs. The study shows credit demand has grown significantly and recommends developing a complementary financial system that integrates microfinance, formal, and informal channels to meet farmers' production and consumption credit needs.
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Intersecting Knowledge With Landscape: Indigenous Agriculture, Sustainable Food Production and Response to Climate Change – A Case Study of Chuktia Bhunjia Tribe of Odisha, India
The Chuktia Bhunjia tribe in Odisha, India practices sustainable agriculture rooted in local ecology, beliefs, and rituals. Their methods—intercropping, agroforestry, crop rotation, and rainwater harvesting—maintain soil fertility, reduce greenhouse gases, and adapt to climate change while remaining cost-effective. The tribe's knowledge, culturally transmitted through ritual practice, supports both food security and ecosystem conservation. Displacement from a tiger conservation project threatens this integrated system.
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Assessment of crop residues for off-grid rural electrification options in Ghana
Ghana's rural areas lack electricity access for 28% of the population. This study assessed crop residues as a biomass energy source for off-grid rural electrification. Researchers found 29 million tonnes of surplus crop residues could generate 401 petajoules annually. Gasification and combustion technologies produce electricity at $0.29–$0.34 per kilowatt-hour, exceeding current residential tariffs. Despite higher costs, crop residue-based electricity generation remains viable for rural Ghana with financial support.
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A systematic PLS-SEM approach on assessment of indigenous knowledge in adapting to floods; A way forward to sustainable agriculture
Indigenous knowledge significantly influences how farmers adapt to floods and practice sustainable agriculture. The study identifies key factors affecting farmers' flood knowledge through statistical analysis, with age showing no relationship to this knowledge. The findings support policy recommendations for governments to develop integrated flood management strategies that protect farmers, ecosystems, and food systems while promoting sustainable agricultural development.
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Energy access investment, agricultural profitability, and rural development: time for an integrated approach
Rural sub-Saharan Africa faces severe electricity poverty, blocking development despite smallholder farmers driving 80% of agricultural output. High infrastructure costs and low payment security deter private investment and overwhelm governments. This paper argues that rural electrification must integrate with agricultural productivity improvements, generating local income that attracts private energy investment across residential and productive sectors. Data modelling and policy research are essential to enable this synergistic approach.
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Integrating Local and Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK) Systems into Climate Adaptation Policy for Resilience Building, and Sustainability in Agriculture
Local and indigenous ecological knowledge systems help rural communities in southern Bangladesh adapt to climate change impacts on agriculture. The paper documents how these traditional adaptation strategies strengthen resilience and sustainability among poor farmers facing environmental pressures. The author argues policymakers must integrate indigenous knowledge into climate adaptation and development policies, especially in resource-scarce regions where communities depend on these proven strategies.
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Entwining indigenous knowledge and science knowledge for sustainable agricultural extension: exploring the strengths and challenges
Indigenous knowledge offers significant potential for sustainable agriculture but remains largely excluded from extension programs. This study identifies barriers to integration including perceived value gaps, knowledge protocols, cultural constraints, and intellectual property concerns. However, combining indigenous knowledge with science strengthens sustainable practices. The findings suggest extension policies should better recognize and protect indigenous knowledge while addressing accessibility and property rights issues.
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Rural Women Subsistence Farmers, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Agricultural Research in South Africa
Rural women farmers in South Africa rely on indigenous knowledge systems to sustain agriculture and livelihoods, yet agricultural research and policy systematically marginalize their contributions and exclude them from resource access. The study argues that policymakers and researchers must prioritize understanding how gender and indigenous knowledge shape agricultural sustainability, as current approaches undervalue women's expertise and limit their control over farming resources.
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Assessment of Indigenous Knowledge Practices for Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security in Idemili South Local Government Area of Anambra State, Nigeria
Rural farmers in Nigeria's Idemili South region possess extensive indigenous knowledge for sustainable agriculture and food security, including practices like mulching, organic manure use, and traditional food preservation. The study identifies major barriers to wider adoption: lack of documentation, time demands, and poor recognition. Recommendations include using ICT infrastructure to document and share indigenous practices, and providing financial incentives to reduce farmers' implementation costs.
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Water insecurity, food insecurity and social capital associated with a group-led microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya
A microfinance programme in semi-rural Kenya reduced water and food insecurity through increased social capital. Higher social capital—measured by group cohesion, trust, and mutual support—directly lowered water insecurity, which in turn reduced food insecurity. The findings suggest that programmes building social connections can address interconnected food and water security challenges in rural low- and middle-income communities.
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Valuing Indigenous Knowledge in the Highlands of Papua New Guinea: A Model for Agricultural and Environmental Education
Current agricultural and environmental education in Papua New Guinea fails to engage indigenous farmers because it ignores indigenous knowledge systems that actually guide farming and resource management. This study examined two highland villages and found that as farmers adopt cash crops, they devalue traditional knowledge in favor of Western approaches. Trust, cultural differences, and social barriers prevent knowledge sharing. The authors recommend redesigning education programs to recognize and integrate indigenous knowledge.
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Hybrid renewable energy with membrane distillation polygeneration for rural households in Bangladesh: Pani Para Village case study
A hybrid renewable energy system combining solar panels, biogas digesters, and membrane distillation can simultaneously provide electricity, cooking fuel, and clean drinking water to rural Bangladeshi households. The system, tested in Pani Para village serving 52 households, meets electricity demand while producing cooking gas and 2-3 liters of purified water per person daily. Cost analysis shows this integrated approach outperforms other renewable energy options.
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The relationship between rural finance development and food ecological total factor productivity: Moderating effects of food science and technology progress
Rural finance development improves food ecological total factor productivity in China, with stronger effects in non-food-producing regions. Food science and technology progress moderates this relationship, particularly benefiting lower-productivity provinces. The study measures ecological value in food cultivation and finds that increased rural finance and technology adoption help achieve higher food production with reduced environmental degradation.
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Integrating Indigenous with Scientific Knowledge for the Development of Sustainable Agriculture: Studies in Shaanxi Province
Smallholder farmers in Shaanxi Province hold indigenous agricultural knowledge that shapes their farming decisions, yet government and scientists typically ignore this expertise. This study surveyed and interviewed farmers about how they use and acquire both indigenous and scientific knowledge from government extension systems. The research demonstrates that farmers should be active participants in agricultural knowledge development, not passive recipients of top-down scientific advice.
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The Impact of Microfinance on Rural Economic Growth: The Nigerian Experience
Microfinance banking in Nigeria from 2000 to 2015 failed to boost agricultural productivity but successfully increased rural savings. The study recommends that government invest in rural infrastructure to attract microfinance institutions, encourage relationship-based lending to farmers, and diversify farm resources to mitigate climate-related risks and improve overall rural economic growth.
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Comparative Analysis of Access, and Preferences of Rural and Urban Households for Cooking Energy, and the Determinants in Nigeria: A Case of Ogun State
This study compared cooking energy use between rural and urban households in Ogun State, Nigeria, surveying 300 households. Rural areas rely heavily on firewood and charcoal, while urban areas use more electricity and gas. Education, household income, distance to energy sources, and fuel prices significantly shape energy choices. The researchers recommend reducing fuel prices and supporting low-income households to adopt cleaner cooking energy sources.
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Does the digital economy promote “innovation and entrepreneurship” in rural tourism in China?
Digital economy development in rural China drives tourism entrepreneurship by promoting innovation. Using data from 150 counties in the Yangtze River Delta, the authors show that higher rural digitalization correlates with more model villages and increased tourism entrepreneurial activity. Digital tools reduce innovation costs, enabling rural entrepreneurs to develop new tourism products that attract more business creation.
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Innovation and technology for achieving resilient and inclusive rural transformation
This paper identifies five key levers for achieving resilient and inclusive rural transformation through innovation and technology. The authors call for increased investment in participatory agricultural research and development, amplifying marginalized voices in innovation processes, ensuring equitable technology access, limiting corporate dominance while supporting small enterprises, and prioritizing rural employment as automation reshapes value chains. These changes aim to generate rural employment, improve smallholder livelihoods, reduce malnutrition, and address climate impacts.
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Analyzing social innovation as a process in rural areas: Key dimensions and success factors for the revival of the traditional charcoal burning in Slovenia
A 20-year case study of Charcoal Land in Slovenia reveals how social innovation revived traditional charcoal burning in a remote rural area. The research identifies five key dimensions of the social innovation process and three critical success factors: innovators embedded in multiple networks, strategic use of narratives to secure resources, and legitimization by local and public actors. The revival scaled beyond the original territory and became recognized as an intangible cultural practice with sustainable forestry applications.
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Risks Identification and Management Related to Rural Innovation Projects through Social Networks Analysis: A Case Study in Spain
This study identifies and maps risks in rural innovation projects by analyzing stakeholder networks. Using a Spanish irrigation optimization project as a case study, researchers conducted interviews and applied social network analysis to uncover risk factors. The analysis revealed that technical, economic, and time-related risks were most significant, concentrated among irrigation communities and project developers. The approach provides a visual framework for rural innovation managers to better assess and mitigate project risks.
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The Role of Farmers’ Umbrella Organizations in Building Transformative Capacity around Grassroots Innovations in Rural Agri-Food Systems in Guatemala
Farmers' umbrella organizations in rural Guatemala catalyze transformative capacity for grassroots innovations in food systems. These organizations enable socio-technical transitions by creating shared sustainability visions, supporting experimentation, providing technical assistance, and connecting farmers across household, community, and institutional levels. Gender and generational gaps limit this potential and require further attention.
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Seeing the social capital in agricultural innovation systems: using SNA to visualise bonding and bridging ties in rural communities
This paper uses social network analysis to map information flows in rural Bolivian communities, revealing how bonding ties within community organizations and bridging ties to local institutions shape access to agricultural information. The analysis shows that different ethnic groups have distinct organizational structures, which development agencies can leverage to design targeted strategies for reaching marginalized farmers and improving their awareness of new technologies and market information.
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Innovations in Community-Based Tourism: Social Responsibility Actions in the Rural Tourism in the Province of Santa Elena–Ecuador
Community-based tourism in rural Ecuador integrates social responsibility practices that enable local participation, protect cultural heritage, and distribute benefits equitably. This qualitative study identifies how social responsibility actions in tourism operations strengthen local organization and sustainable development. The research reveals that informal community tourism practices embody social responsibility dimensions comparable to formal organizations, establishing indicators for measuring sustainable rural tourism outcomes.
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Opportunities for Social Innovation at the Intersection of ICT Education and Rural Supply Chains
The paper argues that integrating ICT education into rural supply chains creates social innovation opportunities in developing countries. Linear, top-down education and supply chain systems fail to adapt quickly and exclude many people. The authors designed Prerana, an ICT platform piloted in India with SEWA and RUDI, that embeds education into supply chains, teaches life skills, and enables feedback from all participants. This approach preserves local knowledge while giving agency to workers and learners.
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Key Drivers of the Engagement of Farmers in Social Innovation for Marginalised Rural Areas
Farmers in marginalised rural areas engage in social innovation initiatives when two key conditions exist: unmet social needs and the presence of a local agency that facilitates relationships. This study tested that framework using Vàzapp', a rural hub in Southern Italy that connects farmers to revitalise their communities. The findings confirm that both factors drive farmer participation, offering policymakers and social innovators concrete guidance for designing similar projects elsewhere.
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Advancing Rural Agribusiness Innovation Strategies for Building Climate-Resilient and Economically Inclusive Communities.
Rural agribusinesses drive economic resilience and food security, especially in climate-vulnerable regions. The paper examines how digital agriculture, precision farming, sustainable value chains, and green financing build climate resilience and economic inclusion. It identifies barriers like poor infrastructure and limited finance access, then presents best practices for scaling sustainable models. The analysis of global case studies shows that inclusive ecosystems empowering smallholder farmers and integrating climate-smart approaches create adaptive frameworks that boost productivity and community resilience.
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Social Innovations for the Achievement of Competitive Agriculture and the Sustainable Development of Peripheral Rural Areas
This study analyzes social innovations across peripheral rural areas in Finland, Croatia, and France, examining nine good practice examples to understand how social innovations drive sustainable rural development and competitive agriculture. The research identifies distinct types of social innovations shaped by regional social conditions and demonstrates that these innovations significantly impact rural economic activities and sustainability outcomes, with notable differences in social, environmental, and economic effects across the three European regions.
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Building Partnership for Social Innovation in Rural Development: Case Studies in Coastal Villages in Indonesia
Community partnerships in Indonesian coastal villages drive social innovation for marine resource development. The study of West Java and Gorontalo villages shows that collaboration between community members, village government, and private businesses creates social innovations that improve economic capacity and optimize marine resources. Strong partnerships accelerate coastal development and enable communities to overcome infrastructure limitations.
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Decentralized Wetland-Aquaponics Addressing Environmental Degradation and Food Security Challenges in Disadvantaged Rural Areas: A Nature-Based Solution Driven by Mediterranean Living Labs
Mediterranean living labs developed decentralized wetland-aquaponics systems to address environmental degradation and food insecurity in disadvantaged rural areas. The study demonstrates how participatory innovation ecosystems enable communities to co-design nature-based solutions that provide environmental and socioeconomic benefits. Public participation proved essential for ensuring solutions aligned with local values and were feasible in mountainous rural settings like Lebanon's Akkar al-Atika region.
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‘Regenerative’ Social Innovation for European Rural Regions? Lessons from Regenerative Farming
Regenerative agriculture represents an emerging form of rural social innovation in Europe, where grassroots farming initiatives embed food production within social and ecological systems. These practices encourage shared responsibility for resource use and challenge mainstream development models. The paper argues regenerative farming offers a pathway toward non-extractivist economies that fundamentally rethink growth and production systems.
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Digital Transformations in Agri-Food Systems: Innovation Drivers and New Threats to Sustainable Rural Development
Digital technologies transform agri-food systems globally, improving efficiency and creating new markets. However, corporate monopolization of digital processes threatens food security, biodiversity, and rural livelihoods. The paper proposes ICT-based safeguards to strengthen food security and rural development while protecting small producers from corporate concentration of land, power, and resources.
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Living labs in integrated agriculture and tourism activities: Driving innovation for sustainable rural development
Living labs—structures that involve end-users directly in research and innovation—offer promise for rural development in Bulgaria. The paper analyzes living labs through SWOT analysis to assess their potential for driving sustainable agriculture and tourism in rural areas. It examines how living labs can encourage entrepreneurship, ensure quality and safety, and address the practical challenge of reviving rural regions through integrated agricultural and tourism activities.
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Valuation in Rural Social Innovation Processes—Analysing Micro-Impact of a Collaborative Community in Southern Italy
This paper examines how valuation processes embedded within social innovation activities drive rural development in a southern Italian agricultural community. The researchers identify three valuation phases—contesting norms, accumulating symbolic capital, and redefining values—that generate micro-level impacts on the agro-economic system, local culture, and place-making. The study demonstrates that collaborative valuation occurring during social innovation implementation, not just afterward, produces tangible community empowerment and societal change through joint sense-making.
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Integrating Local Food Policies and Spatial Planning to Enhance Food Systems and Rural–Urban Links: A Living Lab Experiment
This study examines how spatial planning and food policy integration strengthen local food systems in peri-urban areas. Using a Living Lab experiment in Lucca, Italy, researchers worked with stakeholders to reclaim abandoned land and identify rural-urban connections. The research reveals weak recognition of rural-urban linkages and insufficient dialogue between rural stakeholders and urban planners. The authors recommend formalizing public-private partnerships and cross-sectoral projects connecting agriculture with education, tourism, and landscape management.
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Social Innovation for Rural Bioeconomies
The SCALE-UP project identifies how social innovation strengthens rural bioeconomies by building multi-actor partnerships among companies, governments, civil society, and researchers. Analysis of regional bioeconomy projects reveals that inclusive approaches—where local communities shape and benefit from sustainable bio-based value chains—drive success. Cross-sector collaboration proves essential for scaling these practices, offering rural regions a framework for sustainable development.
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Water, sanitation and social innovations in health: a qualitative exploration of gender and intersecting social stratifiers in a rural ram-pump project in the Philippines
A qualitative study in the Philippines examines how gender and social inequalities shape health outcomes in a hydraulic ram pump project that delivers water to remote communities. The research finds that gender norms intersect with socioeconomic status and geography to create disparities in water access and health. Community-driven approaches that address these intersecting inequalities prove effective at improving health outcomes and building resilience in underserved areas.
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Digital transformation in agricultural circulation: enhancing rural modernization and sustainability through technological innovation
Digital transformation of agricultural product circulation significantly enhances rural modernization in China, with stronger effects in technologically advanced regions and spillover benefits to neighboring areas. Green innovation and industrial structure optimization drive both environmental sustainability and economic growth. The study demonstrates that digitalization makes agricultural practices more resilient, efficient, and environmentally friendly, supporting sustainable development and climate resilience in rural economies.
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Empowering Rural Communities through Social Innovations: Social Innovation as a Design Tool in the Extension Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Development in Nepal
Social innovation empowers rural Nepali farmers by shifting agricultural extension from traditional top-down methods to participatory, community-led approaches. Mobile advisory services and farmer field schools that integrate local knowledge demonstrate effectiveness in boosting productivity while building resilience. Collaborative problem-solving among stakeholders improves agricultural outcomes, food security, and rural livelihoods while addressing climate change and infrastructure gaps.
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Can Social Innovation and Agriculture Serve as a Turning Point in Rural Areas? Insights from a Bibliometric Literature Review
This bibliometric review of 178 publications examines how social innovation and agriculture address rural challenges. The analysis identifies agriculture, digitalization, and forestry as key research areas, alongside emerging organizational models like rural hubs, living labs, and community cooperatives. These initiatives aim to revitalize rural social fabric and improve quality of life in rural populations.
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Digital Economy Transformation and Sustainable Development of Agricultural Enterprises: A Study on Supply Chain Finance Innovation and Environmental Governance in Rural Areas
Digital supply chain finance innovations significantly strengthen environmental governance in agricultural enterprises, with smart farming technologies mediating about one-third of this effect. Institutional support through subsidies and rural financial policies amplifies these benefits. Large-scale farms, cooperatives, and enterprises in developed agricultural regions see the strongest improvements in sustainability outcomes.
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Digital rural construction and agricultural green total factor productivity: the role of land finance, land resource misallocation, and agricultural technology innovation
Digital rural construction in China significantly improves agricultural green total factor productivity through three mechanisms: better access to land finance, reduced misallocation of land resources, and increased agricultural technology adoption. The benefits are strongest in central and western regions, non-grain-producing areas, and regions with lower land transfer efficiency. The study analyzes 2,128 counties over a decade using rigorous econometric methods.
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Research on the Digital Intelligence Innovation Model for Emergency Management in Urban and Rural Agricultural Supply Chains
This paper develops a three-dimensional framework for managing agricultural supply chains during emergencies using digital intelligence technologies. The framework examines digital risk perception, organizational operations, and social value creation across technology, organization, and social dimensions. The study shows how digital intelligence improves emergency prevention, early warning, response, and recovery in urban-rural agricultural supply chains, and charts directions for future digitalized emergency management systems.
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Rural social innovation in practices of solidarity economy in the Cooptar collective in Southern Brazil
A Brazilian agricultural cooperative demonstrates rural social innovation through solidarity economy practices. Over 33 years, Cooptar has sustained itself by combining ongoing member training with collective ownership, self-management, and production diversification. The cooperative actively confronts individualism and gender inequality while building transformative social change that addresses rural workers' struggles for dignified livelihoods and social inclusion.
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Social innovation strategies to improve agroecological product marketing: A case study in rural Colombia
This study identifies social innovation strategies to improve agroecological product marketing in rural Colombia. Researchers worked with a women's microentrepreneur association to uncover barriers including limited resources, certification obstacles, and weak promotion. They co-designed solutions with producers: product diversification, digital marketing adoption, and network strengthening. Social innovation proved effective at overcoming structural barriers and boosting competitiveness for rural agroecological producers.
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AGROECOLOGICAL HOME GARDENS AS A STRATEGY FOR EDUCATION AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOODS: AN INTEGRATED PROPOSAL FOR INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY PROTECTION AND SOCIAL INNOVATION IN RURAL MARANHÃO
Home agroecological gardens in rural Maranhão serve as spaces for sustainable production, environmental education, and income generation. The study proposes protecting traditional knowledge through a digital community platform that combines educational materials, biodata repositories, and legal safeguards. This approach strengthens food security, household income, women's participation, and youth engagement while supporting social and environmental sustainability in rural areas.
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A systematic review of social innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship practices in the agri-food sector and their contribution to socioenvironmental resilience of rural producers
This systematic review examines social innovation and sustainable entrepreneurship practices in agri-food systems across multiple continents. Initiatives like social agriculture, community gardens, women's cooperatives, and regenerative projects improved social inclusion, market access, and environmental practices. Success required collaborative governance, local leadership, and institutional support. Barriers included weak regulatory frameworks and funding dependency. Hybrid practices combining both approaches strengthened rural resilience when embedded in favorable policy environments.
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Social Protection, Agro-Environmental Innovation, And Carbon Sequestration Management as Pathways to Climate-Resilient Development: Empirical Evidence from Rural Kogi State, Nigeria
Rural households in Kogi State, Nigeria that integrated carbon sequestration, agro-environmental innovations, and social protection systems achieved significantly higher climate resilience scores than those using single interventions or none. Only 17% of households achieved full integration, with governance failures, weak extension systems, and exclusion of women as primary barriers. The study proposes the Kogi Integrated Resilience Strategy Model to align local climate adaptation with national policy frameworks.
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Social and Solidarity Economy and Social Innovation in the Agri-Food Sector: A Conceptual Synthesis of Contributions to Sustainable Local and Rural Development
Social and solidarity economy initiatives drive transformation in agri-food systems by reconfiguring governance, deepening producer-consumer relationships through proximity and transparency, and redistributing value more equitably across territories. The paper synthesizes evidence that these place-based models address biodiversity loss, rural inequality, and farm livelihoods while advancing sustainable local development. Policy coordination among public, private, and social stakeholders can scale these innovations effectively.
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Taste of the Isles: community engagement and digital innovation in rural food and drink services
Three digital initiatives developed with the Outer Hebrides Tourism Community improved visibility for local food producers and service providers, enhanced community engagement, and expanded access to digital markets. The projects demonstrate how visual storytelling combined with community co-design can overcome limited digital infrastructure and financial constraints, strengthening rural economies and building economic and social resilience.
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Blockchain traceability of Danzhou Tiaosheng cultural creative products and sustainable rural economy: digital empowerment path of innovation-entrepreneurship talent cultivation in vocational education
Blockchain traceability combined with cultural creative design and vocational entrepreneurship education significantly boosts rural economic development in Danzhou, China. The integrated approach increased consumer trust and purchase intention, enabling 25–40% price premiums. Vocational students' startup success rates tripled to 53%, while participating farmers achieved 50% income growth. Green packaging adoption and local sourcing reached 82% and 89% respectively, demonstrating that digital empowerment through blockchain creates sustainable rural prosperity.
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DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION OF RURAL AGRICULTURE IN NIGERIA: THE ROLE OF IOT AND DATA INNOVATION
IoT sensors and data-driven tools significantly improved agricultural outcomes for smallholder farmers in rural Nigeria. The study found that smart technologies reduced water use by 21% and fertilizer application by 18% without yield loss. Farmers using digital marketplaces increased net income by 25%, raised sale prices by 12%, and cut post-harvest losses by 15%. The research recommends solar-powered IoT hubs, localized training, and mobile interfaces to support wider adoption.
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The rural in democratic innovations: a comparative proposal between Latin America and Europe
Democratic innovations in rural Europe focus on development, environment, and local economics within existing political structures, emphasizing institutional strengthening and sustainability. Rural Latin America uses democratic innovations differently—as tools for emancipatory struggles including indigenous rights defense and food sovereignty. The paper argues these innovations challenge fundamental notions of development and rights in Latin America, whereas European innovations primarily improve public policies without questioning the political model.
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Research on the Innovation Path of Social E-Commerce + Rural Finance under the Background of Rural Revitalization
Social e-commerce platforms in rural China face financing constraints that limit growth. The paper examines how rural social e-commerce businesses struggle with capital advances and accounts receivable as they scale operations selling agricultural products through livestreaming and short video channels. It proposes that financial technology innovation, rather than traditional finance, can unlock sustainable development by creating new models where fintech platforms empower rural revitalization.
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Ciclo Lab: A Social Innovation Model for Circular Waste Management and Community Empowerment in Rural Indonesia
Ciclo Lab demonstrates a circular economy model in rural Indonesia that converts organic waste into livestock feed through maggot cultivation. The program processed over 6 tons of waste annually, reduced poultry feed costs by 44%, and increased community income while engaging youth and women in productive activities. The model proves replicable for other rural areas facing similar waste management challenges.
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Social innovation in rural areas to promote Sustainable Development: A Systematic Review
A systematic review of 2010–2020 literature identifies social innovation models applied in rural areas to promote sustainable development and adapt to new agricultural practices. The study finds that information and communication technologies, entrepreneurship, family farming, and transformative practices drive rural innovation. Government entities and rural communities play promoter and facilitator roles through governance structures that enable community participation and leadership to improve socioeconomic conditions.
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Social Innovation for Rural Bioeconomies
The SCALE-UP project identifies how social innovation strengthens rural bioeconomies by building multi-actor partnerships among companies, governments, civil society, and researchers. Analysis of regional bioeconomy projects reveals that inclusive approaches—where local communities shape and benefit from bio-based value chains—drive sustainable development. Cross-sector collaboration proves essential for scaling these practices, offering rural stakeholders a framework for integrating social dimensions into bioeconomy initiatives.
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Social Innovation Approach in Integrated Farming: Advancing Rural Well-Being in Karawang Regency, West Java, Indonesia
Integrated farming systems in Karawang, Indonesia show characteristics of social innovation and boost productivity, but don't significantly improve farmer well-being on their own. The study found that production behavior and management matter more than social innovation factors for productivity gains. Productivity accounts for only 13.5% of overall well-being, indicating that higher yields alone don't lift farmers out of poverty. Sustainable rural development requires market access, fair pricing, education, and social support systems alongside productivity improvements.
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The contribution of agritourism to social innovation and sustainable development in the rural areas of the Portuguese Beja region
Agritourism businesses in Portugal's Beja region drive social innovation and sustainable development. A qualitative study of eight microenterprises found strong consensus that agritourism contributes environmental, economic, and social benefits to rural areas. While perceptions of social innovation varied among managers, the research validated that agritourism serves as an effective alternative to traditional agriculture and promotes regional sustainability.
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Community-driven food networks as vehicles of rural social innovation
Two community-driven food networks in rural Cape Breton, Canada—one Indigenous-led and one non-Indigenous—demonstrate how integrated programming combining food access, wellness, and employment initiatives builds social cohesion, local capacity, and community dignity. These networks function as rural social innovation infrastructure rather than charity, addressing food insecurity, isolation, and economic marginalization while fostering inclusion and resilience.
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Frugal Innovation and Patent Analysis in Sericulture: Lessons for Sustainable Rural Bioeconomy Systems
Patent analysis of silk-reeling technologies from 2000–2024 reveals that most innovations emphasize energy-intensive industrial methods unsuitable for low-resource rural contexts in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. The study evaluated 212 patents against criteria including resource efficiency, accessibility, and social inclusion, finding that current designs marginalize traditional producers—mostly women and smallholders—from emerging bio-based value chains. The authors argue for resource-efficient, modular, socially inclusive innovations to support rural sericulture within circular bioeconomy systems.
