Some Findings from WP3 London, 25-27 Sept. 2012 Pavlos Karanikolas and George Vlahos...

Some Findings from WP3

London, 25-27 Sept. 2012

Pavlos Karanikolas and George Vlahos

ΓΕΩΠΟΝΙΚΟ ΠΑΝΕΠΙΣΤΗΜΙΟ ΑΘΗΝΩΝAGRICULTURAL UNΙVERSITY OF ATHENSDepartment of Agr. Economics & Rural Development



Incumbent regimes The agrofood regime

Agriculture and forestry have been a common element in incumbent regimes described in all clusters

a. In two initiatives part of a broader regime. Land Use – Environmental Protection

b. Characterised by the size of the farm and the intensity of the production process

c. Different types co-existed within clusters and even within initiatives.

d. In some cases only parts of the value chain included.

e. Sub-regimes: amenity, environmental protection, use of wildlife resources.

f. In many cases there was overlapping.

Source: Energy cluster report, 2012



Incumbent regimes Co existing regimes

a. Tourism (different types of tourism and relationships)

b. Environmental protection (mainly water quality)

c. Energy (some sub-regimes overlap)

d. Housing (Specific cases)



Niche (s)

How to distinguish between a niche and a regime?Both a niche and a regime are composed of the same three main elements, i.e.

technology, human actors (or networks) and institutions.

• The basic difference between the two, as defined by the Multi Level Perspective model, is that developments in the regime are economically ‘self supporting’ while in a niche they require some form of protection (Elzen et al., forthcoming)

• In contrast to a niche, when a regime actor ‘withdraws’, the regime does not break down.

• When an activity takes place in both the niche and the regime, two defining features of the regime are the institutional domination and the market domination (Smith et. al., 2005, p. 1493).



Niche in Farmpath (1)

•Main triggering factor: External – Socio-technical Landscape - Endogenous

•Technical dimensions: Its importance depends on the nature of the initiatives in the cluster.

•Retro-innovation

•Adaption to small scale

•Networking very important

•Collaboration Structured- formal – informal

•Information sharing

•Knowledge sharing

•Learning

•Technical collaboration



Niche in Farmpath (2)

•Learning

•Technical topics in a few cases

•Institutional – administrative

•Collaboration – leadership

•Formal – Exchange- Experience.

(Radical?) Regime Change originating

• In bottom-up initiatives (‘niches’)

• From within the regime

(regime actors established in order to foster niche development)

• From both



Integration into the Regime


Regional Value Ltd (Capital provision)

(GER)

Pluriactivity and non-commercial farming

(UK)

Machinery Rings (UK)

Rennes Metropole (FR)

CLUSTER: Renewable Energy

Production

Santorini Quality Wine production (GR)

?CLUSTER: Reducing

the environmental impact of farming

Municipality Elena (BG)

Strong integrationNot yet integrated/Failed? Moderate integration

Direct Marketing – Farmers Market (CZ)

The Local Quality Convention (GR)

Valuing the Mediterranean wild

resources (PT)

CRIE Montado (PT)

Besaparski Hills (Natura 2000) (BG)


Strong Integration

• ‘interweaving’ of technological, network and institutional anchoring

• creation and stabilization of various networks• initiating role of hybrid actors