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Inclusive Innovation for the Sustainable Strengthening of Prickly Pear Cultivation in Rural Areas of Colombia: A Case Study in Sonsón, Antioquia
This study develops an inclusive innovation model to strengthen prickly pear cultivation in rural Colombia by combining preservation of traditional knowledge, social context, and practical use. Using mixed methods including surveys, focus groups, and agent-based modeling, the researchers identify smallholder farmers and inclusive intermediaries as key actors. The model reduces power imbalances in the value chain, improves farmer associations and market access, and redistributes profits toward producers while protecting traditional knowledge and supporting endogenous rural development.
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Advancing Rural Agribusiness Innovation Strategies for Building Climate-Resilient and Economically Inclusive Communities.
Rural agribusinesses build climate resilience and economic inclusion through digital agriculture, precision farming, and green financing. The paper identifies barriers like poor infrastructure and limited finance access, then recommends scaling sustainable models that empower smallholder farmers and promote gender equity. Inclusive business ecosystems combining technology, institutional support, and climate-smart practices strengthen rural productivity and community resilience.
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Research on the Digital Transformation Path of the Rural Financial System Assisted by the Internet of Things Based on the Innovation Mode of Supply Chain Finance
Digital finance, particularly through internet-of-things-enabled supply chain finance, accelerates rural development. The study finds that increased digital finance coverage raises rural industrial output by 1.7–4.8 percent per percentage point increase. Credit services prove most effective for rural industry growth. Digital inclusive finance shows stronger impacts in developing rural regions than in low-developed areas, with effects varying across income quantiles.
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How Does Digital Governance Drive Rural E-Commerce Innovation?—Research Based on the Theory of Digital Governance
Rural e-commerce drives innovation and rural revitalization by leveraging policy guidance, technology, platform support, and ecosystem coordination to upgrade agricultural industries and increase farmer incomes. The paper argues that strengthening legal frameworks, increasing digital infrastructure investment, building multi-stakeholder collaboration mechanisms, and developing e-commerce talent training systems are essential for sustainable rural e-commerce growth.
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Research on the Mechanism of Digital Technology Empowering Rural Financial Service Innovation for Farmers' Income Growth
Digital financial technologies boost farmer income in rural China through three main mechanisms: information processing optimization (36.4% of effect), transaction cost reduction (28.7%), and improved resource allocation (21.3%). The study analyzed data from 2020-2024 using structural equation modeling and found that digital financial inclusion significantly increases agricultural income, with effectiveness varying by region and infrastructure development level.
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Innovation in Business and Trade Services under the Digital Background Practice and Exploration of Promoting Rural Revitalization
Digital innovation in business and trade services drives rural revitalization by upgrading e-commerce, developing smart logistics, and creating new digital industry models. These approaches boost rural industrial growth and improve farmers' living standards. However, inadequate infrastructure, weak digital capabilities, and incomplete branding limit progress. The paper proposes targeted strategies for digital transformation of rural commerce to achieve sustainable development.
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Taste of the isles: community engagement and digital innovation in rural food and drink services
Three digital initiatives developed with the Outer Hebrides Tourism Community improved visibility for food producers, crofters, and service providers while enhancing community engagement and access to digital markets. The projects combined visual storytelling with community co-design to overcome limited digital infrastructure and financial constraints, strengthening economic and social resilience across the islands and demonstrating how rural food and drink services can adopt digital innovation.
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Climate Change, Water Scarcity, and Farmer Innovations in Rice Cultivation Irrigation: A Case Study of Dry-Seeded Rice in Rural Eastern Mazandaran
Farmers in rural eastern Mazandaran, Iran adopted dry-seeded rice cultivation with phased irrigation instead of traditional flood irrigation. This innovation reduces water consumption by 65%, cuts pesticide use, lowers production costs, and increases per capita income per hectare up to four times compared to other regional crops. The method works for both high-yield and high-value rice varieties and spreads rapidly across villages facing water scarcity.
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New cash cropping in the Black Volta river valley: Banana production, rural innovation, and social entrepreneurship in the <scp>Ghana–Burkina</scp> Faso border region
A banana irrigation farming innovation that began in Burkina Faso spread to Ghana's Black Volta river valley in the 1990s, driven by returning emigrants and local university lecturers. The paper shows that local entrepreneurs, not foreign corporations, drove this agricultural intensification through imported banana varieties, entrepreneurial effort, and cross-border trade networks strengthened by regional highway infrastructure connecting farms to urban markets.
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Empowering Rural Farmers Through Digital Innovation: A Comprehensive Platform for Market Access and Resource Sharing
A cloud-based digital platform integrates three services—artist booking, agricultural equipment rental, and handcraft marketplace—to connect rural farmers and artisans with markets and resources. The system uses real-time scheduling, price negotiation, and location-based filtering to reduce barriers to market access. The platform aims to boost rural incomes and preserve cultural heritage by enabling direct sales and resource sharing among underserved communities.
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Enhancing the digitalization of rural areas by utilizing the potential of the knowledge, business, and innovation ecosystems.
Rural digitalization requires integrating knowledge, business, and innovation ecosystems. This case study of Pecorino Toscano cheese production in Tuscany examines how these three ecosystem types interact to support agricultural innovation. The research develops a theoretical framework showing how universities and research centers, businesses creating value networks, and innovation actors work together to drive digital and green transitions in rural agri-food systems.
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Innovation Diffusion in Heterogeneous Populations: Contagion, Social Influence, and Social Learning
This paper develops theoretical models explaining how new ideas and products spread through populations with different characteristics. The author examines three diffusion mechanisms—contagion, social influence, and social learning—and shows each creates a distinct pattern in adoption curves. Using historical data on hybrid corn adoption, the paper demonstrates how to empirically distinguish between these diffusion mechanisms and provides tools for analyzing innovation spread in heterogeneous groups.
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Conversion to Organic Farming: A Typical Example of the Diffusion of an Innovation?
This paper reviews twenty years of studies on organic farmers across multiple countries to test whether organic farming adoption fits the diffusion-of-innovation model. Early organic farmers shared characteristics with innovators in other fields: they faced community opposition, social isolation, and operated when the sector was small. The author concludes the diffusion model successfully explains organic farming adoption patterns and the individual conversion decisions farmers make.
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LOOKING AT NATIONAL SYSTEMS OF INNOVATION FROM THE SOUTH
The paper applies national innovation systems theory to El Salvador's agro-food industry, a low-technology sector in a middle-low income country. The authors argue that El Salvador's emerging sectoral innovation system can effectively contribute to sustainable development goals, but only with sustained public support and proper use of available policy instruments.
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Factors Affecting Customer Satisfaction and Loyalty in Online Food Delivery Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Its Relation with Open Innovation
During the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, online food delivery services saw surging demand. This study surveyed 253 customers to identify what drives satisfaction and loyalty. Hedonic motivation—the enjoyment of using the service—had the strongest impact, followed by price, information quality, and promotions. Surprisingly, ease of use and navigation design did not significantly affect satisfaction, challenging conventional assumptions about digital service design.
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Adoption of<i>Moringa oleifera</i>to Combat Under-Nutrition Viewed Through the Lens of the “Diffusion of Innovations” Theory
Moringa oleifera, a nutrient-rich tree grown in tropical regions, is rapidly spreading as a treatment for under-nutrition despite lacking rigorous clinical evidence. The paper applies diffusion of innovations theory to explain why adoption continues to grow among healthcare practitioners and community leaders. The analysis reveals the need for scientific validation of moringa's nutritional benefits to support informed decision-making.
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Chez Panisse: Building an Open Innovation Ecosystem
Chez Panisse built a thriving business by adopting open innovation practices that connected suppliers, alumni chefs, staff, and food writers into a collaborative ecosystem. The restaurant's success came from sharing knowledge, fostering individual growth, and establishing trust among participants. This case demonstrates how a small firm can scale through strategic ecosystem building rather than isolated operations.
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Sustainable open innovation to address a grand challenge
Carlsberg developed the Green Fiber Bottle through open innovation partnerships to address sustainability challenges in food and beverage manufacturing. The case demonstrates that grand challenges require leveraging external collaboration, pursuing sustainability beyond profit motives, adopting new business models, achieving early wins for scaling, and maintaining long-term vision. The Nordic context proved important to success.
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Stakeholder engagement for responsible innovation in the private sector: critical issues and management practices
Dutch food companies pursuing responsible innovation fall short of genuine stakeholder engagement despite policy emphasis on it. Interviews with innovative food firms and non-economic stakeholders reveal a significant gap between the ideal of mutual responsiveness promoted in responsible innovation literature and actual practices. The study identifies critical barriers to stakeholder engagement specific to private-sector innovation and proposes management practices to address these obstacles.
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Responsible Aquaculture in 2050: Valuing Local Conditions and Human Innovations Will Be Key to Success
Aquaculture must expand sustainably by 2050 by improving management practices, emphasizing local decision-making and human capacity development, implementing risk management to prevent disease and contamination, and creating market systems that identify and promote sustainable products. The paper argues that respecting local conditions and human innovation will be essential to avoid the intensification mistakes made in agriculture.
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Frugal innovation for supply chain sustainability in SMEs: multi-method research design
This study links frugal innovation with supply chain sustainability in small and medium enterprises, particularly in emerging markets facing institutional barriers and resource constraints. The researchers developed a conceptual framework showing how frugal innovation enables sustainable supply chains and validated it through survey data. The findings demonstrate that frugal innovation capabilities help organizations achieve supply chain sustainability despite limited resources.
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FinTech in the Small Food Business and Its Relation with Open Innovation
Small food businesses struggle to access traditional bank financing. This study examines what drives small food business owners to adopt financial technology (FinTech) for credit access. Using a modified UTAUT 2 model with 184 Indonesian respondents, researchers found that knowledge, safety perceptions, performance expectations, social influence, facilitation conditions, and price values all influence FinTech adoption. The research shows that adopting FinTech improves business sustainability for small food enterprises.
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User involvement in radical innovation: are consumers conservative?
Consumers reject radical innovations for reasons beyond mere ignorance. This study of food product concepts shows that resistance stems from concerns about instrumentalism, loss of autonomy, organizational complexity, and systemic effects. Companies should take consumer objections seriously during early-stage development rather than treating concept testing as a simple pass/fail screen, using it instead to understand how innovations affect daily life and society.
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Innovation in food firms: contribution of regional networks within the international business context
Food firms in Belgium that participate in regional networks develop stronger innovation capabilities, especially when operating internationally. The study shows that regional networking and global market orientation reinforce each other rather than conflict. Firms gain competitive advantage by accessing external knowledge across multiple geographic scales. Regional network support emerges as an effective policy tool for enhancing firm innovation.
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Rogers Theory on Diffusion of Innovation-The Most Appropriate Theoretical Model in the Study of Factors Influencing the Integration of Sustainability in Tourism Businesses
The paper examines theoretical frameworks for understanding why tourism businesses adopt sustainable practices. After reviewing multiple models used across industries, the author concludes that Rogers's diffusion of innovation theory best explains the factors influencing tourism businesses to integrate sustainability into their operations. This framework helps identify barriers and motivations for adopting sustainable tourism practices.
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Dietary chlorogenic acid improves growth performance of weaned pigs through maintaining antioxidant capacity and intestinal digestion and absorption function
Chlorogenic acid (CGA) supplementation in pig feed improves growth performance and reduces diarrhea in weaned pigs. At 1,000 mg/kg, CGA increased feed efficiency, daily weight gain, and nutrient digestibility while boosting antioxidant enzymes and intestinal absorption capacity. The supplement enhanced expression of genes responsible for nutrient transport in the intestines, suggesting CGA strengthens digestive function and overall animal health.
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Towards Responsible and Sustainable Supply Chains – Innovation, Multi-stakeholder Approach and Governance
Supply chains create significant societal and environmental burdens. This paper argues that companies must implement responsibility and sustainability across supply chains through three mechanisms: research and innovation support, multi-stakeholder collaboration involving industry and government, and shared responsibility across organizations rather than individual companies. The author uses Sedex, a collaborative platform, as a case study demonstrating how technological, political, and ethical solutions with sound governance models can balance economic, environmental, and social sustainability.
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The Influence of E-Payment and E-Commerce Services on Supply Chain Performance: Implications of Open Innovation and Solutions for the Digitalization of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in Indonesia
E-payment and e-commerce services significantly improve supply chain performance for Indonesian micro, small, and medium enterprises. The study of 164 MSMEs identifies ten key barriers to digitalization and proposes open innovation solutions to overcome them. The findings support government efforts to accelerate MSME digitization through digital financial and commercial tools.
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Reinventing R&D in an Open Innovation Ecosystem
The paper argues that modern innovation requires partnerships across universities, startups, and suppliers rather than isolated R&D efforts. It presents a 'Sharing-is-Winning' model for open innovation that aligns entire value chains around consumer needs. The authors provide ten recommendations for implementing this collaborative approach, including leadership changes, strategy shifts, and cultural transformation to accelerate sustainable co-development and improve innovation success rates.
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Moral “Lock-In” in Responsible Innovation: The Ethical and Social Aspects of Killing Day-Old Chicks and Its Alternatives
This paper examines the ethical problems with killing day-old male chicks in poultry production and evaluates two alternative approaches. The authors develop a framework showing how the industry faces a moral lock-in that perpetuates the practice despite ethical concerns. Both alternatives address some objections but introduce new dilemmas. The framework enables structured stakeholder engagement and reflection on responsible innovation dimensions.
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Enhancing innovation in livestock value chains through networks: Lessons from fodder innovation case studies in developing countries
Fodder scarcity limits smallholder livestock farmers in developing countries. This paper examines how fodder technologies spread through farmer networks in Ethiopia, Syria, and Vietnam. Fodder innovation succeeds when integrated with other innovations and market activities, and when farmers organize collectively to access markets. The authors argue that combining innovation systems and value chain approaches strengthens smallholder productivity and market outcomes.
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Kinetic Study of the Quenching Reaction of Singlet Oxygen by Carotenoids and Food Extracts in Solution. Development of a Singlet Oxygen Absorption Capacity (SOAC) Assay Method
This paper develops a laboratory method to measure how well carotenoids and other antioxidants neutralize singlet oxygen, a harmful reactive molecule. Researchers tested eight carotenoids and vitamin E, then applied the same technique to tomato and carrot extracts. They created a new assay called SOAC (Singlet Oxygen Absorption Capacity) that quantifies antioxidant strength in food compounds.
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Growth performance, metabolic and endocrine traits, and absorptive capacity in neonatal calves fed either colostrum or milk replacer at two levels.
Newborn calves fed colostrum gained weight and showed better intestinal absorption and metabolic markers than calves fed milk replacer, regardless of feeding amount. Higher colostrum feeding density improved protein and fat metabolism. Milk replacer feeding density had minimal effects on metabolism or intestinal function. The bioactive compounds in colostrum, not just nutrient density, drive neonatal calf development.
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Knowledge management and open innovation in agri-food crowdfunding
Knowledge management capabilities drive successful open innovation in agri-food businesses using crowdfunding. IT-based knowledge exploitation enables open innovation strategies, while knowledge exploration capabilities mediate the relationship between IT capabilities and innovation outcomes. The study surveyed 80 agri-food crowdfunding businesses and found these knowledge management practices critical for innovation success.
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Digital Influencers, Food and Tourism—A New Model of Open Innovation for Businesses in the Ho.Re.Ca. Sector
This paper examines how digital influencer marketing functions as open innovation for food and tourism businesses. Researchers analyzed Instagram posts by major influencer Chiara Ferragni promoting Italian food and tourist destinations during the COVID-19 economic crisis. Using netnographic analysis and the AGIL model, they measured how local food enhanced destination appeal across different contexts. The study proposes a new open innovation model for advertising and promoting food and catering businesses through influencer-driven social media campaigns.
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Green innovation output in the supply chain network with environmental information disclosure: An empirical analysis of Chinese listed firms
Supply chain network structure influences green innovation in Chinese firms. Network power and cohesion both boost green innovation output, but their combined effect reduces it due to information overload. Environmental information disclosure strengthens the positive relationship between network structure and green innovation. The study analyzed 1,048 Chinese listed firms from 2012 to 2019.
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Optimal dietary alpha-linolenic acid/linoleic acid ratio improved digestive and absorptive capacities and target of rapamycin gene expression of juvenile grass carp (<i>Ctenopharyngodon idellus</i>)
This study tested different ratios of alpha-linolenic acid to linoleic acid in feed for juvenile grass carp over 60 days. An optimal ratio of 1.03 to 1.08 improved weight gain, feed efficiency, and digestive enzyme activity in the liver and intestines. The same ratio enhanced gene expression related to nutrient absorption and protein synthesis, demonstrating that balanced fatty acid ratios significantly boost fish growth and digestive function.
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Evidence and Experience of Open Sustainability Innovation Practices in the Food Sector
Open sustainability innovation practices in the food sector reduce costs, accelerate time to market, and improve environmental performance while addressing food security. Analysis of ten case studies demonstrates how food companies strategically adopt these collaborative approaches to compete effectively while meeting sustainability goals.
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Open innovation in the food and beverage industry
Open innovation practices boost firm performance in food and beverage companies, but differently than in other sectors. The study of 10,771 European firms from 2004-2011 shows that food and beverage companies achieve optimal innovation results using fewer external knowledge sources than firms in other industries, despite following the same inverted U-shaped relationship between open innovation intensity and performance.
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Antecedents of absorptive capacity in the development of circular economy business models of small and medium enterprises
Small and medium enterprises struggle to adopt circular economy business models. This study examined six Italian horticultural SMEs to identify what enables them to absorb and implement circular economy practices. The research found that acquisition, assimilation, transformation, and exploitation capabilities drive successful circular economy adoption. Three specific antecedents support each capability dimension.
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Effect of acetylation and succinylation on solubility profile, water absorption capacity, oil absorption capacity and emulsifying properties of mucuna bean (<i>Mucuna pruriens</i>) protein concentrate
Researchers modified mucuna bean protein concentrate through acetylation and succinylation to improve its functional properties. Modified proteins showed better solubility, water absorption, and emulsifying capacity compared to unmodified protein, with succinylated versions performing best. These chemical modifications make mucuna protein more suitable for food applications across varying pH and salt conditions.
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The role of knowledge absorptive capacity on the relationship between cognitive social capital and entrepreneurial orientation
This study examines how cognitive social capital influences entrepreneurial orientation in Spanish agri-food firms, finding a U-shaped relationship where very low and very high cognitive closeness both boost entrepreneurial behavior. Knowledge absorptive capacity strengthens this effect. Managers should cultivate cognitively close networks with shared goals and build their firm's capacity to absorb and apply new knowledge to enhance innovation and risk-taking.
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How frugal innovation shape global sustainable supply chains during the pandemic crisis: lessons from the COVID-19
During the COVID-19 pandemic, frugal innovation emerged informally across global supply chains to address critical shortages of medical equipment and supplies. This study identifies key drivers of frugal-oriented sustainable supply chains in emerging countries, finding that government support, policies, and regulations—mediated by leadership and moderated by national culture—drive adoption of new technologies, volunteering, and ethical practices, which in turn strengthen supply chain talent and frugal engineering capabilities.
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Open innovation strategies in the food and drink industry: determinants and impact on innovation performance
Food and drink companies adopt three distinct open innovation strategies, from limited collaboration with traditional partners to broad engagement with diverse external sources. Technology pressures drive companies toward greater openness. The research shows that more open collaboration approaches significantly improve innovation performance, but only when companies establish dedicated structures to manage and leverage external knowledge effectively.
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A data-driven robust optimization in viable supply chain network design by considering Open Innovation and Blockchain Technology
This paper develops a supply chain network design model that integrates open innovation and blockchain technology to improve resilience and sustainability. Using robust optimization and risk management techniques, the model minimizes costs while reducing CO2 emissions and energy consumption. The authors demonstrate that adding open innovation and blockchain platforms reduces costs by 0.2% and enhances overall supply chain performance against disruptions.
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<scp>CAP</scp> Reform and Innovation: The Role of Learning and Innovation Networks
European agricultural innovation requires networks connecting farmers, experts, businesses, and knowledge institutions to develop sustainable practices. The paper proposes Learning and Innovation Networks for Sustainable Agriculture (LINSA) as policy mechanisms that enable knowledge sharing and collaborative problem-solving across the rural economy. These networks can help agriculture adapt to future environmental and economic constraints while advancing sustainability goals.
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Exploring blockchain adoption intentions in the supply chain: perspectives from innovation diffusion and institutional theory
Supply chain managers are more likely to adopt blockchain technology when government regulations mandate product origin tracking, organizations use modern cloud systems, and engage third-party consultants. The study finds that normative pressures, perceived advantages, compatibility with existing systems, and manageable complexity drive active blockchain adoption. These conditions identify which supply chain networks are ready for blockchain implementation.
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Technological Disruptions in Restaurant Services: Impact of Innovations and Delivery Services
This study examines how food delivery innovations have disrupted restaurant services over the past two decades. The research shows that restaurant delivery service terminology has become as common as fast food service since 2014. The author develops a model showing how technological innovations reshape restaurant service hierarchies and identifies major disruptions including changes in industry classification, increased distance between providers and customers, and potential service quality impacts. The work outlines both opportunities and challenges from these technological shifts.
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Innovation and collaboration in traditional food chain networks
Small and medium-sized enterprises in traditional food sectors across Italy, Hungary, and Belgium prioritize product innovation over organizational innovation. Collaboration among chain network members—suppliers, manufacturers, and customers—strengthens firms' innovation capabilities, though collaboration intensity varies by position in the network. The study identifies collaboration as a key driver of innovation competence in traditional food SMEs.
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Catching up in the global wine industry: innovation systems, cluster knowledge networks and firm-level capabilities in Italy and Chile
Wine producers in Italian and Chilean clusters learn technology differently based on their knowledge resources and network positions. Strong geographic proximity alone doesn't create effective knowledge networks. Knowledge transfer from research institutions to firms succeeds only when firms occupy gatekeeper and broker roles within their clusters. Policy should strengthen these internal network connections rather than assuming proximity automatically generates innovation.
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Regional Innovation Systems and Knowledge-Sourcing Activities in Traditional Industries—Evidence from the Vienna Food Sector
This study examines how food companies in Vienna source knowledge for innovation, combining formal scientific learning with practical experience-based learning. The research finds that innovative food firms selectively integrate into the regional innovation system, drawing on both local scientific knowledge and knowledge networks outside the region. The spatial pattern of knowledge links reflects the relative importance of these two learning modes in traditional industries.
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Gross Morphology and Absorption Capacity of Cell-Fibers from the Fibrous Vascular System of Loofah (Luffa cylindrica)
This paper examines how loofah plant fibers absorb liquids based on their microscopic structure. Researchers tested raw fibers and chemically treated fibers using water and salt solutions. They found that loofah's natural spongy structure, made of bundled cells with small channels, enables strong liquid absorption—up to 22.6 grams of liquid per gram of fiber. Chemical treatment with formaldehyde further improved absorption capacity.
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Restructuring existing value networks to diffuse sustainable innovations in food packaging
Sustainable food packaging innovations struggle to reach markets because existing industry networks resist change. This study examines how value networks must restructure to enable diffusion of sustainable packaging made from agro-food waste. The research identifies necessary changes across firm, network, and macro levels: recognizing opportunities, integrating new actors and resources, building new relationships, creating supportive regulations, and stimulating market demand. Adopting sustainable packaging requires fundamental reorganization of entire value networks, not just product innovation.
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Trustworthiness and Responsible Research and Innovation: The Case of the Bio-Economy
Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) can advance sustainable bio-economy development in the Netherlands and Europe by building trust among value-chain actors. The paper argues that RRI creates conditions for trustworthiness through personal relationships, third-party guarantors, institutions, and value communication. These mechanisms help address public concerns about sensitive issues like genetic modification, enabling wider adoption of biomass-based technologies across socially complex innovation trajectories.
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Development of small and medium-sized enterprise horizontal innovation networks: UK agri-food sector study
Small and medium-sized bakery businesses in the UK agri-food sector formed a horizontal innovation network to share resources and develop new products together. Over 27 months, researchers tracked how this network evolved through three distinct stages. The study shows that competing businesses can overcome rivalries through collaboration, using shared knowledge and social connections to increase competitiveness and drive joint innovation.
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Intestinal Morphology, Epithelial Cell Proliferation, and Absorptive Capacity in Neonatal Calves Fed Milk-Born Insulin-Like Growth Factor-I or a Colostrum Extract
This study examined how insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) affects intestinal development in newborn calves. Feeding calves supraphysiological amounts of human IGF-I from transgenic rabbit milk produced no effects. However, feeding a bovine colostrum extract containing physiological IGF-I levels increased intestinal villus size and epithelial cell proliferation, though it temporarily reduced absorptive capacity.
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The role of supply chain resilience and absorptive capacity in the relationship between marketing–supply chain management alignment and firm performance: a moderated-mediation analysis
This study examines how aligning marketing and supply chain management processes improves firm performance in Saudi Arabian consumer goods companies. The research finds that this alignment strengthens supply chain resilience, which then boosts performance. Absorptive capacity—a firm's ability to learn and apply new knowledge—can substitute for resilience when it's weak. The findings suggest companies should invest in absorptive capacity alongside supply chain alignment to handle future uncertainties.
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Development of a method for determining oil absorption capacity in pulse flours and protein materials
Researchers developed an improved laboratory method for measuring oil absorption capacity in pulse and soybean flours and protein products. The new method addresses problems with conventional testing by using a lower sample-to-oil ratio, reduced centrifugal force, and a filter paper apparatus to prevent material loss. The simplified procedure produces reliable, reproducible results and enables faster testing of multiple samples while accurately distinguishing between different pulse and soybean ingredients.
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Improving Green Market Orientation, Green Supply Chain Relationship Quality, and Green Absorptive Capacity to Enhance Green Competitive Advantage in the Green Supply Chain
This study examines how green market orientation, supply chain relationship quality, and absorptive capacity drive competitive advantage in green supply chains. The research finds that green market orientation significantly influences competitive advantage, but this effect operates entirely through supply chain relationship quality and absorptive capacity as mediators. Employee culture emphasizing environmental responsibility emerges as a critical driver of competitive success in green supply chains.
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Digital revolution for the agroecological transition of food systems: A responsible research and innovation perspective
Digital technologies in agriculture have focused on precision farming for large-scale conventional systems. This paper argues that digital agriculture can instead accelerate agroecological transitions by redirecting research toward new data sources, processing methods, and connectivity. Using responsible research and innovation principles, an interdisciplinary team developed a research agenda prioritizing digitalization that empowers farmers, manages territories as commons, and supports local food systems while addressing tensions between rationalization and farming diversity.
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Incentivizing biodiversity conservation in artisanal fishing communities through territorial user rights and business model innovation
The authors designed a market-based program in Chile that gives artisanal fishers territorial user rights and financial incentives to establish no-take marine areas. The program commodifies biodiversity benefits created by fishers' conservation actions, using simple transactional infrastructure that can scale while remaining attractive to investors. Success requires matching supply, infrastructure, and demand components to local social-ecological conditions, potentially generating significant marine conservation gains.
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Growth, digestive and absorptive capacity and antioxidant status in intestine and hepatopancreas of sub-adult grass carp Ctenopharyngodonidella fed graded levels of dietary threonine
This study examined how dietary threonine levels affect grass carp growth and health. Researchers found that optimal threonine supplementation significantly improved weight gain, feed efficiency, and digestive enzyme activity. The treatment also reduced oxidative stress markers and enhanced antioxidant defenses in the intestine and liver. The results establish that grass carp require approximately 11.6 grams of threonine per kilogram of diet for optimal growth.
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Community Networks and Sustainable Livelihoods in Tourism: The Role of Entrepreneurial Innovation
Entrepreneurial innovation in small tourism businesses creates sustainable livelihoods and community networks in rural areas. A case study of an eco-heritage resort in Kerala, India demonstrates how innovative tourism enterprises generate local jobs, economic linkages, and livelihood diversification while involving local stakeholders more effectively. Community-based tourism networks offer a sustainable development strategy that benefits disadvantaged communities through private-community partnerships.
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No‐tillage farming: co‐creation of innovation through network building
No-tillage farming development in Switzerland involves complex networks of farmers, experts, scientists, and equipment working together to create innovation. Despite economic and environmental benefits, no-tillage spreads slowly because it requires radical transformations in farm equipment, work practices, institutional arrangements, and farmers' professional identities. Policy works best as a mediator facilitating these reciprocal translations rather than imposing top-down directives.
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The first business computer: a case study in user-driven innovation
In 1949, J. Lyons & Co., a British catering and food-manufacturing company, deployed the world's first business computer application. The company designed and built its own computer specifically for business data processing. This case study examines why Lyons was uniquely positioned to pioneer this innovation and traces how their effort launched the information revolution.
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Social Dynamics Shaping the Diffusion of Sustainable Aquaculture Innovations in the Solomon Islands
Small-scale tilapia farming spread unevenly across rural Solomon Islands. Wealthier, older farmers with diverse income sources adopted it first. Opinion leaders promoted adoption but couldn't teach the technical knowledge needed for success. The research shows that sustainable aquaculture innovations require attention to poor households and the social institutions that shape farming decisions, not just technology transfer.
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Grassroots Social Innovation for Human Development: An Analysis of Alternative Food Networks in the City of Valencia (Spain)
This paper examines organic food buying groups in Valencia, Spain, to understand how grassroots social innovation contributes to human development. The authors combine social innovation, grassroots innovation, and capability approach frameworks to create a new analytical model. Their analysis identifies key elements that bottom-up food initiatives must include—such as agent involvement, clear purposes, enabling drivers, and inclusive processes—to effectively advance human development and social transformation.
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Regional Horizontal Networks within the SME Agri-Food Sector: An Innovation and Social Network Perspective
Regional horizontal networks of small and medium-sized agri-food businesses develop innovative capability through distinct life cycle stages, each requiring different strategies for knowledge exchange. The study of 11 regional networks within the Slow Food Network reveals that successful innovation depends on balancing exploratory and exploitative learning approaches as network dynamics shift over time.
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Horizontal and Vertical Networks for Innovation in the Traditional Food Sector
Innovation in traditional food sectors occurs through networks rather than individual firms. This study examined vertical networks (same supply chain) and horizontal networks (competing firms) across Belgium, Hungary, and Italy in beer, cheese, ham, sausage, and paprika production. Both network types exist but face challenges: vertical networks struggle with trust issues despite quality schemes, while horizontal networks work better with producer consortiums but suffer from competition. Firms innovate mainly in packaging and form, not core products. Successful small firms use networks to share knowledge, information, and resources, overcoming barriers like lack of trust, skills, and financial resources.
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Comparative capacities of the pig colon and duodenum for luminal iron absorption
This study compared iron absorption capacity between the small intestine (duodenum) and large intestine (colon) using a pig model. The colon absorbed only about 14% as much iron as the duodenum, despite expressing iron-transport proteins. Colonocytes showed lower accumulation of iron and reduced expression of absorption-related proteins compared to duodenal cells, though they remained capable of transferring iron to blood.
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The diffusion of innovations theory as a theoretical framework in Library and Information Science research
Kenyan agricultural research and extension organizations adopted diverse ICT tools—both digital and traditional—to improve information sharing among researchers, extension workers, and farmers. While these technologies addressed various communication needs, their expansion faced significant constraints requiring coordinated intervention from agricultural and ICT stakeholders and government support.
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Evaluation of Farm Fresh Food Boxes: A Hybrid Alternative Food Network Market Innovation
Researchers evaluated Farm Fresh Food Boxes, a market innovation combining CSA-style produce with rural retail distribution across Vermont, Washington, and California. The model expanded farmer markets and improved rural food access, though profits remained modest. Consumers valued the fresh local produce and convenience, while farmers and retailers appreciated brand development and customer base expansion despite added labor demands. The innovation addressed rural food deserts and supply chain vulnerabilities.
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Development of Singlet Oxygen Absorption Capacity (SOAC) Assay Method. 2. Measurements of the SOAC Values for Carotenoids and Food Extracts
This paper develops and applies a singlet oxygen absorption capacity (SOAC) assay to measure antioxidant properties of carotenoids and vegetable extracts. Researchers tested eight carotenoid types and extracts from red paprika, carrot, and tomato, determining reaction rate constants and SOAC values. They found that the total antioxidant activity of vegetable extracts directly correlates to the combined contributions of individual carotenoids present, validated through HPLC analysis.
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A framework of disruptive sustainable innovation: an example of the Finnish food system
This paper develops a framework for understanding disruptive sustainable innovation by combining insights from socio-technical transition research and management literature. Using four Finnish food system companies as case studies, the authors show how disruptive innovation operates across production and consumption practices, involving both producer-entrepreneurs and citizen-consumers. The framework addresses gaps in existing literature by examining business model innovation and user practices alongside technological change.
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Potential and Pitfalls of Frugal Innovation in the Water Sector: Insights from Tanzania to Global Value Chains
Frugal innovations—affordable, stripped-down solutions—offer promise for addressing water challenges in developing regions like Tanzania. However, the study finds significant pitfalls: these innovations struggle to scale and lack institutional support. Water's critical role across natural and human systems, combined with complex global supply chains, creates barriers to sustainability impact. Success requires understanding entire value chains and their water dependencies.
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Water Absorption Capacity Determines the Functionality of Vital Gluten Related to Specific Bread Volume
Vital gluten supplements weak wheat flour in baking, but different samples produce inconsistent bread volumes despite identical recipes. This study tested ten vital gluten samples and found that protein composition and chemical structure did not explain performance differences. Instead, each sample's water absorption capacity determined its optimal functionality and final bread volume, with different samples requiring different water levels to achieve peak results.
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Digital organizational culture and absorptive capacity as precursors to supply chain resilience and sustainable performance
This study examines how digital organizational culture and absorptive capacity strengthen supply chain resilience and sustainable performance in Mexican manufacturing firms. Using data from 304 companies, the research finds that digital culture directly improves both dynamic capabilities and business performance, while also indirectly boosting sustainability through enhanced absorptive capacity and supply chain resilience. The findings help manufacturers build resilience against disruptions like pandemics.
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OPERATIONALIZING AN INNOVATION PLATFORM APPROACH FOR COMMUNITY-BASED PARTICIPATORY RESEARCH ON CONSERVATION AGRICULTURE IN BURKINA FASO
Innovation platforms in three Burkina Faso villages successfully engaged farmers in developing and testing conservation agriculture practices. The platforms enabled active farmer participation in identifying cropping systems, improved their knowledge of conservation agriculture, strengthened producer networks, and established new rules for managing crop residues. The study shows innovation platforms effectively address complex agricultural innovations requiring technical, organizational, and institutional changes.
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Innovation in risk transfer for natural hazards impacting agriculture☆
Agricultural yields face significant risks from natural hazards, price fluctuations, and output variability. This paper examines innovations in risk transfer mechanisms for agriculture, particularly crop insurance. While wealthy nations use established crop insurance programs, these rely on subsidies unsuitable for lower-income countries. Yet lower-income nations with many small farms urgently need affordable agricultural insurance to protect farm households from catastrophic losses.
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Anticipating gender impacts in scaling innovations for agriculture: Insights from the literature
Small farms produce most of the world's food, but innovations often fail to address gender inequalities and may cause harm. This review identifies six critical areas where gender considerations matter when scaling agricultural innovations: team composition, innovation design, communication, business models, technology adaptation, and political economy. The authors recommend practical methods for collecting gender-disaggregated data and call for scaling tools that explicitly address gender and social marginalization.
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Leveraging innovation knowledge management to create positional advantage in agricultural value chains
This study examines how beef cattle value chain actors in an emerging country leverage their resources to gain competitive advantage and improve financial performance. Researchers interviewed 190 value chain participants and found that actors' resources directly enable market positioning advantage, which in turn drives superior financial outcomes. The findings demonstrate a clear pathway from resource management to competitive advantage to profitability.
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Facilitating humanitarian access to pharmaceutical and agricultural innovation.
The paper advocates for intellectual property licensing strategies in pharmaceuticals and agriculture that expand humanitarian access to innovations for disadvantaged populations. It profiles successful and promising licensing approaches that balance innovation incentives with broader public benefit.
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Farmers’ organizations and agricultural innovation: case studies from Benin, Rwanda and Tanzania
Farmers' organizations in Benin, Rwanda, and Tanzania play a central role in agricultural innovation, but face significant constraints. The research shows that successful innovation requires farmers' organizations to access diverse knowledge sources, develop specific skills, and partner with other actors who recognize them as equals. Appropriate institutional settings and multi-stakeholder collaboration are essential for agricultural innovation to succeed.
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Lifestyle Entrepreneurship and Innovation in Rural Areas: The Case of Tourism Entrepreneurs
Lifestyle entrepreneurs in rural tourism drive innovation and sustainability by leveraging their connection to place and building relationships. A survey of 221 rural tourism entrepreneurs found that familiarity with place and relational capital both boost innovation. Place familiarity strengthens relational capital, which improves knowledge absorption. Relational capital mediates the link between place attachment and innovation, creating indirect pathways to competitive advantage in rural destinations.
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Empowerment of rural young people in informal farm entrepreneurship: the role of corporate social responsibility in Nigeria’s oil producing communities
Corporate social responsibility programs by oil companies in Nigeria's Niger Delta region have mixed effects on rural youth farm entrepreneurship. While the global memorandum of understanding model significantly boosts informal farm entrepreneurship overall, it underperforms in targeted agricultural clusters. The study of 800 rural young people shows that youth-specific CSR farm projects can help close knowledge gaps and improve yields, but coordinated business investment is needed to create real agricultural competitiveness and food security.
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10 best bet innovations for adaptation in agriculture: A supplement to the UNFCCC NAP Technical Guidelines
This paper identifies ten high-impact agricultural innovations that help countries adapt to climate change while improving food security and environmental sustainability. Drawing on research from CGIAR centers, the authors present proven adaptation strategies that countries can incorporate into their National Adaptation Plans to access climate finance and implement effective agricultural practices that benefit nutrition, livelihoods, and ecosystem health.
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Methods for assessing the impact of research on innovation and development in the agriculture and food sectors
This paper reviews methods for measuring how agricultural and food research affects innovation and development in developing countries. The authors find that quantitative impact assessment approaches face significant controversies. They examine qualitative methodological innovations as alternatives and analyze case studies to identify the strategic resources that research generates to improve its real-world impact on innovation and development.
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"Free Seeds, Not Free Beer": Participatory Plant Breeding, OpenSource Seeds, and Acknowledging User Innovation in Agriculture
Intellectual property expansion in plants threatens global food security and agriculture. The paper examines international treaties like the 2001 ITPGR that create limited commons for plant genetic resources. It proposes adapting open-source software licenses to plant breeding, arguing that open-source seed licenses can increase farmer and public breeder access to genetic resources worldwide.
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The Effect of Innovation on Agricultural and Agri-food Exports in OECD Countries
This paper examines how research and development investment affects agricultural and food product exports across 21 OECD countries from 1990 to 2003. R&D spending boosts primary agricultural exports but reduces processed food exports because increased market power outweighs market expansion benefits. The research also finds that R&D in primary agriculture indirectly increases processed food exports through supply chain effects.
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Innovation in agriculture: An analysis of Swedish agricultural and non-agricultural firms
Swedish agricultural firms innovate at similar rates to non-agricultural firms, with one-third being innovation creators. Agriculture shows higher process innovation but not more technology adoption than other sectors. The key difference lies in how agricultural firms source knowledge—they rely less on external collaboration and more on internal capacity. Innovation support policies should strengthen in-house knowledge capabilities in agricultural firms rather than emphasizing collaborative research partnerships.
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Towards climate smart agriculture : How does innovation meet sustainability?
Precision farming and climate-smart agriculture innovations enable sustainable food production by efficiently using natural resources and reducing environmental harm. The authors argue that farming strategies based on farmer cooperation, technologies that minimize health risks, and de-growth principles are essential for sustainability. Strengthening rural areas and helping farmers adopt competitive, innovative practices through cooperation is necessary for maintaining a sustainable economy.
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Adoption and Dis-Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture: A Case of Farmers’ Innovations and Integrated Fruit Fly Management in Kenya
Kenyan mango farmers face severe losses from invasive fruit flies and rely heavily on pesticides despite knowing integrated pest management alternatives. The study finds that farmer adoption of sustainable IPM practices increases with education, orchard size, extension contact, and prior use of indigenous methods. Dis-adoption occurs when orchards shrink or farmers abandon non-pesticide practices. Better training and extension services can boost sustainable pest management uptake.
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Strengthening Conservation Agriculture innovation systems in sub-Saharan Africa: lessons from a stakeholder analysis
Conservation Agriculture innovation in Malawi relies heavily on NGOs and government, but smallholder farmers remain passive participants rather than active stakeholders. Promoters lack technical and financial capacity, and weak collaboration between organizations limits knowledge-sharing and program integration. The paper recommends strengthening stakeholder understanding of innovation systems, building partnerships through platforms, and improving advisory mechanisms to enable joint implementation and feedback.
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Chile as a key enabler country for global plant breeding, agricultural innovation, and biotechnology
Chile has become a global leader in seed production, particularly for counter-season markets and research. Between 2009 and 2018, Chile conducted over 1,000 seed-planting events for crop development and multiplication, including genetically modified seeds. Every major commodity crop with global cultivation status has undergone field testing in Chile. The country's new regulatory framework for plant breeding techniques positions it to maintain its role as a hub for agricultural biotechnology innovation.
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Empowering Women and Building Sustainable Food Systems: A Case Study of Cuba's Local Agricultural Innovation Project
Cuba's Local Agricultural Innovation Project (PIAL) uses participatory plant-breeding and agroecological methods to build sustainable food systems while empowering women farmers. Operating across 75 municipalities, PIAL increases women's participation in farm innovation, boosts their confidence and income through diversified production and micro-enterprises, and strengthens community resilience. The program challenges gender norms, engages youth, connects local farmers with research institutions, and embeds itself in government structures to ensure long-term sustainability.
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Sustainability, Innovation and Rural Development: The Case of Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO
This paper develops a framework to measure sustainability across environmental, economic, and social dimensions in food quality schemes. Using Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO as a case study, the authors track how innovations between 2000 and 2018 affected product quality, value chain performance, and rural development. They create synthetic indexes showing how these innovations shifted the overall sustainability of the production system over time.
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Innovation-Sustainability Nexus in Agriculture Transition: Case of Agroecology
Agroecology offers a promising pathway for sustainable agricultural transition by combining innovation and sustainability across environmental, economic, and social dimensions. The paper argues that agroecology can harmonize these goals, though not all traditional practices qualify as agroecological, and farmer-led innovations require careful evaluation. Clarifying relationships between agroecology as science, movement, and practice remains essential for maximizing agricultural transition potential.
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Multi-stakeholder process strengthens agricultural innovations and sustainable livelihoods of farmers in Southern Nigeria
Multi-stakeholder platforms in Southern Nigeria significantly boost farmers' livelihood assets compared to non-participants, with human and social capital increasing substantially. The study shows that institutionalizing these platforms within agricultural research programs, combined with extension services, strengthens cassava production efficiency and enables effective technology adoption. Knowledge dynamics and power relationships within platforms drive innovation outcomes.
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Agricultural products intelligent marketing technology innovation in big data era
Big data technology improves agricultural product marketing by enabling better information services for farmers. The paper identifies problems in current intelligent marketing systems and proposes an innovation model based on data collection, storage, and analysis techniques. It outlines how to build data centers and public information platforms that farmers can use to increase income and support poverty alleviation efforts.
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Seeking unconventional alliances and bridging innovations in spaces for transformative change: the seed sector and agricultural sustainability in Argentina
Argentina's seed sector demonstrates how unconventional alliances between diverse actors—including farmers, researchers, and civil society—drive transformative agricultural innovations toward sustainability. The paper identifies bridging innovations that connect conventional and alternative farming systems, showing how collaborative networks create spaces for systemic change in food production practices.
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An institutional diagnostics of agricultural innovation; public-private partnerships and smallholder production in Uganda
This paper develops a diagnostic framework for analyzing public-private partnerships in agricultural innovation, using institutions as performative processes rather than fixed rules, and technology as affordance rather than input. The authors test this framework on a Uganda sorghum production partnership between the National Agricultural Research Organisation and Nile Breweries Limited, revealing institutional dynamics critical for understanding smallholder farming innovation in Africa.
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How does social entrepreneurship achieve sustainable development goals in rural tourism destinations? The role of legitimacy and social capital
Social enterprises in rural tourism build legitimacy by managing institutional complexity while strengthening community social capital. This process empowers individuals and increases collective efficacy, advancing sustainable development goals. The study examines a Chinese village case, showing how social entrepreneurship balances economic returns with social values to drive sustainable rural tourism development.
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Research and innovation in agricultural water management for a water‐secure world
Agricultural water management requires transformative innovation to sustain food systems under climate change and water scarcity. New technologies optimize irrigation and water productivity, but innovations often fail to address equity and access gaps, particularly in the global South. The paper argues that transdisciplinary approaches integrating water-energy-food nexus thinking enable innovations that account for local constraints and governance, making solutions more relevant and scalable.
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Do agricultural innovation platforms and soil moisture and nutrient monitoring tools improve the production and livelihood of smallholder irrigators in Mozambique?
A four-year project in Mozambique introduced agricultural innovation platforms and soil monitoring tools to smallholder irrigators. Farmers used these tools to improve irrigation and fertilizer management, increasing crop production. The innovation platforms strengthened market links and information access, boosting farmer incomes and well-being while addressing supply chain and infrastructure barriers.
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Synergies at the interface of farmer–scientist partnerships: agricultural innovation through participatory research and plant breeding in Honduras
Participatory plant breeding in Honduras, involving farmer researchers, plant breeders, and NGOs, successfully developed new bean varieties with very high adoption rates among poor farmers. This farmer-scientist collaboration produced synergies that improved food security and addressed agricultural diversity better than conventional breeding alone. Long-term donor support and seed regulatory systems enabling small seed enterprises proved essential for sustaining farmer engagement in research.
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Technological Innovations in Urban and Peri-Urban Agriculture: Pathways to Sustainable Food Systems in Metropolises
Urban and peri-urban agriculture addresses food security and sustainability challenges in cities, but technological barriers limit its potential. This review examines advanced technologies for improving productivity, optimizing space use, and managing resources in urban farming. The authors identify obstacles across research, dissemination, and commercialization stages, then recommend increased funding for interdisciplinary R&D, stronger technology extension systems, improved business models, and stakeholder collaboration to scale these innovations.
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Institutional Innovations for Climate Smart Agriculture: Assessment of Climate-Smart Village Approach in Nepal
Nepal's Climate Smart Village approach uses institutional collaboration among government, private, and civil society organizations to introduce climate-adapted agricultural technologies to smallholder farmers. The study finds that this institutional innovation successfully increased farmer awareness and adoption of climate-smart practices in the Gandaki region, though scaling remains challenging. Multi-stakeholder partnerships proved effective for communicating climate science and developing locally appropriate farming solutions.
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Innovations in smallholder agricultural financing and economic efficiency of maize production in Ghana’s northern region
Maize farmers in northern Ghana who use innovative financing methods achieve 4-10% higher economic efficiency than non-users. The study finds that mechanized services unexpectedly reduced technical efficiency. Policymakers should prioritize reducing inefficiency through extension services, timely equipment access, and market linkages rather than introducing new technologies. Village Savings and Loans Associations and informal financing options help poor farmers access credit and inputs.
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Agricultural Innovation and Sustainable Development: A Case Study of Rice–Wheat Cropping Systems in South Asia
Rice-wheat cropping systems feed billions in Asia but face declining yields, high emissions, and environmental damage from nitrogen fertilizer and residue burning. Farmers in South Asia are adopting direct-seeded rice instead of transplanted rice, reducing water use, labor, and methane emissions. The paper recommends precision agriculture, allelopathic crops for weed control, legume incorporation for soil health, and rice-specific harvesters for residue management, while accounting for local soil conditions and farmer economics.
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Innovation Issues in Water, Agriculture and Food
Agriculture must produce more food despite growing competition for water and land, climate change, and droughts. This special issue examines innovations in agricultural water management across field and basin scales, focusing on irrigation efficiency, water productivity, sustainable practices, and inclusive water governance. Papers address crop water use, irrigation scheduling, system adaptation to water scarcity, drought impacts, water quality, remote sensing technologies, and participatory governance approaches to ensure food security and rural welfare.
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Critical Systems of Learning and Innovation Competence for Addressing Complexity in Transformations to Agricultural Sustainability
Technological innovation alone cannot ensure food security in developing countries. This study examines why agricultural biodiversity-rich nations in Nepal and India fail to leverage agroecological advantages despite investing heavily in technology. The research finds that low and middle-income countries need more than technological competence—they require critical systems of learning competence that integrate social, ecological, and technical knowledge to address agricultural sustainability and food security.
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Creating value from intangible cultural heritage—the role of innovation for sustainable tourism and regional rural development
Intangible cultural heritage drives sustainable rural development by creating economic and social value for communities. Two case studies—alpine farming in Bavaria and sharecropping heritage in Italy—show how innovation transforms traditional practices into tourism assets. Bad Hindelang succeeds through long-term collaboration between farmers, conservationists, and locals balancing tourism with conservation. Le Marche's culinary heritage project preserves oral traditions but has yet to generate significant economic returns. Storytelling and participatory engagement make cultural heritage accessible to tourists, enhancing both visitor experience and community wellbeing.
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Exploring innovation for sustainable agriculture: A systematic case study of permaculture in Nepal
This case study examines permaculture practices in Nepal as a sustainable alternative to industrial agriculture. The researchers analyzed three Nepalese permaculturists' approaches, which integrate biodiversity, crop-animal systems, watershed management, and on-site energy production. The study shows how local knowledge and practitioners' imaginaries can transform agricultural systems toward ecological sustainability and encourage emotional connections between farmers and the environment.
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Small-scale agricultural product marketing innovation through BUMDes and MSMEs empowerment in coastal areas
Small-scale farmers in coastal areas can increase agricultural product value and market competitiveness through partnerships between village-owned enterprises (BUMDes) and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The study proposes an innovative marketing model where these institutions work together with credit providers and farmer entrepreneurs to develop agribusiness chains, provide market information, and support technology adoption for rural communities.
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Sustainable tourism development in rural and marginal areas and opportunities for female entrepreneurship: lessons from an exploratory study
Female entrepreneurs in rural mountain areas drive sustainable tourism development by creating authentic, experiential services and building local stakeholder networks. A study of 11 businesswomen in Italy's Trentino region found that women entrepreneurs naturally emphasize innovation and community collaboration, making them key agents for tourism growth in marginal rural areas where development remains limited.
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Innovations in agricultural marketing: a case study of e-tendering system in Karnataka, India
An e-tendering system for agricultural marketing in Karnataka reduced transaction time, improved price transparency, and increased market revenue for pigeon pea sales. However, trader resistance prevented uniform adoption across all markets. The study identifies factors explaining why some markets successfully implemented the innovation while others failed, offering insights into barriers to agricultural marketing reforms.
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On (Dis)Connections and Transformations: The Role of the Agricultural Innovation System in the Adoption of Improved Forages in Colombia
Colombia has developed 23 improved forage cultivars with superior quality and environmental benefits, yet adoption remains low. This study examines the agricultural innovation system to understand why. Researchers found that weak connections between research institutions, poor coordination, and misaligned objectives create barriers to technology adoption. The study recommends restructuring institutional relationships and improving R&D funding allocation to enable effective forage technology scaling.
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“Summer sowing”: A successful innovation to increase the adoption of key species of annual forage legumes for agriculture in Mediterranean and temperate environments
Researchers tested summer sowing of annual legume species in Australia, finding that several species with hard seeds can be sown into dry soil in late summer and establish robust pastures after winter rains. Summer-sown legumes produced 1.5 to 10 times more herbage than conventionally sown alternatives. The technique works across different species and climatic zones in Western Australia and New South Wales, offering a practical innovation for pasture renovation that removes adoption barriers.
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Discovering innovation opportunities based on SECI model: reconfiguring knowledge dynamics of the agricultural artisan production of agave-mezcal, using emerging technologies
This study examined 44 mezcal producers in Oaxaca, Mexico to identify innovation opportunities in agave-mezcal production using the SECI knowledge model. Researchers found that producers need digital tools to improve their work and external connections. The study recommends developing a user-friendly mobile application for mezcal producers and creating a collaborative mezcal-tech-hub to strengthen producer networks and knowledge sharing.
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Which Advisory System to Support Innovation in Conservation Agriculture? The Case of Madagascar's Lake Alaotra
In Madagascar's Lake Alaotra region, a project-funded advisory system promoting conservation agriculture relies heavily on technical recommendations from agricultural research. Despite advisors' stated willingness to address farm complexity, the system fails to engage farmers meaningfully in decision-making or build joint learning processes. External funding undermines sustainability, and farmers lack influence over project choices. The study reveals tensions between top-down technical advice and participatory approaches needed for lasting agricultural change.
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Information and Communication for Rural Innovation and Development: Context, Quality and Priorities in Southeast Uganda
Rural communities in southeast Uganda access agricultural information from multiple sources, but reliability and applicability vary significantly based on trust relationships. Farmers lack capacity to hold information providers accountable for quality. Weak linkages exist among farmers, extension services, private sector, and local leaders. The study recommends establishing feedback loops and partnerships among actors to improve information generation and dissemination for agricultural innovation and rural development.
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Actor roles and linkages in the agricultural innovation system: options for establishing a cocoa innovation platform in Ghana
Ghana's cocoa sector needs an innovation platform to boost performance. Researchers analyzed actor roles and relationships in the cocoa innovation system using social network analysis. They found that farmer groups, researchers, extension agents, policymakers, and private sector actors are critical to establishing and sustaining a cocoa innovation platform. These actors attract participation and hold the network together.
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Farmers’ Participation in Operational Groups to Foster Innovation in the Agricultural Sector: An Italian Case Study
Italian farmers participate actively in EU-supported Operational Groups that bring together multiple stakeholders to solve agricultural problems collaboratively. The study finds farmers contribute meaningfully during design and implementation phases, but their involvement fluctuates throughout the process. Sustaining farmer participation requires motivation, commitment, trust, and open communication among diverse actors working together.
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Changing Fortunes of Government Policies and Its Implications on the Application of Agricultural Innovations in Cameroon
Government policy shifts in Cameroon have undermined agricultural infrastructure and research institutions, creating barriers to innovation adoption among farmers. Despite agriculture's critical role in the economy and poverty reduction, budget allocation has not translated into functional support systems. The author argues that continued policy neglect will severely limit farmers' ability to adopt innovations, reducing productivity and food security, and calls for coordinated action beyond government alone.
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Rural Agriculture and Poverty Trap: Can Climate-Smart Innovations Provide Breakeven Solutions to Smallholder Farmers?
Climate-smart agriculture adoption by smallholder farmers in Ghana's Upper West and Upper East regions did not significantly improve food security or income. While climate change severely damages agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods, CSA practices alone cannot break the poverty trap without complementary support. Farmers need better infrastructure, inputs, and market access to realize CSA's potential benefits.
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Promoting uptake and integration of climate smart agriculture technologies, innovations and management practices into policy and practice in Nigeria
Nigerian farmers face major barriers to adopting climate-smart agriculture technologies and practices, including lack of government policies, poor farmer awareness, and weak extension services. The study identifies insufficient funding, policy inconsistencies, and farmer resistance as key obstacles. Researchers recommend targeted awareness campaigns through local media, dedicated CSA departments in each state, increased agricultural budget allocation to 10%, and strengthened links between researchers, extension agents, and farmers.
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Application of innovation platforms to catalyse adoption of conservation agriculture practices in South Asia
Innovation Platforms—structured forums bringing together farmers, suppliers, and extension workers—successfully increased adoption of conservation agriculture practices among smallholder farmers across Nepal, Bangladesh, and India. The platforms built trust, created micro-enterprise opportunities, and empowered rural youth and women. Results varied by location and platform design, but strong community ownership proved essential for effectiveness.
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Agricultural education and extension curriculum innovation: the nexus of climate change, food security, and community resilience
Agricultural education and extension programs must integrate climate change, food security, and community resilience into their curricula. Rising natural disasters threaten food production and livelihoods. The paper argues that educators and extension agents need updated training and resources to help rural communities adapt to climate impacts, strengthen food systems, and build long-term resilience through practical, community-centered learning approaches.
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Intellectual Property and Agricultural Science and Innovation in Germany and the United States
The paper challenges the dominant U.S. theory that treats scientific knowledge as either a public or private good. By examining Germany's approach to agricultural science as a club good, the authors compare how the United States and Germany manage food and agricultural research differently. They argue these distinct approaches have different impacts on social welfare and call for democratic debate on how to best govern scientific knowledge for public benefit.
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Learning as Issue Framing in Agricultural Innovation Networks
Learning in agricultural innovation networks happens through how members frame and reframe issues together. The study tracked two networks over two years and found that sustainable agricultural practices emerge when network members gradually adjust their understanding of problems and their relationships with each other. Complex contexts affect how well members align on issues, but identifying key actor roles and facilitation methods helps networks collaborate effectively on shared concerns.
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The Handbook of Research on Entrepreneurship in Agriculture and Rural Development
This handbook examines entrepreneurship within agriculture and rural development contexts. It brings together research on how entrepreneurs drive innovation and economic growth in rural areas through agricultural ventures and related activities. The work synthesizes knowledge about rural entrepreneurial practices, challenges, and opportunities across different regions and agricultural sectors.
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Unlocking the Potential of Agrifood Waste for Sustainable Innovation in Agriculture
Food waste represents a major global challenge, with 1 billion tons generated annually. This review examines how agricultural and food waste can be converted into valuable products—biocides, bio-based fertilizers, and biostimulants—that boost crop yields and plant health. Using waste-derived compounds supports circular economy principles while addressing food security and environmental sustainability goals simultaneously.
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Augmenting agricultural sustainability: Investigating the role of agricultural land, green innovation, and food production in reducing greenhouse gas emissions
This study examines how agricultural land use, green innovation, food production, and renewable energy affect greenhouse gas emissions across the world's top 20 agricultural countries from 1980 to 2021. The researchers found that green innovation combined with agricultural land management, renewable energy adoption, and increased food trade openness all reduce emissions, while agricultural expansion and food production alone increase them. The findings support policies that balance agricultural productivity with environmental sustainability.
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Measuring the social and ecological performance of agricultural innovations on rangelands: Progress and plans for an indicator framework in the LTAR network
The Long-Term Agroecosystem Research Network developed an indicator framework to measure how agricultural innovations on rangelands perform across five domains: environment, productivity, economics, human condition, and social outcomes. The framework compares management innovations against site-specific benchmarks applicable to grazinglands worldwide. A key challenge remains scaling measurements from fine scales like individual ranches to broader landscape and community levels.
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The multi-actor approach in thematic networks for agriculture and forestry innovation
Horizon2020 Thematic Networks use multi-actor approaches to share agricultural and forestry knowledge across different expertise types. The study finds that participation remains unequal across actor types, limiting demand-driven outcomes. Facilitators strengthen relationships between actors, while digital platforms combined with demonstration activities and peer exchange significantly improve knowledge sharing and innovation impact.
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Assessing climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies and agricultural innovation systems in the Niger Delta
This study evaluates climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies for agriculture in Nigeria's Niger Delta region by analyzing 129 previous studies and surveying 282 extension agents. The researchers developed a method to assess how innovative these strategies are for building sustainable agricultural innovation systems. They found that many recommended strategies face adoption barriers and don't effectively support regional agricultural innovation systems. The work explains why farmers reject most climate strategies and proposes a new scoring approach for agricultural innovations.
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Factors enhancing agricultural productivity under innovation technology: Insights from Cameroon
This study examines how innovation adoption—improved seeds and modern equipment—affects agricultural productivity in Cameroon, analyzing the roles of farmer education, credit access, and land tenure security. Using national survey data and addressing selection bias, the researchers find that education and credit significantly boost both adoption rates and yields. Tertiary education increases yield by 16.5–18.3% per hectare, while credit access generates 10.9–15.5% gains. The paper concludes that technology adoption alone cannot maximize productivity without complementary investments in farmer education and financial access.
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A Capability Approach to Entrepreneurship Education: The Sprouting Entrepreneurs Programme in Rural South African Schools
The Sprouting Entrepreneurs Programme teaches entrepreneurship and agriculture in rural South African schools to combat food insecurity, youth unemployment, and poverty. The programme combines the EntreComp framework with Amartya Sen's capability approach, emphasizing how young people develop freedoms and capabilities to create value through entrepreneurial ideas. It uses the Sustainable Development Goals as a learning medium.
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Young People’s Perceptions about the Difficulties of Entrepreneurship and Developing Rural Properties in Family Agriculture
Young rural entrepreneurs in Brazil identify economic constraints as the primary barrier to investing in family farms, cited in 34% of cases. Workforce shortages and low qualification rank second at 12.6%, while unfavorable producer prices account for 7.6%. The study surveyed 98 young entrepreneurs at a rural youth sustainability event in Santa Catarina, combining qualitative and quantitative analysis to reveal the practical challenges facing the next generation of family farm operators.
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An Assessment of Seaweed Extracts: Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture
Seaweed-based plant growth regulators reduce fertilizer inputs while improving pear production. Field trials in Italy cut primary nutrients by 35–46% and total fertilization by 13%, while increasing fruit weight by 5% and yield by 19–55%. The agronomic efficiency of the seaweed treatment exceeded conventional fertilization by five to nine times, demonstrating that farmers can achieve better results with fewer inputs.
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Organic cultivation and farm entrepreneurship: a case of small tea growers in rural Assam, India
Small tea growers in rural Assam shifted to organic production for ecological and economic benefits, but faced obstacles including insufficient training, technical knowledge gaps, and limited market access. Despite these challenges, some growers succeeded by demonstrating entrepreneurial traits—innovation, risk-taking, and opportunity-seeking. The study concludes that developing entrepreneurial skills among small growers is essential for expanding organic tea cultivation in the region.
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Scaling up innovations in smallholder agriculture: Lessons from the Canadian international food security research fund
Linear technology-transfer approaches to scaling agricultural innovations in low-income rural areas often fail because they ignore complexity, climate variability, and economic risks affecting smallholder farmers. This paper analyzes Canadian-funded projects that successfully scaled innovations and catalyzed sector-wide change. It proposes scaling principles that account for socio-ecological dynamics and recommends redefining impact metrics beyond narrow economic indicators to include sustainable agri-food system outcomes.
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Successful agricultural innovation in emerging economies: new genetic technologies for global food production
This edited volume examines how genetic technologies and crop biotechnology drive agricultural innovation in emerging economies to address food security. It covers the scientific basis for genetically modified crops, their adoption across Africa, Argentina, China, and India, regulatory frameworks enabling innovation, and social and ethical considerations. The work argues that new genetic technologies offer practical solutions for improving food production and nutrition in developing regions.
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Barriers to the adoption of multiple agricultural innovations: insights from Bt cotton, wheat seeds, herbicides and no-tillage in Pakistan
Pakistani smallholder farmers adopt agricultural innovations slowly due to interconnected barriers. Using data from 275 farm households, the study finds that farm machinery, off-farm income, and farmer education enable adoption of Bt cotton, improved wheat seeds, herbicides, and no-tillage farming. Weak agricultural extension services and limited financial resources are the main obstacles. Technology adoption works as an integrated system rather than isolated choices.
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Spin-Offs, Innovation Spillover and the Formation of Agricultural Clusters: The Case of the Vegetable Cluster in Shouguang City, Shandong Province, China
Agricultural clusters in rural China form through three interconnected mechanisms: farmer spin-offs that transform traditional producers into enterprises, network spillovers that spread agricultural innovations across regions, and spatial integration of farming activities. The study of Shouguang's vegetable cluster reveals that entrepreneurial farmers adopting new knowledge create specialized enterprises that cluster together, generating increasing returns to scale and establishing local agricultural innovation systems that mark cluster maturity.
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On the Way to Eco-Innovations in Agriculture: Concepts, Implementation and Effects at National and Local Level. The Case of Poland
Polish agriculture adopted eco-innovations through two pathways: policy-driven organizational changes like organic certification and CAP greening mechanisms, which expanded organic farms from 0.5% to 4.6% of holdings between 2005–2016; and farmer-led product and process innovations driven by individual knowledge, family capital, and local institutional support. Both approaches proved effective at increasing sustainable farming practices and soil-protective crops.
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Female Access and Rights to Land, and Rural Non‐farm Entrepreneurship in Four African Countries
Women's access to land and secure land rights significantly increase their likelihood of starting non-farm businesses in rural Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Malawi, but not in Nigeria. The study analyzed household data from 2013–15 across four African countries using logistic regression. The researchers attribute these varying results to country-specific contexts and offer policy recommendations to strengthen women's entrepreneurship through land security.
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Targeting, bias, and expected impact of complex innovations on developing‐country agriculture: evidence from Malawi
A participatory action research program in Malawi tested agricultural technologies with smallholder farmers to reduce poverty and improve food security. The study found that better-off farmers were systematically selected to test innovations, creating bias. After accounting for observable differences, early results showed positive effects on maize yield and harvest value, but selection bias from unobservable factors remained a concern. The authors recommend improving program design and targeting criteria to enhance external validity.
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Introduction : Innovations et agricultures urbaines durables
Urban agriculture represents a new agricultural frontier addressing food security and health for growing urban populations. The paper examines how innovation in urban agriculture creates proximity between cities, nature, and farming systems. Urban farming practices challenge traditional agricultural concepts and offer sustainable solutions for reconnecting urban populations with food production.
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Growing Innovation Policy: The Case of Organic Agriculture in Ontario, Canada
This case study of organic agriculture in Ontario reveals how innovation operates across multiple scales—local, national, and global. The research identifies three key policy needs: strengthening local networks and farmer associations, correcting global subsidy inequities, and establishing national research funding and standards for organic production. These changes would create more resilient production and marketing systems. The study demonstrates that understanding innovation requires analyzing how different scales interconnect and influence each other.
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Green technology innovation, trade deficit and carbon emission transfer in agriculture under the new “dual circulation” development pattern of China
China's agricultural trade deficit and carbon emissions from agricultural trade are both increasing, with significant regional variation. Green technology innovation shows complex effects: it reduces trade deficits but increases carbon emission transfer in the short term, with benefits varying by region and innovation type. The relationship between trade deficit and carbon emissions is expected to improve over time, supporting coordinated economic and environmental goals in agricultural trade.
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The Driving Factors of Innovation Quality of Agricultural Enterprises—A Study Based on NCA and fsQCA Methods
Agricultural processing enterprises in Liaoning province, China achieve high innovation quality through two main pathways: entrepreneurship combined with government support, or green technology capability combined with market demand. Entrepreneurship and green technology capability emerge as the most universal drivers. The study identifies seven configurations that prevent high innovation quality, categorized as technology-inhibited, entrepreneurship-deprived, or government and market-driven types.
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Role of the interaction space in shaping innovation for sustainable agriculture: Empirical insights from African case studies
Agricultural development projects in Malawi and Tanzania use farm trials and farmer field schools to promote sustainable agriculture innovation. The study reveals that knowledge exchange succeeds through knowledge brokers who facilitate social learning, yet simultaneously create social exclusions. The design of interaction spaces between researchers and farmers directly shapes both technical and social knowledge construction. Effective scaling requires opening these spaces for genuine co-creation and collaborative knowledge building.
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How Does Internet Use Promote Farmer Entrepreneurship: Evidence from Rural China
Internet use significantly increases farmer entrepreneurship in rural China, particularly necessity-driven entrepreneurship. The effect operates through three mechanisms: improved risk attitudes, expanded social capital, and better information access. Social capital expansion accounts for the largest share of this impact. These findings suggest internet infrastructure investments can effectively promote rural entrepreneurship and economic development.
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Climate-Smart Agricultural Extension Service Innovation Approaches in Uganda: Review Paper
Uganda's agricultural extension services employ diverse providers—government, NGOs, universities, and commercial organizations—to deliver climate-smart farming practices. Extension approaches include soil fertility management, crop rotation, agroforestry, and farmer field schools. Innovative methods leverage ICT platforms, mass media campaigns, and climate-smart villages to help farmers adapt to climate change. The paper recommends integrating ICT across extension systems and developing strategic plans to increase women's participation in agricultural advisory services.
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Climate variability, innovation and firm performance: evidence from the European agricultural sector
Climate variability drives agricultural firms to develop adaptation innovations, which significantly improve their performance. Using panel data from European farms between 2007 and 2017, the authors find that firms generating knowledge about climate adaptation technologies perform better, particularly in aquaculture and fishing sectors in northern Europe. Innovation emerges as a key mechanism linking climate stress to business success.
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Household welfare impacts of an agricultural innovation platform in Uganda
An agricultural innovation platform in Uganda that brought together researchers and farmers to develop improved cassava varieties and establish a seed entrepreneurship system increased household consumption expenditure by 47.4% among participating farmers. The platform's impact varied by household characteristics like gender, suggesting that targeted interventions for specific farm groups could improve rural livelihoods further.
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Land tenure system innovation and agricultural technology adoption in Burkina Faso: Comparing empirical evidence to the worsening situation of both rural people vulnerability and vulnerable groups’ access to land
Burkina Faso's 2009 land reform gave farmers formal property rights to encourage agricultural technology adoption. The study finds formal land rights do increase adoption of soil fertility technologies compared to customary rights. However, the law's actual implementation worsens rural livelihoods and reduces vulnerable groups' land access, creating a gap between theory and practice. The authors conclude additional measures are needed to protect rural people despite technology gains.
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Rethinking rural entrepreneurship in the era of globalization: some observations from Iran
This longitudinal study of 40 rural entrepreneurs and experts across four Iranian provinces identifies four distinct types of rural entrepreneurship: orthodox economic, technology-driven, applied scientific, and development-supplementary approaches. The authors argue for a fifth model—anti-globalized cultural rural entrepreneurship—that shifts focus from productivist agriculture toward multifunctional farming and social movements, moving beyond rural-urban divides.
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Supporting Innovation in Organic Agriculture: A European Perspective Using Experience from the SOLID Project
Organic farming drives agricultural innovation through stakeholder collaboration rather than just new technologies. The SOLID project used farmer-led participatory research across Europe to identify and solve problems in organic dairy farming. Farmers lacked confidence in forage production reliability despite recognizing its importance. The study shows that combining scientific expertise with farmers' practical knowledge through systems-based approaches effectively develops sustainable innovations.
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Do entrepreneurial food systems innovations impact rural economies and health? Evidence and gaps.
Local food system innovations—farmers' markets, community supported agriculture, farm-to-institution programs, and food hubs—aim to strengthen rural economies and improve food access and health. The authors review evidence on whether these entrepreneurial models help producers earn viable incomes, boost local economies, increase affordable healthy food access, and improve dietary outcomes. While some evidence supports each benefit, significant research gaps remain about their actual economic and public health impacts.
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Advancement of Rural Poor Women through Small Entrepreneurship Development: The Case of Bangladesh
Small entrepreneurship in livestock, poultry, nursery, and handicraft production significantly improved rural poor women's livelihoods in Bangladesh. Participating households increased annual income by an average of 111 percent. The enterprises also drove improvements in health, sanitation, housing, and access to clean water. Women gained self-employment opportunities and greater participation in household decision-making, demonstrating that small-scale enterprises effectively reduce poverty and advance socioeconomic development.
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Phosphorus dynamics and sustainable agriculture: The role of microbial solubilization and innovations in nutrient management
Phosphorus availability limits crop growth in many soils, and heavy reliance on chemical fertilizers causes environmental damage like water eutrophication. Phosphorus-solubilizing microorganisms—bacteria and fungi that convert insoluble phosphorus into plant-available forms—offer a sustainable alternative. Integrating these microbes into farming systems reduces chemical fertilizer dependence, improves soil health, and decreases phosphorus pollution while meeting growing food demand.
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Endogenous learning and innovation in African smallholder agriculture: lessons from Guinea-Bissau
Smallholder rice farmers in Guinea-Bissau continuously reinvent and share farming knowledge across generations, creating a dynamic agricultural system. External development actors must understand how endogenous knowledge is produced and spreads among farmers to design effective interventions. Co-producing innovations that respect local conditions and allow farmers to adapt technologies to their needs strengthens the entire knowledge system.
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From Policy Promises to Result through Innovation in African Agriculture?
Agricultural innovation can help African countries achieve food security and poverty reduction goals, but moving from policy promises to real results remains difficult. The paper identifies technological and institutional innovations that boost smallholder farmer productivity and income, yet barriers—including weak governance, limited resources, and knowledge gaps—prevent their adoption. Effective implementation mechanisms beyond goal-setting are essential to deliver promised outcomes.
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Can an innovation platform support a local process of climate-smart agriculture implementation? A case study in Cauca, Colombia
An innovation platform in Cauca, Colombia brought together farmers, NGOs, local authorities, and associations to implement climate-smart agriculture. The platform improved stakeholder interactions, increased farmer knowledge about climate change, and led to adoption of practices like crop diversification and reduced fertilizer use. Innovation platforms can effectively enable farmers to understand and adopt climate-smart agriculture suited to their local conditions.
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Multidisciplinary assessment of agricultural innovation and its impact: a case study of lowland rice variety WITA 9 in Côte d’Ivoire
WITA 9, a lowland rice variety released in Côte d'Ivoire, outperforms other varieties in yield and disease resistance. A comprehensive evaluation found 24% farmer adoption, with adopters gaining 0.7 tons per hectare in yield and $91 additional income per season. Consumers prefer WITA 9 to locally produced alternatives and value it similarly to imported rice. The variety offers significant potential for boosting productivity and reducing rice imports, though better seed systems and awareness campaigns are needed.
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Innovations in Value-Addition of Agricultural By-Products in Uganda
Uganda generates millions of tons of agricultural by-products from crops, livestock, fish, and forestry annually. Current innovations convert these materials into briquettes, biogas, biochar, organic fertilizers, and composite building materials. The review identifies additional opportunities: bones for soft tissue and buttons, blood for adhesives and fertilizers, and fish oil for food enrichment. These value-addition strategies reduce waste while creating new products and income sources.
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What Prompts Agricultural Innovation in Rural Nepal: A Study Using the Example of Macadamia and Walnut Trees as Novel Cash Crops
In Nepal, researchers studied what drives farmers to adopt macadamia and walnut cultivation as novel cash crops. Through household surveys and statistical analysis, they found that ethnicity, wealth, and prior experience with fruit trees significantly influence adoption. Years of tree cultivation experience and existing fruit tree income most strongly predict nut farming. The study concludes that wealthier households lead adoption, while poor, landless, and female-headed households need alternative business models and new policies to participate in this agricultural innovation.
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Agricultural innovations at a Late Iron Age oppidum: Archaeobotanical evidence for flax, food and fodder from Calleva Atrebatum, UK
Archaeological plant remains from a Late Iron Age settlement in Britain reveal that agricultural innovations focused on animal fodder production rather than feeding urban populations. Evidence shows flax cultivation, hay meadow management, and heathland use alongside staple crops and imported foods. These findings challenge existing theories about how proto-urban settlements sustained themselves and demonstrate that new grassland management and oil crops supported livestock rather than people.
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Fertilizer use optimization approach: An innovation to increase agricultural profitability for African farmers
African smallholder farmers underinvest in fertilizer due to uncertainty about returns, keeping yields low despite agriculture's importance to the region. Researchers developed fertilizer optimization tools tailored to 65 agro-ecological zones and 14 major crops across Sub-Saharan Africa. These tools, along with complementary nutrient substitution tables, help farmers maximize profitability and returns on fertilizer investment.
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Marketing Innovation in Rural Small Food Industries in Iran
Small food industries in rural Iran show weak marketing innovation performance overall, with more radical than incremental marketing innovation. Product and organizational innovations directly influence marketing innovation. Incremental marketing innovation is hindered by formal R&D units, product diversification, and manager experience, while radical marketing innovation depends on production capacity, product diversification, manager age, and education. Improving marketing innovation requires concurrent product and organizational innovation plus targeted manager training.
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Financial Innovation in Indian Agricultural Credit Market: Progress and Performance of Kisan Credit Card
The Kisan Credit Card scheme in India expanded agricultural credit access to small and marginal farmers through a simplified, flexible borrowing mechanism. The program improved credit availability and reduced transaction costs for rural farmers, though performance varied by region and farmer type. The innovation demonstrated how targeted financial products can enhance agricultural productivity and rural economic development in developing economies.
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Success and Failure of Crossbred Cows in India: A Place-Based Approach to Rural Development
India's dairy cooperative program is widely celebrated, but crossbred cows promoted by development agencies were not uniformly adopted across rural areas. This study explains mixed adoption rates by examining how place-specific agricultural economies and social relations shape farmer decisions. Success or failure cannot be measured simply by adoption rates; instead, evaluating dairy development requires understanding local practices, official policies, and the distinct characteristics of each village and region.
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European Sugar Policy Reform and Agricultural Innovation
The EU's 2006 sugar market reform reduced adoption incentives for genetically modified sugar beet among high-cost farmers while increasing incentives for medium-cost producers. Low-cost farmers remained largely unaffected. The reform successfully reduced flexibility and competitiveness of high-cost producers, achieving its goal of crowding them out and strengthening the European sugar market's overall competitiveness.
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Technological and Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development
International agricultural research must shift from traditional top-down models to participatory, systems-based approaches that engage farmers and communities throughout the innovation process. The International Livestock Research Institute reorganized its work around five interconnected themes emphasizing innovation systems, participatory research, social science capacity, and partnerships. This demand-driven, community-based model produces knowledge products directly addressing poverty alleviation and sustainable rural development, particularly through livestock research in developing countries.
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A New Brand of Agriculture: Farmer-Owned Brands Reward Innovation
The U.S. Midwest commodity agriculture system efficiently produces and distributes meat and grain at low cost, but it prevents consumer preferences from reaching farmers. Farmer-owned brands can solve this problem by creating direct signals between consumers and producers, allowing farmers to capture premiums for differentiated products that consumers want but cannot currently obtain through commodity channels.
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Reducing food loss through sustainable business models and agricultural innovation systems
This study identifies how sustainable business models integrated with agricultural innovation systems reduce food loss in postharvest supply chains. Researchers found that value losses cascade through supply chains via multiplier and stacking effects. They propose four strategies: redefining ownership as stewardship, enabling beneficiary identification, strengthening value addition, and building community capacity. The findings emphasize networked approaches combining agricultural innovation systems with sustainable business models to address early-stage food loss.
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A sustainable rural entrepreneurship model developed by the organic farmers of India
Organic farmers in Uttarakhand, India developed a sustainable entrepreneurship model that generates higher revenue and improves socioeconomic status compared to conventional farming. The model, pioneered by farmer Bhagchand Ramola in Manj Gaon village, delivers economic, health, and environmental benefits. However, growth faces constraints: farmers depend heavily on Japanese buyers and struggle to convince conventional farmers to switch to organic methods.
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Patterns of investment in agricultural research and innovation for the Global South, with a focus on sustainable agricultural intensification
Global South governments invest approximately $60 billion annually in agricultural research and innovation, with China's government alone matching all other countries combined. Private sector and development partners contribute smaller shares. Less than 7% of funding targets environmental goals, and under 5% addresses both social and environmental outcomes. The study reveals a significant funding gap for sustainable agricultural intensification and recommends transparent reporting standards to redirect investment toward sustainability.
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Innovation in rural development: "neo-rural" farmers branding local quality of food and territory
Neo-rural farmers in Campania, Italy are innovating through collective branding that links local food quality with territorial identity. These farmers reshape production-consumption relationships by combining economic practices with environmental and cultural values. Their narrative-based brand represents an alternative agri-food movement that promotes local development, food quality, and resource stewardship in inner rural areas.
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RURAL WOMEN AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP: A CASE STUDY IN HERAKLION CRETE PREFECTURE, GREECE
Rural women in Crete who formed cooperative enterprises for traditional food production hold entrepreneurial ambitions but face significant barriers. Low education, lack of professional skills, and risk aversion push them toward cooperatives rather than individual ventures. These cooperatives lack modern business practices including quality control systems, certification processes, technology adoption, marketing, and administrative innovation.
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The role of actors’ cooperation, local anchoring and innovation in creating culinary tourism experiences in the rural Slovenian Mediterranean
Rural culinary tourism experiences in Slovenia's Mediterranean region drive sustainable development when local actors cooperate closely and embed community values. The researchers analyzed 213 culinary experiences, examining ten in depth across cooperation, local anchoring, and innovation. They found that innovation significantly influences success and that experience types correlate with organizer types, making culinary tourism a viable alternative to mass coastal tourism.
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Innovation of argan (Argania spinosa (L.) Skeels) products and byproducts for sustainable development of rural communities in Morocco. A systematic literature review
Argan trees in Morocco face threats from overgrazing and land degradation, but innovative processing of argan byproducts offers economic opportunities for rural communities. Argan press cake, nut shells, and pulp can be converted into livestock feed, bioplastics, biochar, bioenergy, and natural repellents. However, local populations remain underinvolved in development strategies. The paper recommends participatory approaches, training, and product differentiation among women's cooperatives to realize sustainable rural development benefits.
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AGRICULTURAL COOPERATION AS AN INNOVATION FOR RURAL DEVELOPMENT
Agricultural cooperatives serve as a mechanism for integrated rural development in Ukraine, addressing economic and settlement challenges while increasing investment attractiveness. The study analyzes European cooperative models and identifies growth points in Ukrainian rural areas—meat, construction, tourism, and recreational clusters—where cooperatives can reduce costs for members and support small and medium-sized businesses. The research concludes that cooperatives require stronger state institutional support to function effectively as mechanisms for economic self-regulation and rural prosperity.
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Value of Social Network for Development of Rural Malay Herbal Entrepreneurship in Malaysia
Rural Malay herbal entrepreneurs in Malaysia lag behind other ethnic groups due to weak social networks. The study of ten entrepreneurs reveals that developing network skills through government support, family, relatives, friends, and support groups is essential for their business success and competitiveness.
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Agricultural specialization activates the industry chain: Implications for rural entrepreneurship in China
Agricultural outsourcing in China significantly increases rural entrepreneurship, with 9.1% more rural residents starting private enterprises or self-employment. The effect is stronger in non-grain-producing areas and primarily drives opportunistic entrepreneurship. Agricultural outsourcing activates the broader industry chain, extending it, creating off-farm jobs, and improving credit access. Policymakers should leverage outsourcing to drive rural innovation and industrial transformation.
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Realizing common prosperity: The action logic of social entrepreneurship community mobilization in rural tourism
Village leaders in rural China use social entrepreneurship to mobilize residents into collective tourism ventures, improving quality of life and community transformation. Research in Shaanxi Province reveals a three-stage process where entrepreneurs shift residents' attitudes through strategic engagement. Success requires incorporating local people into value networks early and linking them to tangible benefits, enabling residents to act as both producers and collaborators in sustainable rural tourism development.
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Agroecological Entrepreneurship, Public Support, and Sustainable Development: The Case of Rural Yucatan (Mexico)
Rural entrepreneurs in Yucatan, Mexico pursue agroecological businesses to support sustainable development, but face significant barriers. Public institutions provide minimal support due to competing political priorities, entrepreneurs lack training in agroecological methods, distribution channels are inadequate, and bureaucratic obstacles hinder business formation. Low consumer environmental awareness and weak producer networks further constrain these enterprises from generating wealth and rural development.
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Associations between local land use/land cover and place-based landscape service patterns in rural Tanzania
This study maps how landscape services relate to land use patterns in three rural Tanzanian villages. Researchers used participatory mapping to identify eight provisioning and one cultural service, then analyzed their spatial associations with local land cover. The findings show that land use patterns significantly predict landscape service distribution, with both village-specific patterns and common associations across sites. This suggests land use data could help estimate landscape services at larger scales.
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Exploring Audience Segmentation: Investigating Adopter Categories to Diffuse an Innovation to Prevent Famine in Rural Mozambique
This study identifies five distinct adopter categories among rural Mozambicans for an innovation designed to prevent food shortages. Using latent class analysis on 127 participants, the researchers found that these categories differ significantly from traditional adopter category models. The findings suggest that audience segmentation based on local adopter patterns can improve the effectiveness of campaigns to diffuse food security innovations in rural contexts.
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Enabling rural innovation in Africa: an approach for empowering smallholder farmers to access market opportunities for improved livelihoods
This paper presents the Enabling Rural Innovation approach, which helps smallholder farmers in Africa access market opportunities and build entrepreneurial capacity. The method combines participatory market research, farmer-led research, natural resource management, social capital building, and gender equity to link resource-poor farmers to domestic, regional, and international markets. The authors share lessons and impact findings from testing this approach across eastern and southern Africa.
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Assessment of rural households’ mobile phone usage status for rural innovation services in Gomma Woreda, Southwest Ethiopia
Rural households in Southwest Ethiopia use mobile phones primarily to access marketing services, with educated farmers adopting more innovation services than less educated ones. The study surveyed 188 households and found mobile phones enable access to agricultural extension, health services, and marketing. Stakeholders must address barriers to mobile phone utilization in rural areas to expand these innovation services.
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Exploring the potential of local food and drink entrepreneurship in rural Wales
Rural food and drink entrepreneurs in Wales create microenterprises and food tourism initiatives that address social and economic challenges in farming communities. Case studies show how these ventures deliver sustainable local food systems with community benefits, operating within Wales's One Planet Sustainable Development framework. The research demonstrates entrepreneurship's role in translating policy into rural development, particularly as European funding and Welsh Government increasingly support food heritage tourism for rural wellbeing.
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Entrepreneurship in organic production – an incentive for sustainable rural development
Organic production entrepreneurship drives sustainable rural development by combining economic growth with environmental protection. The paper argues that organic farming, integrated with tourism and related activities, creates an effective entrepreneurial strategy that meets urban demand while preserving soil, water, biodiversity, and landscapes. This approach increases rural competitiveness through ecological technology and comprehensive management of production processes.
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Beekeeping innovation for sustaining rural livelihoods. A success story
A beekeeping project in Vietnam successfully introduced modern practices to small farmers, exceeding adoption targets and increasing household incomes. Farmers gained unexpected benefits including improved health and stronger family relationships. Success resulted from the innovation's visible benefits, alignment with local sharing practices, and extension agents who simplified the technology and incorporated farmers' existing knowledge into training.
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Local development in the rural regions of Eastern Europe: Post-socialist paradoxes of economic and social entrepreneurship
Agricultural transformation in Hungary and Poland created paradoxes for rural development. The paper examines how de-collectivization reshaped cooperative management and the relationship between large cooperatives and rural households. It analyzes how Europeanization and globalization affected these dynamics, identifying what distinguishes successful cooperatives and households in this post-socialist context.
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DEVELOPMENT OF RURAL TOURISM THROUGH ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Rural tourism entrepreneurship in Romania drives economic development in rural areas through small businesses. Romanian rural tourism entrepreneurs demonstrate optimism and openness to learning since the post-1989 revival. Success depends on initiative, achievement motivation, and the ability to identify and capitalize on market opportunities.
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Self-employment and development of non-agricultural entrepreneurship in rural areas
Rural self-employment and non-agricultural entrepreneurship drive economic development in rural areas. The paper examines how farmers and rural residents shift toward business activities beyond agriculture, creating new income sources and employment opportunities. This diversification strengthens rural economies and reduces dependence on traditional farming.
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THE RURAL TOURIST ENTREPRENEURSHIP – NEW OPPORTUNITIES OF CAPITALIZING THE RURAL TOURIST POTENTIAL IN THE CONTEXT OF DURABLE DEVELOPMENT
Rural tourism entrepreneurship can revitalize economically disadvantaged communities by leveraging traditional agro-food products and regional food systems. The authors analyze how integrated rural tourism ventures create economic benefits at national levels across European Union countries. They develop metrics to measure rural tourism entrepreneurship potential, finding that mountainous and adjacent areas can achieve sustainable development by capitalizing on their distinctive food heritage and tourist appeal.
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Impact of entrepreneurship training on rural poultry farmers adoption of improved management practices in Enugu State, Nigeria
Entrepreneurship training significantly increased rural poultry farmers' adoption of improved management practices in Nigeria. Before training, 70% of farmers were unaware of practices like record-keeping and vaccination; after training, 100% knew them and 85% adopted them. Education, farming experience, income, and farm size positively influenced adoption. High input costs, low capital, loan access difficulties, and poor extension services were major barriers. The study recommends more training and government-backed soft loans to boost adoption and food security.
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Rural Malay Involvement in Malaysian Herbal Entrepreneurship
Rural Malay youth show growing involvement in herbal entrepreneurship in Malaysia, but technical expertise remains weak. The study of ten rural herbal entrepreneurs reveals that while the number of Malay entrepreneurs increases gradually, technical-based entrepreneurship lags significantly. Government and development planners must prioritize human capital development, technical training, and financial resources to boost participation among rural youth in this sector.
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Wealth, Entrepreneurship, and Rural Livelihoods
This paper examines the relationship between wealth, entrepreneurship, and rural livelihoods. The authors investigate how wealth accumulation and entrepreneurial activity shape economic opportunities and living standards in rural communities. The work connects financial resources to business creation and sustainability in agricultural and non-agricultural rural sectors.
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Rural Women Entrepreneurship and Media Literacy: Experience from Japan and Turkey
Rural women in Japan and Turkey use media and digital technology to build entrepreneurial capacity in agriculture. The study compares policies and activities in both countries between 2010 and 2020, showing how media literacy helps women entrepreneurs adapt to technology despite different economic contexts. The research highlights agriculture-specific evidence for rural women's entrepreneurship development.
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Place‐based learning processes in a family science workshop: Discussion prompts supporting families sensemaking and rural science connections using a community water model
A study of family learning in informal science workshops reveals how discussion prompts help parents and children make sense of water quality science and connect it to their rural community. Analysis of 12 families showed six types of sensemaking conversations emerged, with families using physical gestures across multiple surfaces to support their understanding. Discussion prompts that link abstract science to local experiences strengthen family engagement in informal science education.
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Societal Entrepreneurship for Sustainable Asian Rural Societies: A Multi-Sectoral Social Capital Approach in Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan
Small-scale farmers in Thailand, Taiwan, and Japan collaborate across public, private, and third sectors to address agricultural crises including aging producers, falling prices, and biodiversity loss. The paper identifies how different types of social capital—solutions, advocacy, and reconciliation—drive these multi-sectoral initiatives and enable sustainable community development and scaling of solutions, with distinct drivers emerging in each country context.
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Enhancing integration of Indigenous agricultural knowledge into USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service cost-share initiatives
Indigenous agricultural knowledge practices in the American Southwest have sustained ecosystems for millennia, yet only 2% of USDA conservation cost-share contracts go to American Indian farms despite comprising 2.9% of U.S. farms. The paper demonstrates that Hopi dryland farming, Chippewa wild rice harvesting, and Menominee forestry practices align with NRCS conservation goals. The authors argue for integrating Indigenous practices directly into NRCS technical guides rather than requiring ad hoc approval processes, removing barriers to participation and preserving both ecosystems and Indigenous cultures.
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Indigenous Knowledge and Acceptability of Treated Effluent in Agriculture
This study examined whether indigenous knowledge can increase acceptance of treated effluent from human waste in agriculture. Researchers conducted focus groups in rural and peri-urban South Africa and found that communities showed willingness to grow and consume food using treated effluent. Participants referenced indigenous practices supporting recycling and reuse of human excreta. The findings suggest leveraging traditional knowledge to address food insecurity and sanitation challenges simultaneously in rural and peri-urban areas.
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Investigating the possibility of producing animal feed from sugarcane bagasse using oyster mushrooms: a case in rural entrepreneurship
Researchers processed sugarcane bagasse with oyster mushrooms (Pleurotus florida) to create animal feed. Laboratory and animal feeding trials showed that mushroom-treated bagasse improved nutritional quality, increasing protein content and digestibility while reducing fiber compared to raw bagasse. The treated material performed as well as wheat and barley straw, making it a viable alternative roughage for feeding livestock.
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Rural Farmers Use of Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Agriculture for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in Southeast Nigeria
Farmers in Southeast Nigeria use traditional indigenous knowledge practices to adapt to and mitigate climate change. The study surveyed 360 farmers and found they employ crop diversification, rotation, mulching, agroforestry, water storage, and natural pest control methods. These proven practices remain effective and safe, and the researchers recommend integrating them with modern agricultural techniques.
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Examining Key Stakeholder and Community Residents’ Understanding of Environmental Influences to Inform Place‐Based Interventions to Reduce Obesity in Rural Communities, Kentucky 2015
Rural Kentucky counties with obesity rates exceeding 40% face significant barriers to healthy living. Stakeholders and residents identified limited access to fresh produce and inadequate physical activity infrastructure as key problems. Residents concerned about obesity shopped more at supercenters, while those with information about physical activity opportunities reported better access to safe exercise spaces, sidewalks, and trails. These findings provide a foundation for designing community-specific interventions.
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Knowledge Management Strategy for Indigenous Knowledge on Land Use and Agricultural Development in Western Ethiopia
Local communities in western Ethiopia possess substantial indigenous knowledge about land use and agriculture, but fail to systematically acquire, develop, share, or preserve it. The study identifies major barriers including poor knowledge-sharing culture, lack of written records, generational disinterest, oral-only transmission, lifestyle changes, and insufficient recognition of indigenous knowledge. The authors recommend developing knowledge management strategies to better capture and utilize this local expertise.
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Feasibility study of hybrid energy system for off-grid rural water supply and sanitation system in Odisha, India
Researchers designed a hybrid solar and biogas energy system for a rural village in Odisha, India to power water supply and sanitation facilities. Using optimization modeling software, they evaluated different system configurations and calculated capital costs, operating costs, and energy costs to identify a cost-effective solution for providing clean water and toilets to the village's poor residents.
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Adverse selections and microfinance in rural Africa: signalling through environmental services
Microfinance institutions struggle to identify creditworthy agricultural borrowers in rural Africa because farmers misrepresent their success. This paper uses game theory to show that certified environmental services, particularly carbon credits, can signal genuine farming project viability. Borrowers with certification reveal their actual farming conditions, reducing adverse selection and loan default problems.
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The innovation performance of small rural enterprises and cooperatives in Tehran province, Iran
Small rural enterprises in Tehran province, particularly those processing and packaging food products, struggle with sustainability. This study examined innovation as a sustainability driver and found that regional cooperatives significantly outperform private enterprises in both product/service and market innovation, suggesting cooperative structures better support rural enterprise innovation.
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Microfinance with education in rural Ghana: Men's perception of household level impact
A microfinance and nutrition education program in rural Ghana increased women's incomes and household food security. Male household heads reported supporting women's participation and perceived positive impacts on business practices and meal quality. However, men reduced their own household contributions in response to women's increased earnings, revealing unintended consequences of women's economic empowerment on household dynamics.
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The management of indigenous knowledge with other knowledge systems for agricultural development: challenges and opportunities for developing countries
Tanzanian farmers struggle to integrate indigenous agricultural knowledge with external knowledge systems due to personal, social, and resource constraints, weak infrastructure, unclear intellectual property policies, and poor connections between researchers, extension workers, and farming communities. The paper identifies specific challenges and recommends strategies to strengthen knowledge management systems for agricultural development in rural Tanzania.
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Entrepreneurship in Rural Tourism? Australian Landcare Programs as a Destination Marketing Tool
Landcare programs in Australia represent a bottom-up community approach to environmental management that creates educational tourism opportunities. Two case studies show that rural enterprises running Landcare-based tourism initiatives lack understanding of tourism industry mechanics, missing significant business opportunities. The paper demonstrates that bridging environmental conservation with tourism requires better industry knowledge among rural operators.
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Internationalization, innovation, and resilience: Financial performance of agricultural cooperatives in southeastern Spain's rural economy
Agricultural cooperatives in southeastern Spain that expand into international markets achieve stronger financial resilience, increased profitability, and greater innovation capacity than non-internationalized enterprises. Digital innovation proves essential for successful export performance. The study demonstrates that internationalization strengthens cooperative governance and positions these organizations as drivers of sustainable rural economic development, particularly in the post-pandemic context.
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Bridging the Digital Divide: Empowering Rural Women Farmers Through Mobile Technology in Kerala
Mobile technology significantly empowers rural women farmers in Kerala's Palakkad district by improving access to agricultural information, market engagement, and social connectivity. A study of 192 women farmers found that mobile phones enhance self-reliance, market participation, and quality of life. However, digital literacy gaps and inadequate infrastructure remain major barriers to technology adoption and equitable agricultural development.
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Reflective and Cooperative Learning for Understanding Sustainability through an Eco-Innovation Strategy in Rural Travel and Hospitality: A STEAM Case Study
This case study in Taiwan demonstrates how eco-innovation can be taught through experiential STEAM education. Hospitality and tourism students engaged in hands-on learning by managing organic farms, preparing farm-to-table meals, and guiding heritage tourism activities. The approach successfully fostered sustainable practices and cultural preservation while showing that eco-innovation serves as a viable marketing strategy for rural community economic development.
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Influencing factor modeled examination on internet rural logistics talent innovation mechanism based on fuzzy comprehensive evaluation method
China's rural logistics system lags behind urban development, limiting talent innovation in e-commerce. This paper identifies factors hindering rural e-commerce talent innovation and proposes countermeasures to improve practitioner skills. Using fuzzy comprehensive evaluation and system analysis methods on company data, the authors achieve a 98% recognition rate and 20% faster processing speed than existing approaches, aiming to boost agricultural development.
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Scaling-up of Neem (Azadirachta indica A. Juss) Cultivation in Agroforestry for Entrepreneurship and Economic Strengthening of Rural Community of India
Neem trees have multiple medicinal, religious, and agricultural uses documented in ancient Indian texts and recognized globally, yet remain underutilized in Indian agroforestry despite successful intercropping research with various crops. The paper argues that scaling up neem cultivation through agroforestry systems can create rural entrepreneurship opportunities and strengthen rural economies in India, moving beyond current limited adoption by farming communities.
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Models of entrepreneurship development in rural tourism destinations in Vojvodina
Rural tourism in Vojvodina can drive economic development through entrepreneurship models centered on farm stays, village experiences, traditional events, organic food production, and eco-tourism. The paper identifies key rural tourism products and argues that targeted investment in these entrepreneurial ventures aligned with current market demand will increase tourism income and boost rural economic growth.
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Food security in rural Uganda: assessing latent effects of microfinance on pre-participation
This study examines how microfinance affects food security among rural Ugandan women before they join microfinance organizations. Researchers surveyed 130 women in two villages and found that microfinance participation creates structural links between women's social capital, empowerment, and collective action, which then increases access to additional income and improves food security outcomes.
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Enabling community-powered co-innovation by connecting rural stakeholders with global knowledge brokers
The paper demonstrates how community-powered co-innovation improves conditions for small-scale farmers in developing countries. By connecting rural stakeholders with global knowledge brokers, the approach addresses economic, social, and ecological sustainability simultaneously. The authors show this model can be successfully implemented to support farming communities.
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Indigenous knowledge systems and agricultural rural development in South Africa : past and present perspectives
Indigenous knowledge systems sustained rural livelihoods and biodiversity in South Africa for centuries until colonialism and apartheid disrupted them. The paper examines how IK can support agricultural development today, identifying gaps in research and policy. While the South African government has advanced IK protection, gaps remain in intellectual property legislation and implementation. Agricultural and soil-focused IK research needs expansion to unlock innovation potential for rural development.
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Pioneering Micro-Entrepreneurship Through Poultry Breeding and Distribution in Rural India (<i>Innovations Case Narrative</i>: Keggfarms)
Keggfarms, established in rural India, creates income opportunities for rural communities by breeding and distributing poultry stock adapted to local conditions. The enterprise increases protein availability in rural areas while building a sustainable business. Over two decades, Keggfarms gained leadership status among poultry producers and government recognition, operating within India's self-sufficiency economic policy.
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Using Indigenous Knowledge in Traditional Agricultural Systems for Poverty and Hunger Eradication
Indigenous knowledge systems offer practical solutions for South African agriculture, enabling resource-poor farmers to improve food security, reduce poverty, and generate income through cost-effective, labour-intensive methods. Indigenous practices inform crop selection, animal breeding, storage, processing, and farm tool design. The article emphasizes urgency in documenting this knowledge before the elderly generation holding it disappears.
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The role of permaculture in the integration of indigenous and modern agricultural knowledge: Evidence from Konso, Ethiopia
Farmers in Konso, Ethiopia adopt some modern agricultural practices like improved seeds and pest control methods, but remain skeptical about chemical fertilizers and seed varieties that threaten local crops. The study finds that permaculture offers a promising bridge between indigenous and modern farming systems because its philosophy aligns with traditional knowledge while addressing food security challenges. Properly implemented permaculture can integrate both approaches effectively.
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Vino, turismo e innovación: Las Rutas del Vino de España, una estrategia integrada de desarrollo rural/Wine, Tourism and Innovation: The Wine Routes of Spain, an Integrated Strategy of Rural Development
Spain's Wine Routes program integrates wine production, tourism, and rural development by positioning wine as a territory-intensive product. The strategy responds to global market competition by diversifying offerings beyond wine itself, creating wine tourism experiences that leverage regional identity and quality. This approach guarantees visitors high-quality tourism products while supporting rural economies through innovation in complementary services.
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Collective entrepreneurship in agriculture and its contribution to sustainable rural development in Greece
Greek agricultural cooperatives face financial crises that threaten their survival. The paper identifies how cooperatives are adopting new forms of collective entrepreneurship, transforming from traditional models into new generation cooperatives to remain competitive. The authors develop a typology showing how different collaborative structures balance economic development, environmental protection, and social equity to support sustainable rural development.
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Agricultural Extension with Information and Communication Technology (ICT)Mediated Open Distance Learning (ODL) Methods: A Case Study from Rural South India
Rural communities in South Asia face recurring droughts that cause severe food shortages, disease, and economic hardship. The paper argues that lack of awareness and information access prevents communities from preparing for and mitigating drought impacts. The authors propose using ICT-mediated open distance learning methods for agricultural extension to deliver sustained information and education to vulnerable rural populations, making drought preparedness possible rather than relying on relief.
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Sustainability Assessment of Food Waste Biorefineries as the Base of the Entrepreneurship in Rural Zones of Colombia
Food waste biorefineries can drive rural economic development in Colombia by converting agricultural residues into valuable products. Researchers analyzed six food wastes from three Colombian regions and designed biorefinery processes for each. Organic kitchen food waste conversion to levulinic acid proved most sustainable and economically viable, while other residues could produce bioactive compounds, oils, flour, and biogas. These biorefineries reduce greenhouse gases while creating local income opportunities.
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Relationship between Indigenous Knowledge Development in Agriculture and the Sustainability of Water Resources
Indigenous agricultural knowledge can address water scarcity in dry regions. This study examined factors affecting indigenous knowledge and sustainable water management in Iran's Sistan region through interviews with 40 experts and a fuzzy hierarchy analysis. Educational extension emerged as the top priority factor (0.37 weight), followed by social factors, government support, economics, and farmer knowledge. The authors recommend strengthening local indigenous knowledge and promoting modern irrigation techniques.
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Poultry production in Nigeria: exploiting its potentials for rural youth empowerment and entrepreneurship
Poultry production offers significant potential to reduce youth unemployment in Nigeria's rural and peri-urban areas through entrepreneurship. The paper argues that government, financial institutions, and corporations should collaborate to support young farmers with soft loans, infrastructure, and extension services. Establishing a well-funded poultry advisory system would make farming attractive to youth and ensure sustainable rural development through employment creation.
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Place-based perceptions, resilience and adaptation to climate change by smallholder farmers in rural South Africa
Smallholder farmers in South Africa's Joe Gqabi District respond to climate change through diverse adaptation and resilience strategies. Their choices depend on household characteristics, access to information and technology, assets, and climate perceptions. The study finds farmers lack institutional support and awareness. Strengthening farmer and institutional capacity, building on existing knowledge, and implementing supportive policies are essential for sustaining production under changing climate conditions.
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Study of Factors Affecting Rural Development, With A Focus on the Role of Agricultural Entrepreneurship (Case Study: North Khorasan Province)
Agricultural entrepreneurship significantly drives rural development in North Khorasan Province. The study identifies key factors that influence how farming enterprises contribute to economic growth, employment, and community prosperity in rural areas. Entrepreneurial activities in agriculture create pathways for rural residents to increase incomes and improve living standards through business innovation and market engagement.
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Microfinance and Vulnerability to Seasonal Famine in a Rural Economy: Evidence from Monga in Bangladesh
Microfinance membership in Northern Bangladesh improves food security during seasonal famine periods, particularly for the poorest households. The benefit operates through consumption smoothing rather than income growth, since microfinance does not increase migration for work or reduce distress labor sales. The study uses land ownership thresholds in microfinance screening to identify causal effects across 143,000 poor households.
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Effects of Land Degradation on Agricultural Land Use: A Case Study of Smallholder Farmers Indigenous Knowledge on Land Use Planning and Management in Kalama Division, Machakos County
Smallholder farmers in Machakos County, Kenya use indigenous knowledge to manage land degradation and plan agricultural land use across different slope zones. Farmers recognize degradation indicators through local environmental knowledge and employ traditional practices like tree planting, crop rotation, organic manure application, and water conservation structures. Land use patterns and management strategies vary by terrain and zone characteristics, with tree planting and water conservation being the most common practices. The study demonstrates that place-based understanding of local decision-making can improve rural livelihood security and inform targeted land management interventions.
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Practical agricultural communication: Incorporating scientific and indigenous knowledge for climate mitigation
This research developed a practical agricultural communication framework combining scientific and indigenous knowledge to help farmers mitigate climate change. Working in Thailand's Phichit province, the authors used participatory methods to identify successful farmers practicing sustainable techniques like rice straw composting and alternative wetting and drying. These farmers became messengers, delivering practical, visually clear information through vinyl signage in community spaces. The framework emphasizes that blending scientific and indigenous knowledge strengthens relationships among people and with nature, and requires enhanced communication promotion at local and national levels.
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AGRO-TOURISM ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN THE CONTEXT OF INCREASING THE RURAL BUSINESS COMPETITIVENESS IN ROMANIA
Agro-tourism entrepreneurship strengthens rural business competitiveness in Romania by leveraging local agricultural and non-agricultural resources. The paper identifies methods to promote and support agro-tourism ventures, examines mechanisms for integrating Romanian agro-tourism into international markets, and demonstrates how these investments create jobs, retain local labor, and revitalize rural communities.
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Agricultural and Rural Entrepreneurship: Concepts for Modeling Development
Entrepreneurship—the capacity to develop sustainable enterprises individually or collectively—plays a crucial role in rural and agricultural development across Latin America and the Caribbean. The paper examines how entrepreneurship concepts support productive sector growth and proposes promoting enterprise development through agrifood chain and rural territory strategies to address long-standing regional weaknesses.
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Managing Agricultural Indigenous And Exogenous Knowledge Through Information And Communication Technologies For Poverty Reduction In Tanzania
ICTs can help Tanzanian rural communities manage agricultural indigenous knowledge while integrating external knowledge to reduce poverty and hunger. The paper argues that combining local farming practices with global agricultural information through digital technologies improves productivity. Rural Tanzanians currently lack access to global knowledge and platforms to share their own expertise, creating missed opportunities for agricultural advancement.
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Entrepreneurship within rural tourism: A private walkway on Banks Peninsula, New Zealand
Rural tourism offers farmers an economic alternative to declining agricultural profits. In New Zealand, the removal of farm subsidies in 1984 forced farmers to diversify and respond entrepreneurially. One entrepreneurial response was the establishment of the first private rural walkway on Banks Peninsula, demonstrating how educated rural populations created new ventures and value from economic necessity.
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The spread of innovations within formal and informal farmers groups: Evidence from rural communi- ties of semi-arid Eastern Africa
Cohesive and active farmers groups accelerate the spread of agroforestry innovations in semi-arid Eastern Africa. The study surveyed 200 households each in Kenya and Ethiopia, finding that group cohesiveness, activity level, and member motivation all strengthen technology adoption among farmers. Social networks within groups drive knowledge diffusion more effectively than top-down extension approaches alone.
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Strategic experimentation and innovation in rural Australia
A small family farm in rural Australia successfully introduced a new crop and farming methods through strategic partnerships with an international company and government organizations. The case demonstrates that rural innovation depends on entrepreneurial qualities—opportunity recognition, network leverage, risk-taking, and adaptive learning—combined with a supportive national culture that enables farmers to overcome barriers and sustain ventures.
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Renewable Energy from Agricultural Waste: Biogas Potential for Sustainable Energy Generation in Nigeria’s Rural Agricultural Communities
Nigeria's agricultural sector generates massive quantities of animal manure and crop residues daily, offering significant potential for biogas energy production in rural communities. The country could produce 6.8 million cubic meters of biogas daily from animal waste and 15 billion cubic meters annually from crop residues. Despite two decades of research, large-scale implementation remains blocked by financial constraints, lack of awareness, insufficient technical expertise, and absent policy frameworks. Small-scale biogas plants demonstrate viability for providing sustainable, off-grid energy to rural farmers.
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The Center for Indigenous Innovation and Health Equity: The Osage Nation’s Mobile Market
The Osage Nation developed a tribal farm to address food insecurity and chronic disease among its citizens. When remote and mobility-limited community members couldn't access farm products, the Nation partnered with the Center for Indigenous Health Equity to conduct participatory research identifying food access barriers. This led to a mobile market delivering locally produced meats, herbs, and vegetables to underserved areas, prioritizing food sovereignty and addressing structural inequality.
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A study on the impact of rural finance on high-quality agricultural development in China—a test based on intermediation, threshold and spillover effects
Rural finance significantly promotes high-quality agricultural development in China, with effects varying by economic growth periods and regional grain production status. Farmland scale management partially mediates this relationship. Rural finance efficiency and agricultural technician share act as threshold effects, with spillover benefits reaching neighboring provinces. Higher financial literacy strengthens the impact.
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Literature Review on Entrepreneurship Practice in Agriculture, Rural and Farmers under the Background of Rural Revitalization
This literature review examines entrepreneurship across agricultural, rural, and farmer contexts during rural revitalization. The paper distinguishes three related but separate concepts: rural entrepreneurship (focused on entrepreneurial environment), agricultural entrepreneurship (focused on agricultural industries), and farmer entrepreneurship (focused on farmer entrepreneur characteristics). The author identifies overlaps in how these types address entrepreneurial opportunities and resources, then proposes future research directions that recognize rural entrepreneurship's distinct logic and value compared to industrial entrepreneurship.
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Design Considerations for Reducing Battery Storage in Off-Grid, Stand-Alone, Photovoltaic-Powered Cold Storage in Rural Applications
This paper examines how to design off-grid solar-powered cold storage units for rural areas while minimizing battery size. Using a case study from rural South Africa, the authors identify key design factors including photovoltaic panel orientation, container positioning, and electrical component sizing. Their mathematical models and field data show how these design choices reduce cooling demands in hot climates, making solar cold storage more feasible and sustainable for improving food security and rural livelihoods.
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Indigenous Knowledge for Climate Smart Agriculture—A Review
Indigenous knowledge systems in sub-Saharan Africa offer proven strategies for climate-smart agriculture that help rural farmers adapt to rising temperatures, changing rainfall, and extreme weather. Farmers have successfully used traditional practices passed down through generations to manage climate risks. Despite evidence that integrating indigenous knowledge with modern climate-smart agricultural innovations improves adaptation and resilience, adoption remains low in developing countries. Strengthening indigenous knowledge systems through capacity building could enhance smallholder farmer resilience to climate change.
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Human Capital, Innovation and Internationalization of Micro and Small Enterprises in Rural Territory - a Case Study
This case study of Portugal's Tagus Valley agri-food sector reveals that micro and small enterprises leverage human capital and stable partnerships with intermediary organizations to drive innovation and internationalization. The research demonstrates that endogenous assets, particularly non-market resources, significantly boost rural competitiveness. Public institutions, regional governments, and business training centers working together on a shared agenda for developing local assets prove strategically vital for sustaining small enterprises dependent on collaborative networks.
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PEASANT SOCIETY IN JAPAN'S ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: WITH SPECIAL FOCUS ON RURAL LABOUR AND FINANCE MARKETS
Peasant households in Japan developed distinctive economic strategies from the seventeenth century onward, prioritizing family labor utilization and property transmission across generations. These households shaped labor and financial markets by preferring non-agricultural work within family units, creating barriers to external labor mobility. Regional industries like weaving adapted to these household preferences through putting-out systems, while rural capital accumulation and regional financial markets reinforced this pattern, fundamentally influencing Japan's economic development trajectory.
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Fortified Sorghum as a Potential for Food Security in Rural Areas by Adaptation of Technology and Innovation in Sudan
This paper proposes fortifying sorghum with soybean and wheat to improve food security and nutrition in rural Sudan. The authors develop local processing technologies to produce fortified sorghum products tailored for different populations—adults, children, infants, and pregnant women. They demonstrate through literature review and testing that rural soybean production is feasible and that simple fortification methods can enhance the nutritional value of traditional Sudanese sorghum-based foods.
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Reconceptualizing Rural Entrepreneurship Discourse from a Social Constructionist Perspective: A Case Study from Iran
This Iranian case study argues that the government's rural entrepreneurship program reinforces structural inequalities rather than enabling genuine rural development. The authors use social constructionism and structuration theory to show how the program operates hegemonically. They propose shifting focus from entrepreneurship discourse to multifunctional agriculture as a more effective rural development strategy.
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Documentation and Application of Indigenous Traditional Knowledge (ITK) for Sustainable Agricultural Development
This paper documents indigenous traditional knowledge systems and demonstrates how they can be applied to achieve sustainable agricultural development. The authors show that indigenous practices offer practical solutions for improving agricultural productivity while maintaining environmental sustainability, providing a framework for integrating traditional wisdom with modern agricultural approaches.
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Using microfinance to facilitate household investment in sanitation in rural Cambodia
Rural Cambodian households want latrines but cannot afford them. This study tested whether microfinance loans could bridge the gap. While 27% of surveyed households expressed interest in microfinance for latrine purchase, actual loan applications remained low at 4% of attendees. Only 5% of current latrine owners used microfinance. The researchers conclude that linking sanitation markets to existing finance institutions requires stronger coordination between vendors and lenders to become scalable.
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Technological Innovation Drivers in Rural Small Food Industries in Iran
Rural small food industries in Iran's Tehran province show low levels of technological innovation. A survey of 111 managers across 60 firms found that managers doubt technological changes benefit their businesses. Production capacity, firm age, formal R&D investment, and fixed capital are the main factors driving technological innovation. The study provides recommendations for managers and policymakers to boost innovation in this sector.
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Entrepreneurship and the Environment for Rural SMEs in the Shropshire Hills, UK, 1997–2009
This study tracked farm businesses in South Shropshire's Environmentally Sensitive Area between 1997 and 2008. Environmental scheme participation increased significantly as government policy became more output-focused. Some farmers left cattle production but avoided diversification or pluriactivity despite government support. Most farmers showed traditional rather than entrepreneurial characteristics, leaving their future uncertain as key financial supports faced closure.
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The use of scientific and indigenous knowledge in agricultural land evaluation and soil fertility studies of two villages in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Researchers compared indigenous soil knowledge from 59 small-scale farming households in KwaZulu-Natal with scientific land evaluation methods. Farmers classified soils primarily by color and texture, assessed land suitability mainly through slope position, and evaluated fertility using multiple indicators including crop yield, vegetation, and soil organisms. Farmers' assessments proved more holistic than scientific approaches, yet showed strong correlation with scientific evaluations, demonstrating that indigenous and scientific knowledge systems align on soil management.
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Risk Management, financial innovation and institutional development in rural areas: evidence from the coffee sector in Ethiopia
Rural households in Ethiopia face yield and price risks that constrain their access to finance and economic growth. This study examines risk management in the coffee sector and proposes financial and institutional innovations using market-based instruments. Field research in Ethiopia demonstrates how modern risk management approaches can help coffee growers overcome vulnerability and develop their economic capacity.
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International Research on Food Security, Natural Resource Management and Rural Development Technological and Institutional Innovations for Sustainable Rural Development Reproduction Rate of Kacang and Peranakan Etawah Goats under Village Production Systems in Indonesia
This study evaluated reproduction rates of two goat breeds—Kacang and Peranakan Etawah—raised by smallholder farmers in Central Java, Indonesia. Researchers collected data from 362 does over 20 months to measure kids weaned per doe per year and identify factors affecting productivity. Kacang goats produced 2.95 kids per doe annually versus 1.76 for Peranakan Etawah. Reproduction rates increased with parity, birth type, and litter weight at weaning, providing farmers with information to improve local goat production using available resources.
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Linking rural radio to new ICTs in Africa: bridging the rural digital divide.
Rural radio can bridge Africa's digital divide by connecting to new information and communication technologies. The paper argues that radio remains a viable platform for reaching rural populations with critical information, particularly about food security and agricultural development, as developing countries face growing food deficits and population pressures.
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Distance Learning for Food Security and Rural Development: A Perspective from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization
The FAO examines how distance learning can address food security and rural development globally. The paper reviews existing distance learning examples from FAO and other sources, then synthesizes debate about distance learning's potential in developing countries. It proposes five practical strategies for applying distance learning to food security and rural development challenges, aiming to share ideas with professionals and scholars worldwide.
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Mediating agricultural entrepreneurship through embracing innovative technology: a tale from small rural enterprises in an emerging economy
Small marginal farmers in an emerging economy show willingness to adopt innovative technologies but face barriers including lack of technological education, training, and funding. Fear of losing traditional practices and threats from intermediaries discourage adoption. A digital marketplace model can reduce information gaps and costs while improving supply chain efficiency and profit margins for small farmers.
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Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Genomics to Improve Poultry: a holistic approach to improve indigenous chicken production focusing on resilience to Newcastle disease
Researchers developed a genetic selection platform to breed indigenous African chickens resistant to Newcastle disease, a major threat to small-scale poultry production. They identified genetic markers and genes conferring resistance through controlled virus challenges, characterized circulating virus strains in Ghana and Tanzania, and assessed farmer demand for improved birds. Results show farmers value both disease resistance and productivity traits like egg production and growth rate.
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The Potential of Indigenous Technological Knowledge for Sustainable and Climate-Resilient Agriculture
Indigenous Technical Knowledge practices in India offer proven methods for sustainable and climate-resilient agriculture. The paper documents traditional techniques including green manuring, vermicomposting, and traditional irrigation systems that improve soil health, manage water efficiently, and adapt to climate variability. Integrating these indigenous practices with modern agriculture enhances resource efficiency, conserves biodiversity, and strengthens rural livelihoods.
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Is farmland financial innovation narrowing the urban-rural income gap? A cross-regional study of China
Farmland financial innovation significantly narrows China's urban-rural income gap, according to analysis of 30 provinces from 2006 to 2017. The mechanism works through two pathways: enabling permanent labor migration away from farming and upgrading rural industrial structure. The authors recommend governments promote farmland financial innovation and establish rural property rights systems to facilitate farmer mobility and reduce income inequality.
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Entrepreneurship and Industrialization for Rural Development: Business Incubation Approach
Business incubators supporting agricultural firms drive rural development in Tanzania by nurturing startups and creating jobs. Government-operated incubators provide managerial advice, accessible finance, facilities, business guidance, export facilitation, networking, and market access. The study of ten incubators shows they significantly impact the economy and job creation. Developing countries should integrate business incubators into policy and strategic planning.
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The rural household’s entrepreneurship under the land certification in China
Land certification in China significantly increases agricultural entrepreneurship among rural households by at least 25%, but does not affect non-agricultural entrepreneurship. Certification with clear boundaries and household-level titling proves most effective. The policy works by enabling land transfers, improving labor allocation, and facilitating capital access. The findings support standardizing rural labor markets and advancing land financial reforms to boost agricultural entrepreneurship.
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Analyzing the mechanism among rural financing constraint mitigation, agricultural development, and carbon emissions in China: A sustainable development paradigm
China's policy to ease rural financing constraints for agriculture increased farm production and farmer income, but also raised agricultural carbon emissions per unit area. The emissions increase came from higher input intensity per hectare. However, mechanization and agricultural scale expansion can offset these emissions. The policy's effects varied by region based on economic development and agricultural conditions. Other developing countries can learn from China's experience to balance agricultural growth with emission control.
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Bringing innovation back in–strategies and driving forces behind entrepreneurial responses in small-scale rural industries in Sweden
Small-scale dairy businesses in Sweden innovate primarily through business model changes and imitation rather than disruptive innovation. Social capital and collective action enable firms to break established patterns and create new markets. The study distinguishes rural entrepreneurship from self-employment, showing both drive economic growth. Support mechanisms like flexible regulations and knowledge-sharing help rural firms innovate and survive.
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The role of entrepreneurship, cooperation and agro-industrial integration in the development of rural areas
Entrepreneurship, cooperation, and agro-industrial integration are essential for sustainable rural development. The paper identifies organizational and economic components needed to support these activities and demonstrates that entrepreneurship drives stable agrarian economy growth through integration and cooperation. The authors forecast entrepreneurial structure development through 2025 and provide recommendations for state policies supporting agricultural sector growth and rural transformation.
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Determinants of Rural Households’ Participation in Microfinance Program: The Case of Omo Microfinance Institution, Sodo Woreda, Southern Nations Nationalities, and Peoples Regional State, Ethiopia
Rural households in Ethiopia who participate in microfinance programs earn significantly higher incomes and accumulate more assets than non-participants. Family size, education level, and extension contact increase participation, while dependent members, complex credit procedures, borrowing risk perception, and distance from the lender reduce it. Participants showed better agricultural input use, food consumption, and livestock holdings, demonstrating microfinance's positive impact on rural livelihoods.
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Financialising governance? State actor engagement with private finance for rural development in the Northern Territory of Australia
Government officials in Australia's Northern Territory actively shape agricultural finance investments rather than passively enabling them. The paper examines how local officials translate national development policies into practice by attracting private capital while moderating its activities. This reveals the state as an engaged actor assembling financial investment patterns, not simply a structural backdrop for financialisation.
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Agrotourism as one of the ways to develop entrepreneurship in rural areas
Agrotourism offers rural entrepreneurs a diversified income strategy that addresses unemployment, migration, and rural decline. The paper argues agrotourism delivers economic benefits through agricultural diversification and new jobs, environmental gains by conserving ecosystems and farmland, and social-cultural benefits by preserving heritage and improving farmer status. Key barriers include weak strategic planning, insufficient funding, inadequate training, and lack of professionalism. State-level policy support is essential to unlock agrotourism's potential for regional development.
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Eco-Friendly Women Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas:A Paradigm Shift for Societal Uplift
Eco-friendly women entrepreneurship in rural areas drives societal development and economic self-reliance. Women entrepreneurs, equipped with artisan skills and multitasking abilities, create sustainable businesses in agriculture and domestic sectors that address rural poverty. This paradigm shift combines traditional capitalist entrepreneurship with environmental responsibility, enabling women to contribute meaningfully to agrarian economies despite patriarchal barriers.
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Micro-financing and rural poverty reduction: A case of Rima Microfinance Bank in Goronyo Local Government Area, Sokoto State, Nigeria
A microfinance bank in rural Nigeria increased beneficiaries' average income from 47,489 to 115,678 naira and reduced poverty incidence by 6 percent through agricultural credit facilities. The study demonstrates that microfinance effectively alleviates rural poverty when combined with input credit and monitoring. Policymakers should expand credit access and strengthen oversight to maximize productivity gains among rural borrowers.
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From Arturo Escobar's development theory to Antony Giddens's structuration theory: a social constructionist analysis of rural entrepreneurship and multifunctional agriculture
This paper argues that rural entrepreneurship research relies too heavily on positivistic approaches and ignores rural contexts. Using social constructionism, Giddens's structuration theory, and Escobar's development theory, the authors propose shifting from positivistic views of rural entrepreneurship toward understanding multifunctional agriculture as a socially constructed discourse. They claim this theoretical reframing better explains how rural regions actually develop.
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Supporting farmer innovations, recognizing indigenous knowledge and disseminating success stories.
Farmer innovations in aquaculture drive economic growth and food security, but face barriers including limited information access, weak science policies, and insufficient government support. The paper identifies critical success factors: updated technology policies, investment incentives, targeted education, extension services, and culturally appropriate programs. Proper policy design can help developing countries harness farmer innovations to achieve food security and poverty reduction.
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Teachers’ Perceptions on Inclusion of Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Crop Production: A Case Study of Zimbabwe’s Ordinary Level Agriculture Syllabus (5035)
Teachers in Zimbabwe recognize agricultural indigenous knowledge systems but rarely use them formally in crop production classes. While educators believe integrating these practices would promote sustainability and restore cultural identity, significant barriers exist: reliance on oral tradition and perceived inferiority to Western methods. The study recommends harmonizing indigenous and Western agricultural approaches in the curriculum and documenting indigenous knowledge in written form.
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Key factors influencing organizational innovation in small rural food industries: Case study of Iran
This study examines organizational innovation in small rural food industries in Tehran Province, Iran. The research identifies key factors driving innovation: firm age negatively affects incremental innovation, while product diversification and production capacity positively influence it. For radical innovation, production capacity, product diversification, and manager experience boost adoption, while competition intensity reduces it. The findings provide recommendations for strengthening organizational innovation in these rural food firms.
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Achieving food security and climate change mitigation through entrepreneurship development in rural Nigeria: Gender perspective
Rural entrepreneurship development in Nigeria can address food security and climate change by supporting integrated food production, processing, and marketing. Women comprise a significant portion of rural agricultural entrepreneurs despite representing only 8% of formal agricultural workers. The paper analyzes Nigeria's agricultural greenhouse gas emissions and conducts cost-benefit analyses to recommend gender-inclusive entrepreneurship strategies that improve food security while reducing climate impacts from farming and livestock production.
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Bamboo Entrepreneurship - Opportunities for Rural Employment
Bamboo offers significant entrepreneurial opportunities for rural employment in India. The crop matures quickly, regenerates easily, and has over 1500 documented uses spanning traditional and modern applications. Its versatility as a substitute for wood and expensive materials, combined with low production costs and environmental benefits, makes bamboo-based technologies viable for generating rural income and employment.
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Enabling Rural Innovation: Empowering Farmers to Take Advantage of Market Opportunities and Improve Livelihoods
Agricultural markets reduce poverty in developing economies through three mechanisms: increased farmer productivity and incomes, cheaper food for poor consumers, and economic growth in non-farm sectors. The paper argues that empowering farmers to access market opportunities and innovate improves rural livelihoods by leveraging agriculture's role in broader economic development.
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Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge in Kumaon hills of Uttaranchal
Farmers in Uttaranchal's Kumaon hills maintain indigenous agricultural knowledge developed over thousands of years, which sustains production while protecting environmental quality. Modern chemical-intensive farming threatens these practices, yet local farmers continue using traditional methods for crop production. The study documents this indigenous knowledge across various aspects of farming.
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Digital divide, agricultural supply chain finance, and the urban-rural income gap in China
Agricultural supply chain finance reduces China's urban-rural income gap by promoting urbanization and non-agricultural employment. However, the digital divide significantly weakens this effect. The study uses provincial data from 2014–2020 to show that bridging digital access is critical for supply chain finance to effectively narrow income inequality and support rural revitalization.
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Empowering local communities engagement: Rural tourism and business innovation for SDGs desa
Social entrepreneurship and business innovation together empower rural communities to develop sustainable tourism. Social entrepreneurship fosters community engagement and inclusivity, while business innovation helps local destinations differentiate themselves and improve competitiveness. The study demonstrates how these combined approaches create sustainable tourism initiatives aligned with sustainable development goals in rural villages.
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Contribution of Indigenous Knowledge to Agricultural Growth in South Africa: A Case of Disaneng Community in the Ratlou Local Municipality
Indigenous knowledge systems in South Africa's Disaneng community drive agricultural growth through proven practices in land preparation, seed selection, soil fertility management, and crop storage. Local farmers possess deep understanding of weather patterns and seasonal timing. Religious beliefs and cultural dismissal of traditional practices create barriers to wider adoption. The study recommends targeted interventions to preserve and promote indigenous agricultural knowledge for sustained productivity gains.
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L’Agriculture biologique, une innovation territoriale au service du développement rural : le cas du Gers
Organic agriculture in the Gers department of France demonstrates how rural areas drive innovation through territorial anchoring. The study finds strong institutional and economic support for organic farming development, positioning it as intelligent specialization that diversifies the existing agricultural system. However, competing visions of organic agriculture among stakeholders may hinder its further development as a territorial innovation.
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Spaces of Innovation and Women Rural Entrepreneurship in Italy
Women farmers across Italian regions drive innovation adoption through entrepreneurial orientation, creating distinct innovation spaces within both conventional and alternative agrifood networks. The research identifies multiple "worlds of female innovation" and argues that policymakers must design differentiated policy actions targeting these entrepreneurial spaces to support gender mainstreaming in EU rural development.
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Perceived attributes and adoption of Indigenous Technological Knowledge on agriculture - a case study from Bhirkot municipality of Syangja District, Nepal
Farmers in Nepal's Syangja District possess moderate knowledge of indigenous agricultural technologies, with practices like farmyard manure use and scarecrows proving most adoptable. Mixed cropping, green manuring, and ash-based seed storage remain common. However, adoption faces barriers including farmer preference for commercial inputs, social constraints, slow results, and insufficient government support. The study calls for government documentation and scientific validation of indigenous methods.
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Economic Contribution and Inequality Mitigation of Wicker Handicraft Entrepreneurship in Rural Kashmir, India
Wicker handicraft entrepreneurship in Kashmir generates substantial income for rural households and significantly reduces income inequality in the region. The study found that wicker handicraft income contributes nearly 67% of total household income and lowers the Gini coefficient from 53.14 to 21.85, indicating a strong equalizing effect. Education, family composition, housing status, and prior income levels are key factors determining entrepreneurial success in this forest-based cottage industry.
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Community Mangrove Aqua-Silviculture (CMAS Culture): An Innovation and Climate Resilient Practice by the Sundarbans Mangrove Forest Dependent Rural Communities of Bangladesh
Rural communities in southwestern Bangladesh have developed Community Mangrove Aqua-Silviculture (CMAS), an integrated farming system combining mangrove trees with fish and shrimp cultivation in shallow water plots. The practice produces harvestable mangrove species within 13-14 months and fish within one year, requires minimal maintenance costs, and strengthens climate resilience for forest-dependent communities in the Sundarbans region.
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Documenting Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge and provision of access through Online Database platform
Rural communities in Uganda possess valuable agricultural indigenous knowledge that faces extinction due to environmental and cultural changes. This study documented AIK practices across three districts and created an online database platform to preserve and share this knowledge. The researchers trained field assistants to collect data from farmers, validated findings through community workshops, and built a digital system to prevent loss of traditional agricultural expertise and problem-solving strategies.
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La Innovación y la transferencia de tecnologías en la Estación Experimental "Indio Hatuey": 50 años propiciando el desarrollo del sector rural cubano (Parte I) Innovation and technology transference at the Experimental Station "Indio Hatuey": 50 years propitiating development in the Cuban rural sector (Part I)
Cuba's Indio Hatuey Experimental Station spent 50 years developing and transferring agricultural technologies to rural farmers. The station initially focused on forage conservation to address seasonal feed shortages, then shifted to silvopastoral systems in the 1990s during economic crisis. Despite technological innovation, adoption rates remained low. The station redesigned its approach, treating technology transfer as part of rural territorial development rather than isolated innovation, conducting research in six municipalities with locally relevant results.
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Agritourism as a catalyst for sustainable rural development: Innovations, challenges, and policy perspectives in the post-COVID-19 era
This study examines agritourism in Thailand, identifying how farms have adapted post-COVID through diversification, technology adoption, and sustainability focus. Key innovations include immersive learning experiences, precision farming, hydroponics, and cultural tourism models. The research finds that policy frameworks, infrastructure investment, and community empowerment are essential for success. Recommendations include targeted subsidies, capacity-building, and regulatory harmonization to overcome financial and infrastructure barriers.
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Increasing the Effectiveness of Rural, Regional and Remote Food Security Initiatives Through Place‐Based Partnerships—A Qualitative Study
Rural and remote organizations in Western Australia collaborate on food security through coordinated action, community consultation, and resource sharing. The study of 101 initiative leaders found 378 partnering organizations working together. Formal partnership agreements improve sustainability while maintaining flexibility for addressing complex food security challenges. Clear partnership purposes and defined roles enhance effectiveness across rural food security initiatives.
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The role of agriculture for achieving renewable energy-centered sustainable development objectives in rural Africa
This paper models how renewable energy and agricultural development interact in rural sub-Saharan Africa. Using integrated assessment models linking water, energy, and agriculture, the authors show that expanding irrigation and agricultural productivity makes renewable energy infrastructure more economically viable and helps achieve universal energy access. They also analyze business models and policy conditions needed to make small-scale renewable energy systems feasible for rural development.
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Re-centring and recovering knowledge about climate-friendly agriculture: Learning from a woman African indigenous knowledge holder
An African indigenous knowledge holder taught fifteen science teachers climate-friendly agricultural practices, including animal manure use, manual soil turning, crop rotation, and medicinal plant cultivation. Teachers documented learning through portfolios and reflections. The intervention challenged conventional hierarchies about legitimate scientific knowledge and teachers, advancing epistemic justice while enabling educators to transcend curriculum boundaries and teach sustainable food production methods rooted in Southern knowledge systems.
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Do low-income households inevitably benefit more from microfinance participation? Evidence from rural China
Microfinance participation significantly increases agricultural income for low-income rural households in China. However, the study reveals a paradox: while poor households benefit from microfinance access, it simultaneously widens the agricultural income gap between rich and poor households. The research uses household-level data and econometric methods to account for selection bias and measure both individual gains and distributional effects.
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Performance Analysis of Islamic Micro Finance Institutions on Sustainable Rural Development in Indonesia
Islamic microfinance institutions in Central Java strengthen agricultural and fisheries sectors, driving sustainable rural development. Service quality alone doesn't help, but accessibility and philanthropic characteristics do boost sector strength. The study of 85 farm and fishery business actors shows that stronger agricultural sectors directly improve rural sustainability, establishing a financing model for these sectors.
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Improving competitiveness between EU rural regions through access to tertiary education and sources of innovation
Rural EU regions suffer from poor educational access, weak role models, and low dietary standards, creating limited social mobility and health problems. The authors propose integrating tertiary education with agricultural innovation to address these interconnected challenges. They argue that combining educational access with sector-specific innovation can improve regional competitiveness, social welfare, and economic viability in marginalized rural areas.
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The Role of Microfinance in Climate Change Adaptation: Evidence from Rural Rwanda
Microloans from Urwego Bank help Rwandan farmers increase agricultural productivity and income by providing access to seeds and fertilizer, strengthening their ability to cope with climate impacts like drought and erratic rainfall. However, loans alone do not fund broader climate adaptations like irrigation or contour digging. While cooperatives and VSLAs create safety nets, they risk deepening socio-economic inequality. The bank's informal flexibility on repayment during poor harvests raises questions about long-term financial sustainability as climate impacts intensify.
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Agroecology and integral microfinance: recommendations for the Colombian post-conflict avoiding the financialization of rural financing
Colombia's post-conflict recovery requires sustainable rural development for peasant families affected by armed conflict. The paper argues that agroecology combined with integrated microfinance—rather than financialized microfinance—offers the most effective approach to support small producers. This combination creates sustainable scenarios for rural livelihoods while avoiding extractive financial practices that undermine agricultural communities.
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From technology transfer to innovation-based rural development: A necessary turn at the Indio Hatuey experimental station
Cuba's economic crisis in the 1990s prompted the Indio Hatuey Experimental Station to shift from technology transfer to innovation-based rural development. The station adopted a holistic, territorial approach to research and education in pasture and forage production. This transformation improved farm environmental outcomes, strengthened food security and sustainable agriculture, and created horizontal networks connecting researchers, farmers, and institutions across local and provincial levels to address climate change and rural development challenges.
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Indigenous technical knowledge for pest, disease and weed management in agriculture
This study documents indigenous technical knowledge used by tribal farmers for managing pests, diseases, and weeds in agriculture. Researchers surveyed 120 tribal farmers and compiled their traditional practices through primary and secondary sources. The findings reveal specific indigenous methods across three areas: pest management, disease management, and weed management in agricultural systems.
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Microfinance and rural non-farm employment in developing countries
Microfinance institutions have expanded credit access in developing countries, enabling rural households to diversify income through non-farm employment. The rural non-farm sector now rivals agriculture as an employment source in some regions. However, further growth requires more flexible credit contracts, lower borrowing costs, and complementary support like skills training.
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Significance of Agricultural Finance in Agricultural and Rural Development of Pakistan “A Case Study of Qambar Shahdadkot District”
Agricultural finance significantly improves rural development in Pakistan's Qambar Shahdadkot district. Farmers who borrowed money for agriculture earned higher revenues (76,000 rupees) compared to non-borrowers (61,750 rupees), despite higher input costs. Access to capital enabled timely use of agricultural inputs and better production. Farmers confirmed that agricultural finance improved living standards and household conditions, making it essential for rural development.
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Determining factors influencing the adoption of indigenous knowledge in agriculture water management in dry areas of Iran
Iranian agricultural experts identified four key factors influencing farmers' adoption of indigenous water management knowledge in dry regions: social factors, extension education, economic conditions, and managerial practices. Social factors had the strongest impact, followed by education, economics, and management. The findings come from surveying 150 experts across agriculture and interior ministries.
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Rural Microfinance and Agricultural Value Chains: Strategies and Perspectives of the Fondo de Desarrollo Local in Nicaragua
This paper examines how the Fondo de Desarrollo Local in Nicaragua uses microfinance to strengthen agricultural value chains, particularly in dairy and meat cattle production. The authors present a 'finance plus' approach that combines financial services with broader value chain development to create livelihood opportunities for rural actors. The study demonstrates how microfinance can drive inclusive economic development when integrated with value chain strategies.
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Expanding broadband access in rural India: the role of alternative telecommunications networks
Rural India's 500 million people across 600,000 villages lack access to broadband and digital connectivity that urban areas enjoy. This isolation prevents rural communities from accessing agricultural best practices, market information, and economic opportunities. The paper examines alternative telecommunications networks as a solution to expand broadband access and bridge the rural-urban digital divide.
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Back to basics: the role of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in agro-biodiversity and household food security in the smallholder agriculture sector: the case of Chipinge (Zimbabwe)
Indigenous knowledge systems in Zimbabwe's Chipinge district sustain agro-biodiversity and food security among smallholder farmers. Between 1994 and 2002, agro-biodiversity declined over 50%, with smaller farms maintaining greater diversity. Older farmers and female-headed households conserved more crop types and varieties than younger and male-headed households, demonstrating that traditional knowledge practices directly support agricultural resilience and household nutrition.
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Indigenous Soil Knowledge for Sustainable Agricultural Development in the Sahel Zone of Niger, West Africa. 2. Indigenous Soil Classification System.
Farmers in Niger's Sahel zone classify soils using color, texture, and fertility based on generations of experience. Scientists validated nine local soil types against laboratory analysis of soil properties. The indigenous classifications matched scientific findings—farmers correctly identified poor sandy soils and fertile clayey soils. This indigenous knowledge system provides a practical, rapid method for evaluating soil variation in semi-arid regions and supports sustainable agricultural development.
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Integrating Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge with Modern Practices for Sustainable Farming and Food Security
Farmers can achieve sustainable farming by combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern agricultural practices. A mixed-methods study found 45% of farmers fully adopted this integrated approach, while others adopted it partially. Key barriers include lack of institutional support, funding constraints, and inadequate policies. The research shows that combining traditional methods like intercropping and organic pest control with modern precision farming improves soil health, water retention, and farm profitability. Policymakers must provide training, financial support, and regulatory frameworks to increase adoption.
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Constructing an Indigenous knowledge approach to agroecology and regenerative agriculture: The case of Yucatec Maya
Yucatec Maya farmers are abandoning traditional sustainable practices for conventional agriculture, driven by climate change and resource degradation. This paper reveals how Indigenous Yucatec Maya concepts—including diversity, resilience, food security, and sovereignty—underpin their traditional food systems. The authors argue that integrating this Indigenous knowledge with agroecology and regenerative agriculture approaches will strengthen food system transformation and increase long-term success.
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Digital Inclusive Finance and Farmer Entrepreneurship: Pathways to Sustainable Development in Rural Ghana
Digital financial services significantly boost farmer entrepreneurship in rural Ghana, increasing entrepreneurial activity by 10-49% depending on the analytical method. Access to digital finance, digital literacy, and household income all drive farmers to adopt entrepreneurial approaches. The study recommends governments invest in digital infrastructure, reduce transaction costs, and fund digital literacy programs to promote rural entrepreneurship and sustainable development.
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Indian rural livelihoods and renewable energy interventions – A critical analysis for a bottom-up approach for sustainability from an energy-water-food nexus context
This study examines renewable energy interventions in Indian rural communities through an energy-water-food nexus lens. The research finds that top-down renewable energy policies have failed to measure livelihood outcomes effectively. Solar pumps emerge as the most successful intervention, delivering benefits across energy, water, and food production. The analysis shows decentralized renewable systems outperform grid extensions economically, and that interventions succeed when communities possess strong social, financial, and human assets. Bottom-up approaches tailored to local livelihoods prove more effective than standardized programs.
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The roles of innovations for village development in rural-urban linkages in West Java Province
Village development in West Java depends on innovations in agriculture, horticulture, and fisheries. Rural communities successfully adopt innovations when connected to urban knowledge networks and resources. Key barriers include limited human capital, financing, and network access. Innovations that boost productivity, product quality, value addition, and digital marketing drive village economic growth.
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Advancing agriculture through Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) in South African indigenous or black communities
South African indigenous communities developed sophisticated agricultural practices through traditional knowledge systems long before modern globalization. This qualitative study demonstrates that indigenous farming, harvesting, and related practices were effective and sustainable without relying on Western approaches. The research argues for recognizing and valuing these traditional knowledge systems rather than exclusively crediting modern, neoliberal agricultural methods.
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REVITALIZING INDIGENOUS AGRICULTURAL KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES: MANUGAL AS AN ENVIRONMENTALLY SUSTAINABLE FARMING METHOD IN DAYAK NGAJU, INDONESIA
The Dayak Ngaju people of Central Kalimantan have practiced Manugal, a traditional rice cultivation method using direct planting, rainwater, and natural materials without synthetic inputs, for thousands of years. The Green Revolution marginalized this practice in favor of intensive agriculture with chemical inputs. This study examines how modernization damaged local traditions and proposes strategies to revive Manugal farming as an ecologically sustainable alternative to monoculture systems.
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Indigenous technical knowledge of Assam for pests management – Exploit potential in organic agriculture
A survey of 500 farmers in Assam's Brahmaputra valley zones found that only 22% fully practice indigenous pest management techniques, though 48% know about them. Researchers documented 30 different indigenous technologies across rice, pulses, tubers, vegetables, and fruits. The study suggests validating these traditional methods could strengthen organic farming in the region.
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Strategy in Developing Microfinance Institution to Support Beef Cattle Farming Business in Rural Areas
Microfinance institutions in rural areas can effectively support beef cattle farming by leveraging their accessibility, simple procedures, and lack of collateral requirements. The study identifies MFI strengths including proximity to farmers and community trust, and recommends strategies focused on strengthening member engagement through social bonds and cooperative spirit. Sustainable MFIs can drive rural economic growth and poverty reduction.
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Adapting to climate change amidst innovation diffusion and declining indigenous agricultural knowledge and practices in Ghana
Small-scale farmers in Ghana adapt to climate change by combining indigenous agricultural practices with externally promoted technologies, though adoption rates vary. Traditional methods like planting drought-resistant crops remain relevant, while some farmers integrate modern practices based on available knowledge and resources. Technology diffusion occurs unevenly across communities, shaped by lived experience and local conditions. Younger, educated farmers adopt modern approaches more readily, while older farmers navigate both traditional and new methods. The findings suggest governments should engage farmers by recognizing existing knowledge systems alongside innovation.
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Indigenous Knowledge on Shifting Cultivation and Sustainable Agriculture
Arfak farmers in West Papua use indigenous knowledge called igya ser hanjob to manage shifting cultivation on mountainous land sustainably. This ecological concept, passed down through generations, balances agricultural production with environmental protection and food security. However, modernization, plantation expansion, mining development, and land pressure threaten both the practice and the oral transmission of this knowledge to younger generations.
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Harvesting Traditions: Exploring the Indigenous Agricultural Knowledge Systems in Java, Indonesia and Mindanao, Philippines
Indigenous agricultural knowledge systems in Java and Mindanao demonstrate sustainable land management practices rooted in ecological understanding and cultural tradition. The study documents how indigenous farmers manage biodiversity, transmit knowledge across generations, and integrate spiritual dimensions into agriculture. These systems offer practical solutions to modern agricultural challenges while preserving cultural heritage and environmental sustainability in both regions.
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The Role of Microfinance Institutions in Promoting Financial Inclusion and Reducing Poverty Among Smallholder Farmers in Rural Agricultural Areas
Microfinance institutions help smallholder farmers in rural areas access financial services that traditional banks deny them. Through microloans, savings accounts, and insurance, MFIs enable farmers to invest in modern agricultural techniques and increase productivity. Group lending and social collateral reduce default rates. However, high interest rates, operational inefficiencies, and limited rural outreach constrain their effectiveness. Public-private partnerships and digital solutions could strengthen MFI impact.
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Assessment of rural credit in the Brazilian Amazon: role of the Northern Constitutional Financing Fund in rural development
Rural credit from Brazil's Northern Constitutional Financing Fund (FNO) does boost agricultural production and rural income, but the money concentrates in a few municipalities along the expanding agricultural frontier in Pará, Tocantins, and Rondônia. Western Amazonian regions remain financially isolated due to structural and institutional barriers. The FNO fails to reduce financial inequality across northern municipalities, suggesting that credit alone cannot drive development without infrastructure, technical support, and improved banking access.
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Research on the Innovation of Rural Tourism E-commerce Development Path in the Internet Era
This paper develops an e-commerce mobile platform for rural tourism using F-PBFT algorithms, collaborative filtering, and VR technology. Applied to Battle Flag Village in China, the platform increased net profit margins to 47.84% and generated nearly 242,000 peak-hour searches, demonstrating how digital tools can boost rural tourism businesses and attract visitors to remote areas.
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Impact of Innovation and Agricultural Cooperative Societies towards Ecological Equilibrium Among Rural Farmers in Kenya.
Agricultural cooperatives in Kenya drive agroecological innovation that strengthens farming resilience to climate change while protecting ecosystems. Cooperatives enable small-scale farmers to adopt ecology-based practices, create production chains, include marginalized groups, and build local markets. This approach combines farmer knowledge with scientific expertise to deliver locally appropriate solutions that improve livelihoods, food security, and environmental protection simultaneously.
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Integration of renewable energy-powered cold storage solutions for reducing post-harvest food waste in rural agricultural areas
Researchers developed a renewable energy-powered cold storage system combining solar and wind power with smart sensors and AI for rural farms. Field trials in the UK and US showed the system reduced post-harvest food waste by 43.5%, extended produce shelf-life by 300%, and increased farmer income by 43%. It cut greenhouse gas emissions by 80% compared to diesel systems and achieved strong economic returns and farmer adoption rates.
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Indigenous Knowledge System and Agricultural Drought Adaptation in the uMkhanyakude District Municipality, KwaZulu-Natal
Small-scale farmers in South Africa's uMkhanyakude District use indigenous knowledge systems to adapt to agricultural drought, which severely reduces crop yields and livestock. The study reveals that gender norms intensify drought impacts differently for men and women. Indigenous practices prove effective for building resilience, yet policy typically ignores them in favor of Western approaches. The research calls for culturally grounded, equitable adaptation strategies that address structural inequalities rather than one-size-fits-all solutions.
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Indigenous Technical Knowledge Practices for Managing Pests and Diseases in Agricultural Crops
Farmers in Tamil Nadu's Tirunelveli district rely on indigenous technical knowledge to manage agricultural pests and diseases. The study documented traditional practices like neem leaves, cow urine, and plant-based remedies used by 80% of 150 interviewed farmers. Sixty percent reported success in reducing crop damage. These methods proved cost-effective and eco-friendly, offering viable alternatives to chemical pesticides while reducing environmental dependence.
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Renewable energy adoption and rural livelihoods in Ethiopia
A study in Ethiopia shows that subsidizing biogas digesters by 10% shifts household energy use toward renewable sources and reallocates labor from fuelwood collection to farming. The subsidy increases net household incomes by 0.93% for wealthier households and 3.44% for poorer ones, with benefits exceeding program costs. Crop production patterns remain largely unchanged despite competition for resources.
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Online grocery purchasing in Mississippi: associations with broadband, rurality, and household characteristics
Higher education and income levels increase online grocery purchasing adoption in Mississippi, while age and rural residence act as barriers. Broadband quality shows inconsistent associations with online grocery use despite widespread internet disparities. The study reveals that both structural factors like internet access and individual characteristics shape whether rural and low-income residents use online grocery services.
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The Role of Advanced Biofuels in Promoting Energy Access and Economic Growth in Rural Areas
Advanced biofuels from agricultural residues, algae, and waste can reduce energy poverty and create economic growth in rural developing countries. Case studies from India and Brazil show that decentralized biofuel plants improved energy access, generated local jobs, and strengthened agricultural value chains by converting crop residues into farmer income. Key barriers include limited infrastructure, financing, and policy support. The authors recommend scaling adoption to enhance energy security and rural development.
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How does the development of rural broadband in China affect agricultural total factor productivity? Evidence from agriculture-related loans
Rural broadband development in China significantly increases agricultural total factor productivity, primarily by expanding access to farm-related loans. The productivity gains concentrate in central regions and areas with higher rural incomes. The effect only materializes once broadband infrastructure reaches a critical threshold, suggesting that digital transformation requires sufficient infrastructure investment before financial benefits emerge.
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Integrating Gender and Indigenous Knowledge in Sub-Saharan African Animal Agriculture: Pathways to Climate Resilience and Food Security
Climate change in Sub-Saharan African animal agriculture worsens gender disparities and erodes indigenous knowledge systems. A systematic review finds that empowering women and integrating indigenous knowledge systems significantly strengthen communities' ability to adapt to climate impacts and achieve food security. Policymakers should adopt gender-responsive strategies that incorporate indigenous knowledge.
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Bridging knowledge systems synergies gaps and drivers of Indigenous and scientific knowledge integration for sustainable agriculture in Ethiopia
Ethiopian farmers rarely integrate indigenous knowledge with scientific agriculture, despite potential benefits. The study of 197 farmers found that social networks, belief in indigenous knowledge, contact with agricultural extension agents, and religious participation all strengthen integration. Formal education actually discourages it by emphasizing only modern science. The researchers recommend revitalizing extension services and creating community platforms that combine both knowledge systems into agricultural policy.
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Synergistic Development of Digital Inclusive Finance and Rural E-Commerce—Research on Mechanisms, Challenges and Optimization Paths
Digital inclusive finance and rural e-commerce reinforce each other in China's rural development. Digital finance expands service reach, cuts costs, and strengthens risk management for rural e-commerce, while e-commerce provides financial institutions with customer bases and risk data. The paper identifies barriers including insufficient financial supply, technology gaps, weak logistics, and regional imbalances. Solutions include strengthening financial systems, improving technology infrastructure, enhancing rural logistics, building rural brands, and fostering multi-stakeholder collaboration.
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Innovations of Rural Areas as a Necessity of Green Economy and Sustainable Development
Rural innovation in Serbia requires applying green economy principles to increase agricultural competitiveness and ensure sustainable development. The paper examines plum production as a case study, revealing unstable market placement and declining rural populations. Serbia's EU accession demands alignment with environmental standards. Success depends on state support, institutional frameworks, farmer training, advisory services, and promotion of innovation through shorter marketing channels and knowledge exchange.
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Innovation as a factor in successful rural development
Agricultural development in rural areas requires technological, social, and organizational innovations to ensure food security and deliver essential services. The study identifies digital innovation, climate adaptation, and community engagement as critical for rural prosperity amid geopolitical and environmental challenges. All three innovation types—technological, social, and organizational—prove essential for sustainable rural development and local management.
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Harnessing the Experience of Research and Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Agricultural Transformation in Arunachal Pradesh, India
Indigenous farming practices in Arunachal Pradesh, India—including botanical extracts, organic materials, and Vetiver grass barriers—effectively manage soil nutrients and prevent erosion while reducing artificial input costs. Integrating these traditional knowledge systems with modern agricultural research, supported by India's plant protection laws, improves farmer livelihoods, environmental health, and cultural preservation. This model offers a sustainable agricultural transformation pathway for the region and beyond.
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An investigation of Agriculture Knowledge Sharing through Indigenous Communication Systems: Insights from Ethnic Communities
Indigenous communication systems—including folk songs, rituals, proverbs, and riddles—effectively transmit agricultural knowledge among four ethnic communities in Assam, India. These traditional methods preserve seasonal farming practices and ecological wisdom better than modern communication alone. Integrating indigenous practices with modern extension systems strengthens rural agricultural communication and supports sustainable livelihoods.
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The Multilateral Development Banks and Rural Climate Finance: Adaptation, Mitigation, and Resilience
Multilateral development banks emphasize climate adaptation and mitigation in their governance documents as essential for equitable outcomes and poverty reduction. However, analysis of 140 governance documents and 284 lending operations reveals they predominantly finance climate resilience projects that focus on reducing agricultural and rural income vulnerability to climate change rather than pursuing transformative adaptation or mitigation strategies.
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Opportunities and Countermeasures for the Development of Rural Cross-border E-commerce Under the Context of Digital Inclusive Finance
Digital inclusive finance expands financial services to rural areas while reducing costs, creating opportunities for cross-border e-commerce development in China. The paper identifies how these financial innovations support rural e-commerce growth and related industries. It recommends strategies for governments, financial institutions, and rural enterprises to strengthen cross-border e-commerce expansion.
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PROMOTION AND PRESERVATION OF EU AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTS FROM INDIGENOUS SPECIES AND ITS TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE
The paper examines how intellectual property rights can protect local livestock breeds, plant varieties, and traditional knowledge associated with them in EU agriculture. Preserving these indigenous agricultural resources and their cultural practices requires legal mechanisms to control access and ensure communities benefit from their use.
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Identification Of Different Indigenous Technical Knowledge Application In Agriculture And Allied Sector In Some Selected Areas Of West Bengal
This study documents indigenous technical knowledge in agriculture, animal husbandry, and allied sectors across three blocks in West Bengal's Birbhum district. Researchers interviewed 90 respondents from nine villages and catalogued traditional practices spanning seed germination to post-harvest management, animal health, traditional implements, and medicinal plants. The findings show farmers value these environment-friendly, cost-effective, location-specific methods passed down through generations. Integrating indigenous knowledge with scientific approaches can create sustainable, locally applicable agricultural technologies.
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Sustainable Agricultural Education and Career Aspirations: (Re)engaging Cambodia’s Rural Youth in Agricultural Innovation
Rural high school students in Cambodia who participated in sustainable agricultural education programs focusing on farming innovations showed increased interest in agricultural careers. The study found that exposure to modern, innovative approaches to farming—including sustainable mechanization—made students view agriculture as a viable career path and recognize education's importance in the sector, countering global trends of youth leaving farming.
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Symbolic Production and Emotional Conflict in Rural Tourism from the Perspective of Media Sense of Place: A Computational Communication Analysis Based on Ctrip Tourist Reviews
Rural tourism drives economic development in China, but tourists' perceptions are shaped by digital media rather than physical experience. Analysis of 12,000 online reviews reveals that positive sentiment centers on mediated natural landscapes and cultural symbols, while negative sentiment reflects concerns about commercialization destroying authentic place identity. The study identifies a fundamental conflict between tourists' desire for authenticity and the modernization demands of rural destinations.
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Rural Farmers’ Perceptions and Utilization of Agricultural Indigenous Knowledge in Farming Practices in Delta State, Nigeria
Rural farmers in Delta State, Nigeria possess substantial indigenous agricultural knowledge and view it positively, with some practices proving more effective than others. Farmers' socio-economic characteristics correlate with their attitudes toward using indigenous knowledge. The study demonstrates that preserving and promoting these traditional practices can enhance agricultural development and benefit broader communities.
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Reviving indigenous farming knowledge in an input-intensive agriculture system: evidence from Eastern Uttar Pradesh
In Eastern Uttar Pradesh, India, indigenous farming practices like organic manuring and intercropping are disappearing among smallholder farmers. A survey of 1,768 farmers found that while 60% still use organic fertilizer, most apply it incorrectly, reducing effectiveness and harming soil health. Farmers rely heavily on chemical inputs and monocropping instead. The study recommends farmer training, community awareness programs, and extension services to revive traditional practices and restore soil fertility.
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Science in the Language of the Land: Indigenous Communication of Agricultural and Environmental Knowledge
The Kalagan indigenous community in the Philippines communicates agricultural and environmental knowledge through oral traditions, symbolic rituals, intergenerational teaching, and practical demonstrations. These culturally rooted practices effectively transmit scientific concepts about weather, soil fertility, biodiversity, and climate adaptation. The study argues that integrating indigenous knowledge systems into formal education and policy strengthens sustainability, cultural continuity, and environmental stewardship.
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Women's Contribution to Indian Agriculture through Indigenous Knowledge Systems: Practices, and Impact on Sustainable Rural Development
Women drive Indian agriculture through indigenous knowledge systems, managing seed preservation, organic farming, and water conservation while maintaining ecological balance. Despite their critical role in food production and biodiversity protection, women face barriers in resource access, education, and decision-making. The paper calls for policy interventions to recognize and mainstream women's traditional knowledge, empower them with resources, and strengthen their participation in agricultural decisions to build sustainable, resilient farming systems.
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INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICES (IKPs) AS RESPONSE TO AGRICULTURAL RISKS OF IP FARMERS IN BAAO, CAMARINES SUR
Indigenous farmers in Baao, Camarines Sur use traditional knowledge and practices to manage agricultural risks including climate variability, pests, and soil degradation. The study surveyed 179 Indigenous People farmers and found that rice farmers demonstrated the highest risk awareness, while corn, vegetable, and root crop farmers showed varying knowledge levels. Environmental observations and traditional rituals proved effective in building farm resilience and maintaining sustainable indigenous farming systems.
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Indigenous Knowledge of the Hmong People in Lai Chau, Vietnam: Sustainable Agricultural Adaptation and Climate Resilience
Hmong farmers in Lai Chau, Vietnam use a dynamic indigenous knowledge system combining ecological observation, cosmological reasoning, and social autonomy to adapt agriculture and build climate resilience. Their practices—flexible planting calendars, crop diversification, and ecological management—sustain food security and community wellbeing. The study argues that effective climate adaptation for indigenous peoples requires protecting their knowledge systems, cultural continuity, and agroecological practices.
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Indigenous Knowledge and Agriculture: A Study on Terrace Cultivation Practices Among Angami Nagas
The Angami Nagas of Nagaland have developed sophisticated terrace farming systems for paddy cultivation on steep mountain slopes. Their agricultural practices embed indigenous knowledge within cultural and environmental contexts, proving both ecologically adaptive and culturally resilient. The study demonstrates that preserving these traditional systems is essential for long-term food security and environmental stewardship, as their sustainability depends on the integration of ecological practices with community life.
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Cooperative Finance and Sustainable Development Goals: The Contribution of PACCS to Inclusive Rural Development in Tamil Nadu
Primary Agricultural Cooperative Credit Societies in Tamil Nadu provide short-term loans, Kisan Credit Cards, and Self-Help Group financing that improve rural credit access and strengthen livelihoods. These cooperatives reduce poverty, enhance food security, promote gender equality, create employment, and reduce inequalities through transparent governance and mandatory audits. The study confirms that cooperative societies function as effective grassroots institutions driving sustainable rural development.
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Innovation Mode of Rural Agricultural Product Branding in Fengxian District, Shanghai Under the Concept of Sustainable Development
Rural agricultural product branding in Shanghai's Fengxian District faces weak market awareness and intense regional competition. The study finds that emphasizing ecological and green attributes, combined with strong visual identity system design, effectively drives brand innovation and market expansion. Integrating multimedia promotion and communication strategies can strengthen brand influence and support sustainable rural economic development.
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Designing and Explaining the Development Model of Palm Conversion and Complementary Industries with an Innovation Approach in Creating Rural Women's Entrepreneurship in Kerman Province
Rural women in Kerman Province, Iran can become entrepreneurs through date processing and complementary industries using innovation approaches. The study identifies key factors driving this entrepreneurship: system efficiency and innovation, marketing ability, and economic incentives. These elements significantly influence women's capacity to create employment, increase family income, and access global markets. Supporting rural women entrepreneurs requires financial backing, education, and business team formation to reduce urban migration and achieve sustainable rural development.
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Research on Agricultural Economic Management Innovation and Sustainable Development Paths in Rural Areas under the Rural Revitalization Strategy
Rural areas face critical challenges transitioning from traditional to modern, high-quality agricultural economies. This paper identifies core obstacles—labor migration, slow technology adoption, and narrow industry structures—and analyzes how agricultural economic management drives improvements in production efficiency, market expansion, and sustainability. The authors propose implementation pathways through institutional innovation, technological advancement, and industry integration to address rural development bottlenecks and support rural revitalization.
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The economic effects and model innovation of rural e-commerce development in the rural revitalization strategy
Rural e-commerce drives economic growth through integrated 'industry plus e-commerce' models, as demonstrated in Cao County. The sector faces critical barriers: inadequate logistics, talent shortages, and low agricultural product standardization. The paper recommends infrastructure investment, logistics optimization, workforce development, product standardization, and business model innovation to enable sustainable rural e-commerce growth and support rural revitalization.
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Research on the Innovation of Rural Food Tourism Development Model from the Perspective of Big Data: A Case Study of Guizhou Province
Digital technologies are transforming rural food tourism in Guizhou Province. The paper proposes a new development model centered on big data, cloud computing, and Internet of Things technologies to modernize rural food tourism. This approach reshapes how food tourism operates on both supply and demand sides, enabling digital transformation and higher-quality rural development.
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High Quality Development of County-Level Rural E-Commerce: Exploration of Collaborative Innovation Path in Pingyi County
Pingyi County in Shandong Province developed high-quality rural e-commerce by combining characteristic industrial clusters with e-commerce public services through collaborative innovation. Government policy and funding, enterprise-led product innovation, and social organization support created deep synergy. The county faces challenges in technological innovation, logistics costs, talent shortages, and supply chain coordination. Solutions include dedicated R&D funding, cold chain logistics expansion, school-enterprise partnerships, and data-sharing platforms to strengthen multi-stakeholder collaboration.
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From “Digital Divide” to “Digital Inclusion”: Rural E-Commerce Participation Paths and Support Measures
Rural e-commerce in China faces technological exclusion, cultural disconnection, and unequal benefits. This study identifies three practical pathways: adapting technology through cultural adjustment, activating local social networks to modernize traditional resources, and creating localized value. Collaborative governance involving government, enterprises, and communities provides culturally sensitive solutions to bridge the digital divide and reshape rural economies.
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Advancing Gender-Responsive AI in Higher Education: A Participatory Rural Appraisal of Traditional and Modern Food Processing Innovations in Uganda
This study examines how gender-responsive AI in higher education can advance sustainable food systems in Uganda by bridging traditional and modern food processing practices. Research reveals that rural women, who dominate traditional food systems, face barriers to accessing AI-driven innovations due to socio-economic disparities, limited digital literacy, and poor infrastructure. The authors propose universities embed gender-responsive AI into participatory curricula, develop culturally relevant low-cost tools, and establish cross-sector partnerships to create inclusive technologies that amplify women's expertise while integrating modern efficiencies toward achieving food security and gender equality.
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Sustainable Agriculture Development in Rural Regions: The Combination of Green Innovation, Green Supply Chains, and Farmer Education
Green innovation, digital technology, and farmer education work together to advance sustainable agriculture in rural areas. A study of 466 farmers in China found that green innovation adoption and efficient green supply chains reduce resource use and emissions. Farmer education strengthens these effects by enhancing how farmers use technology. The research shows these elements form an integrated system that policymakers can coordinate to support rural development aligned with sustainable development goals.
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Participatory health innovation for stunting prevention: A multi-strategy community engagement model in rural Indonesia
In rural East Java, Indonesia, researchers implemented participatory health innovation activities to prevent stunting through community engagement. Three strategies—a herbal garden food competition, a gamified board game for mothers and children, and anemia education for adolescent girls—generated creative local solutions and increased health awareness. Participants demonstrated ownership and sustained engagement, showing that culturally-rooted, community-led approaches outperform top-down nutrition interventions.
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Community Empowerment and Green Innovation: Enhancing Women’s Capacity through Herbal Product Development in Rural Bali
Women in a rural Balinese village received training in producing herbal beverages from local ingredients, designing packaging, and marketing via social media. Participants successfully developed three herbal drink products meeting hygiene standards and built digital marketing skills using Instagram, TikTok, and WhatsApp. The program increased women's confidence and entrepreneurial capacity while supporting health, gender equality, and sustainable consumption goals.
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Empowering rural communities through corncob-based feed innovation for sustainable agriculture in special purpose forest area (KHDTK) Ngrawoh Village, Blora, Central Java, Indonesia
A rural community in Central Java, Indonesia developed WanaFeed, a livestock feed product from processed corncob waste, addressing both environmental degradation and expensive feed costs. Supported by foundations and universities, the initiative established a production facility, trained farmers, and implemented digital marketing. Within two years, the program converted 70% of village corncob waste into feed, produced over 12 tons monthly, reduced feed costs, created jobs, and improved sustainable waste management practices.
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Community-Centred Sericulture Innovation for Strengthening Rural Development and Home-Based Self-Employment
This research develops community-driven sericulture models that integrate mulberry cultivation, silkworm rearing, and silk-based enterprises to generate rural employment and household income. The study examines how home-based sericulture with low-cost technologies, eco-friendly practices, and zero-waste approaches can empower women, reduce seasonal migration, and strengthen rural livelihoods through cooperative marketing and digital sales platforms.
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Building a CNN Based Pest Detection System for Off Grid Hydroponic Farming in Rural South Africa
Researchers developed an AI-powered pest detection system for off-grid hydroponic farming in rural South Africa. Using a convolutional neural network trained on common pests like spider mites and aphids, the system runs locally on a Raspberry Pi without internet connectivity. The technology successfully automates pest detection in resource-constrained settings, reducing manual crop inspections and improving food security for subsistence farmers facing climate challenges and limited agricultural resources.
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Optimal Sizing of PV Water Pumping System for Off-grid Rural Communities
This paper develops an optimization method for sizing photovoltaic water pumping systems in off-grid rural communities. Using a particle swarm optimization algorithm, researchers determined the optimal configuration of solar panels and water storage tanks for a village in Egypt's Western Desert. The results show that adding a storage tank dramatically reduces water supply failures while keeping costs reasonable, making the system practical for rural areas lacking electricity infrastructure.
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PERCEIVED SOCIO-ECONOMIC SPILL-OVER EFFECTS OF TRANSIT RURAL ROADS DEVELOPMENT ON RURAL FARM HOUSEHOLDS IN MAKURDI LGA IN BENUE STATE NIGERIA
Rural road development in Nigeria's Makurdi Local Government Area generates significant socio-economic benefits for farm households, including improved transport linkages, increased farmer income, and enhanced quality of life. Farmers ranked improved mobility as the top benefit, followed by income increases and economic wellbeing gains. However, corruption emerged as the primary constraint limiting road development effectiveness. The study recommends increased government budgets and stronger monitoring mechanisms to prevent fund misappropriation.
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Harnessing Sarawak’s Indigenous resources: innovations in product development
Sarawak's tropical rainforests contain over 100 indigenous fruits, vegetables, herbs, and spices with significant untapped economic potential. MARDI Sarawak developed value-added products from resources like dabai, terung asam, and wild pepper—including herbal drinks, condiments, and premixed powders—to generate sustainable income for rural communities. The paper demonstrates how strategic product development from indigenous crops can drive economic growth in the agri-food sector.
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Bridging tradition and innovation: strengthening food system resilience through Indigenous Guardian partnerships and knowledge sharing in the Sierra Nevada and British Columbia
Indigenous communities in California's Sierra Nevada and British Columbia strengthen food system resilience by combining traditional knowledge with modern tools. Through Guardian programs and participatory mapping, these communities restore stewardship of lands and waters while reclaiming data sovereignty. Elders transmit Indigenous knowledge through oral traditions and hands-on practice, enabling climate adaptation and food sovereignty. The study demonstrates that integrating Indigenous governance with emerging technologies creates resilient, culturally-grounded food systems.
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Correction: Bridging tradition and innovation: strengthening food system resilience through Indigenous Guardian partnerships and knowledge sharing in the Sierra Nevada and British Columbia
Indigenous Guardian partnerships in California's Sierra Nevada and British Columbia integrate traditional Indigenous knowledge—particularly cultural burning practices—with modern technologies to strengthen food system resilience and wildfire preparedness. The paper demonstrates that Indigenous-led stewardship enhances ecosystem restoration, community safety, and climate adaptation while advancing food sovereignty and supporting Indigenous land governance and cultural continuity.
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Smart and Sustainable Economic and Indigenous Farming: Modern Innovation With Traditional Wisdom Bridged
Smallholder farmers in sub-Saharan Africa face severe climate impacts on rainfed agriculture. This paper evaluates smart technologies that combine indigenous knowledge with modern approaches, finding that indigenous knowledge can be quantified and integrated with scientific methods. The authors argue this integration strengthens farmer resilience and food security decision-making, though current early warning systems often neglect traditional practices.
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Infusing Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKSs)in Technology Education: A Case of Food Processing and Preservation in a Rural Agricultural-based Economy
Indigenous knowledge systems are absent from South African technology education curricula, particularly regarding food processing and preservation. This omission disconnects rural learners from their heritage and practical skills for food security. The study found that integrating indigenous knowledge broadens educational experiences and enables development of appropriate technologies. Community resource persons can effectively deliver this content, and the authors recommend curriculum inclusion to empower rural agricultural communities.
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Integrating indigenous knowledge in modern agriculture: Challenges and opportunities
Indigenous agricultural practices developed over millennia offer sustainable, low-cost solutions to modern farming challenges like climate change and food insecurity. These traditional techniques are environmentally friendly and community-centered, but face extinction without documentation and scientific validation. The paper argues that integrating indigenous knowledge with contemporary agriculture requires collaboration between research institutions, NGOs, and policymakers to revive and disseminate these practices, creating resilient farming systems that preserve biodiversity and ensure food security.
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An Analytical Study of the Relationship between Farmer Characteristics and the Use of Indigenous Technical Knowledge in Agriculture
This study examined how farmer characteristics relate to indigenous technical knowledge use in agriculture. Researchers surveyed 120 farmers in India and found that age, sex, occupation, and mass media exposure significantly influenced farmers' adoption of traditional agricultural practices. Farmers aged 35–41 with primary education and medium media exposure showed the strongest engagement with indigenous knowledge, which the authors argue enhances agricultural resilience and community-led innovation.
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An investigation into the depiction of Indigenous Technical Knowledge (I.T.K.) related to agricultural practices in the Kesla block of Narmadapuram district, Madhya Pradesh
This study surveyed farmers in Kesla block, Madhya Pradesh, India to assess their knowledge and adoption of indigenous agricultural technologies. Most farmers (37.78%) had medium knowledge of these practices, while 32.22% had low knowledge and 30% had high knowledge. Adoption patterns mirrored knowledge levels, with 36.67% showing overall adoption, 34.44% low adoption, and 30% high adoption of indigenous crop production techniques.
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Knowledge of the tribal farmers on indigenous agricultural practices in paddy cultivation in the Pachaimalai hills of Tiruchirappalli district in Tamil Nadu
Tribal farmers in Tamil Nadu's Pachaimalai hills use indigenous agricultural practices for paddy cultivation that prove low-cost, reliable, and effective. The study documents their traditional knowledge of seed germination, storage, and pest management, including use of a traditional container called 'kudhir' to protect stored grain. These practices address disease management without synthetic fertilizers and pesticides, offering sustainable alternatives to contemporary agricultural technologies.
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Gender Equality, Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Resilient Smallholder Agriculture for a Changing Climate: A Path to Sustainable Rural Development in Africa
This study develops an intersectionality framework for African rural development that connects gender equality, indigenous knowledge systems, climate resilience, and smallholder farming. The research identifies gender inequality, climate change, low farm productivity, and food insecurity as interconnected barriers to rural development. The framework emphasizes that addressing these challenges together through gender-inclusive and culturally grounded approaches drives sustainable rural development and climate resilience in Africa.
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Study on Relevance of Indigenous Technical Knowledge of North East India in Sustainable Agriculture
Indigenous technical knowledge systems in Northeast India offer proven sustainable agriculture practices including traditional cropping patterns, soil conservation, pest management, and seed preservation. These methods promote ecological balance, climate resilience, and low-cost farming. However, commercialization, generational knowledge loss, and lack of scientific validation prevent wider adoption. The research recommends integrating and documenting indigenous knowledge alongside modern agricultural practices.
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Indigenous knowledge for sustainable agriculture development: banana ripening methodologies from South Africa
South African small-scale banana farmers use traditional Indigenous ripening methods involving natural materials like ashes, cow dung, and local leaves. These practices enhance food security and livelihoods while remaining undocumented in scientific literature. The study identifies why farmers maintain these techniques: they are affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly. The research calls for documenting and integrating this knowledge into educational programs to preserve cultural heritage and improve farmer livelihoods.
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Harnessing Indigenous Knowledge for Sustainable Agriculture in Maharashtra, India
Indigenous knowledge systems in Maharashtra, India offer practical solutions for sustainable agriculture and environmental management. The paper documents traditional practices for soil and water conservation, pest control, and climate resilience that local communities developed through generations of experience. These knowledge systems address soil fertility, biodiversity, water management, and animal health, providing actionable insights for community-based agricultural development.
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Indigenous Knowledge of Soil Fertility and Agricultural Practices in Mopa Muro LGA, Kogi State, Nigeria
Rural farmers in Nigeria's Mopa Muro LGA rely heavily on indigenous soil fertility practices—organic manure, bush fallowing, and crop rotation—transmitted through oral tradition across generations. Most farmers face land scarcity, youth migration, and climate variability. However, 69% willingly combine traditional methods with modern inputs like improved seeds and chemical fertilizers. Education and age significantly influence adoption patterns. The study urges policy support and youth engagement to preserve these knowledge systems while integrating modern techniques.
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Exploring Indigenous Knowledge Systems in Sustainable Agricultural Extension Practices
Local knowledge systems significantly enhance sustainable agricultural extension practices. Traditional practices like season-based planting, soil management, and water conservation remain effective for production sustainability. Integrating indigenous wisdom into extension learning materials improves adoption rates and agribusiness outcomes. Combining local knowledge with modern extension approaches creates more effective, participatory, and context-appropriate agricultural extension models.
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Climate change adaptation strategies among rural communities: Examining indigenous knowledge systems and modern agricultural techniques for sustainable food security
Rural communities adapt to climate change by combining indigenous knowledge systems with modern agricultural techniques. The study examines how traditional weather forecasting, crop diversification, and community resource management work alongside scientific advances. A synergistic approach integrating both indigenous practices and modern agriculture proves most effective for achieving sustainable food security and resilient livelihoods in rural areas facing environmental change.
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Contribution of the indigenous agricultural knowledge for local economic development in the Limpopo province: A case of indigenous liquified manure
Small-scale farmers in South Africa's Limpopo province rely on artificial farming despite having indigenous agricultural knowledge. This study examined indigenous liquified manure practices in Vuwani rural communities, interviewing 18 participants including farmers, traditional leaders, and agricultural experts. The research found that indigenous liquified manure significantly increases indigenous crop yields, enabling economic sustainability for communities and creating entrepreneurial opportunities for local job creation.
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Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Resilience in Lao Agriculture
Indigenous knowledge systems in Northern Laos provide effective strategies for seasonal climate adaptation through bio-indicator prediction, nature-based farming techniques, and climate-tolerant crops. However, farmers lack confidence in these traditional methods for responding to extreme events like flash floods. The study reveals a critical gap between long-term adaptation capacity and short-term disaster response, leading researchers to recommend integrating indigenous knowledge with modern science through co-created early warning systems.
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International journal of agriculture extension and social development indigenous technical knowledge for water conservation: A review
Indigenous water conservation techniques like stepwells, tanks, and qanats offer proven, low-cost solutions to global water scarcity. Developed through generations of local adaptation, these traditional systems harvest rainwater, manage groundwater, and support agriculture in arid regions while strengthening community resilience. The paper argues that integrating indigenous knowledge with modern approaches can address current water crises and ensure sustainable resource management.
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Climate Smart Disaster Risk Reduction: Indigenous Knowledge Practiced for Agriculture Sector in Coastal Bangladesh
Coastal Bangladesh communities have developed indigenous agricultural practices over generations to survive recurring climate disasters. This study documented traditional methods in Dashmina Upazila, including crop selection by weather observation, raised farming, fruit tree planting, arum cultivation, ridge-furrow farming, seed storage in mud pitchers, and livestock management on platforms. These low-cost practices build agricultural resilience and should be integrated into disaster risk reduction and development planning.
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Applying indigenous knowledge in agricultural livelihood models in A Ngo commune, A Luoi district
Indigenous knowledge systems among Ta Oi and Pa Co ethnic minorities in Vietnam's A Ngo commune enable sustainable agricultural livelihoods. The study identifies five viable models—beef cattle, organic pig farming, vegetable cultivation, traditional tree crops, and medicinal plants—that integrate local ecological and cultural practices. These approaches increase household income, conserve natural resources, and preserve indigenous culture in mountainous rural areas.
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Research on the Development of Digital Inclusive finance and Rural Industry Integration from the Perspective of Rural Revitalization
Digital inclusive finance platforms can accelerate rural revitalization in China by enabling integrated primary, secondary, and tertiary industries. The paper examines how the 'red credit e-loan' platform addresses financing barriers for rural enterprises in Dongzhi County, Anhui Province, helping farmers move beyond traditional agriculture to build complete agricultural value chains and retain profits locally.
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Research on the Challenges and Strategies of Green Finance to Help the Development of Rural E-Commerce
Green finance is essential for rural revitalization and e-commerce development in China. The paper identifies three main barriers: insufficient innovation in financial products, incomplete support mechanisms for rural green finance, and lack of skilled professionals. It proposes targeted strategies to integrate green finance with rural e-commerce, enabling sustainable economic growth in agricultural regions.
Media stories — 21
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Gates Foundation Announces New Commitment for Smallholder Farmers on the Frontlines of Extreme Weather
The Gates Foundation announced a new financial commitment to support smallholder farmers facing extreme weather impacts. The initiative aims to help vulnerable farming communities adapt to climate-related challenges and build resilience in food production systems across developing regions.
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Rural Tourism, Afro-Tourism and Cultural Experiences Highlight Minas Gerais Presence at WTM Latin America 2026
Minas Gerais state government is promoting rural and Afro-tourism at WTM Latin America 2026, launching an expanded Rural Tourism Experiences Catalog with 266 itineraries and establishing the Quilombo São Domingos Afro-tourism route. The initiative emphasizes local empowerment, cultural preservation, and sustainable tourism development across regional territories.
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Case Study: Café Seguro: Climate Protection for Smallholder Farmers
Café Seguro, an index insurance product, scales up to protect smallholder coffee farmers in rural Colombia against drought and excessive rainfall. Delivered through cooperatives as group policies, the program strengthens climate resilience, safeguards farmer incomes, and supports employment stability for Colombia's second-largest export commodity.
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Rural Impacts
Rural Southeast communities dependent on agriculture, fishing, and forestry face mounting climate risks including rising temperatures, drought, and sea-level rise that threaten crop yields, livestock health, and forest productivity. Heat stress endangers outdoor workers while energy-intensive facilities face resource constraints. Researchers develop climate-adapted crop varieties and livestock management strategies to help rural economies adapt to changing conditions.
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Ghana and Kenya Rural Communities Adopt Innovative Solutions to Strengthen Food Security
Rural communities in Ghana and Kenya are adopting climate-resilient innovations to strengthen food security and incomes. In Ghana, Open Ghana established dry-season gardens using solar water pumps and village savings schemes, enabling vulnerable farmers to grow vegetables year-round. In Kenya, innovator Joe Ouko developed LOFODA-G-Meal, a locally-formulated feed from leaves, herbs, and mineral salts that doubled dairy goat milk production and created new income streams.
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African Development Bank Group awards $16.6 million grant to IITA to scale agricultural technologies in Africa
The African Development Bank awarded $16.6 million to the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture to launch the third phase of its Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation Program. The initiative scales climate-resilient farming practices across Africa, having already reached 25 million farmers and increased crop yields up to 69 percent. The new phase targets 14 million additional farmers across 37 countries through improved seed systems and digital tools.
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In South Africa's Mpumalanga fields, a quiet revolution is underway — and women farmers are leading it
Twenty-five women farmers in South Africa's Mpumalanga province have transformed their operations through a targeted agricultural and business training programme funded by the African Development Bank and partners. Equipped with digital tools, mentorship, and financial literacy training, these farmers now supply major retailers, school feeding schemes, and luxury lodges, creating 66 new jobs and demonstrating how structured support enables rural women to access formal markets and build sustainable enterprises.
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Scaling Rural Transformation in the Philippines: Connecting Farmers to Markets, Jobs and Opportunity
The Philippines Rural Development Project transformed agricultural value chains by shifting from input subsidies to market-driven approaches. Over a decade, the program built climate-resilient rural roads, strengthened farmer cooperatives for higher-value production, and used data-driven investment planning. Results included 67% income growth for 1.33 million beneficiaries, 2,436 km of farm-to-market roads reducing travel time by 41%, and enterprise support reaching 150,000 individuals with 122% output increases.
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Better Yields, Better Jobs: New Initiative to Benefit 5 Million Filipino Farmers
The World Bank approved $1 billion in funding for the Philippines Sustainable Agricultural Transformation Project, targeting five million farmers. The initiative modernizes rice farming through climate-smart practices, promotes crop diversification, and introduces digital voucher systems for farm inputs. It aims to boost productivity, create rural jobs, enhance food security, and build climate resilience across the Philippine agrifood sector.
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What Brazil Can Teach the World About Agricultural Innovation & Sustainability
Brazil's agricultural sector drives economic growth through free-market policies, investment, and innovation in biologicals, AI, and sustainable practices. The country exported $169.2 billion in agricultural goods in 2025. Brazilian agtech startups are expanding rapidly, with biologicals becoming a billion-dollar market. Trade deals like EU-Mercosur will boost market access while Brazilian farmers assert their sustainability credentials.
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Innovative practices in rural gender transformation: Lessons from Brazil and Uruguay
A study examines women-led rural development initiatives in Brazil and Uruguay supported by IFAD. Using agroecological and inclusive production methods with minimal resources, these women drove transformative results, strengthened local policies, and spurred economic growth. Empowered women became community role models, fostering sustainable and equitable rural development through active participation in local governance.
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Brazil's ag sector responds to very tough moment with innovation
Brazil's agriculture sector faces severe economic pressures including high interest rates and low commodity prices, with 8.3% of farmers delinquent on payments. Rather than retreat, the sector diversified export markets and expanded into new regions, growing beef exports 39.9% in 2025. Brazilian agriculture also drives innovation in biofuels and bio-methane production, converting agricultural residues into sustainable energy and animal feed.
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Mexico Advances Food, Agriculture, and Health Initiatives
Mexico is advancing multiple food and agriculture initiatives, including a proposed ban on energy drink sales to minors, opening native corn tortilla shops to achieve self-sufficiency, and partnering with Germany to develop sustainable agri-food systems. The government is also launching a food sovereignty framework with universities to address obesity and malnutrition while strengthening rural economies.
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China set plans for agricultural modernization, rural revitalization
China released its 2026 central policy document prioritizing agricultural modernization and rural revitalization. The plan emphasizes boosting farm productivity, supporting farmer incomes through price and subsidy policies, developing technology-driven agriculture, and integrating AI, drones, and robotics into farming. It also focuses on rural infrastructure, preventing poverty relapse, and expanding rural consumption to improve farmers' quality of life.
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How China boosts rural specialty industries for rural revitalization
China is modernizing rural agriculture through specialized regional industries tailored to local conditions. Sensor-controlled greenhouses, medicinal herb cultivation, tea plantations, and AI-enabled strawberry factories exemplify technology-driven approaches. The 15th Five-Year Plan prioritizes technology integration, eco-friendly practices, and brand development to transform agriculture into a modern pillar sector while raising farmer incomes.
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China Maps Out Rural Modernization Priorities for 2026-2030 Five-Year Plan
China's central rural work conference outlined priorities for 2026, emphasizing agricultural modernization, rural revitalization, and integrated urban-rural development. The government will focus on grain security, technological breakthroughs in agriculture, digital innovation, seed industry development, and farmer income growth. These policies signal a shift toward technology-driven, efficient agricultural production as China enters its 15th Five-Year Plan period.
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Spain celebrates a decade of rural and agricultural innovation thanks to the work of Operational Groups
Spain honored ten years of agricultural innovation through Operational Groups—collaborative networks tackling rural challenges. Five groups showcased projects spanning digital tomato cultivation, sustainable olive farming, wine bottle recycling, and carbon sequestration in livestock. Spain leads the EU with 20% of community-funded innovation projects. The government announced €46 million in new grants for 2025.
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The Digital Transformation of Agriculture in Indonesia
Indonesia's agriculture sector, the least digitized in the country, faces food security challenges that digital technologies can address. AgriTech startups are adopting mobile connectivity, AI, IoT, and blockchain to improve smallholder farmer productivity and incomes through advisory services, digital marketplaces, and supply chain traceability. Establishing innovation hubs with public-private partnerships can scale these solutions and strengthen resilience.
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Women's entrepreneurship in rural areas: moving from activity to stability
Women entrepreneurs in rural areas need more than business activity—they need stability through management skills, market access, and mentorship. The article identifies horticulture, processing, and local distribution as promising sectors, while highlighting lack of stable markets and practical management tools as the primary barrier to success.
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Rural Women Entrepreneurs Success Stories: Assam, Rajasthan, Kerala
Five Indian women entrepreneurs built thriving rural businesses without venture capital, turning agricultural waste into fertilizer, converting farms to organic production, launching food processing ventures, connecting pastoralists to national markets, and scaling dairy operations. Their ventures generate multi-crore revenues while training thousands of community members, demonstrating that rural entrepreneurship succeeds through resourcefulness, local knowledge, and determination rather than external funding.
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Rural Women Redefine Entrepreneurship: Stories of Courage, Growth, and Grassroots Innovation
Rural women across India are building thriving enterprises through farming, livestock, and community-based food systems. Five case studies show how women like Anita Moody, Kanti Oraon, and Siya Maravi transformed their villages through climate-smart agriculture, organic inputs, and collective marketing. With support from PRADAN, these entrepreneurs increased incomes dramatically, gained financial independence, and shifted their communities toward sustainable practices.
Organizations — 11
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Center for Rural Affairs
Nebraska-based nonprofit working on rural policy, small farms, beginning farmer programs, and rural community development across the US Great Plains and Midwest. Founded 1973.
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EU CAP Network
European Union platform connecting agriculture and rural development practitioners across member states under the Common Agricultural Policy. Successor to the European Network for Rural Development (ENRD).
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Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)
The FAO's Agroecology division promotes a holistic approach that integrates ecological and social principles into sustainable food systems. It develops frameworks like the 10 Elements of Agroecology to help countries transition toward sustainable agrifood systems that optimize interactions between plants, animals, humans, and the environment. The organization operates the Agroecology Knowledge Hub and facilitates communities of practice that bring together practitioners to exchange knowledge and co-develop locally adapted solutions for family farming and agroecological transitions.
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World Bank Group
The World Bank Group is the largest funder of farming and agribusiness in developing countries, providing knowledge, investment, and technology to strengthen food systems and agricultural productivity. The organization works across 45+ countries to improve food and nutrition security, supporting over 200 million people and aiming to reach 327 million by 2030. Through initiatives like AgriConnect and Food Systems 2030, it helps countries transform their agricultural sectors into engines of economic growth while addressing infrastructure gaps, policy constraints, and climate resilience.
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Wageningen University & Research
Wageningen University & Research combines academic research and education with practical application across agriculture, food systems, biodiversity, and environmental management. The institution conducts research on sustainable food production, climate adaptation in agriculture, water and land management, and circular economy approaches relevant to rural contexts. WUR integrates natural and social sciences to develop solutions that address rural sustainability challenges and can be rapidly implemented in practice.
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Start.coop
Start.coop scales cooperatively owned businesses to address wealth inequality and build community wealth. The organization supports farmers, gig workers, artists, and other workers in establishing cooperative ownership models that enable wealth generation and economic resilience outside traditional capitalist structures. Through cooperative business development, Start.coop helps workers and communities break cycles of poverty and build intergenerational economic stability.
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Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada is the federal department responsible for developing policies and programs that support farming and agriculture businesses across the country. The department works with provincial governments and partner agencies to advance agricultural innovation and food systems. It maintains a Canadian Agriculture Library to support research and innovation in agricultural and food sciences.
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Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
Defra is a UK government department responsible for improving and protecting the environment, growing a green economy, and sustaining thriving rural communities. It supports the food, farming, and fishing industries while managing environmental policy and species recovery programs. The department works across rural affairs through 34 agencies and public bodies to address environmental challenges and rural development.
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IFAD
IFAD is an international financial institution that invests in rural people across 92 countries to transform agriculture, rural economies, and food systems. The organization finances programmes that build resilience, empower rural communities, and protect the environment, with particular focus on small-scale farmers and rural youth employment. IFAD works to address poverty and hunger through inclusive rural finance, climate adaptation support, and partnerships that create economic growth in rural areas.
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CGIAR
CGIAR is the world's largest publicly funded agricultural research network working to advance food and nutrition security globally. The organization conducts research and innovation across agrifood systems, partnering with institutions like IITA and AfricaRice to develop agricultural solutions. CGIAR's work emphasizes transforming food systems through science and strategic research collaborations, with particular focus on African agriculture and smallholder farmer productivity.
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Cornell Cooperative Extension
The land-grant university extension service of New York State, connecting Cornell research to communities through educational programs in agriculture, food and nutrition, environmental conservation, and youth/family development. The cooperative extension model — pioneered by U.S. land-grant universities — is foundational to bringing university expertise to rural communities.
Events — 1
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IU Center for Rural Engagement's Rural Conference
Indiana University's two-day conference brings together community and state leaders, residents, professionals, and university partners to strengthen rural Indiana communities. Breakout sessions address rural mental health, local food systems, substance use disorder interventions, public health planning, arts and economic development, environmental resilience, and placemaking. The event explores how community-engaged learning and collaborative partnerships can build local capacity and foster a more vibrant and resilient rural future.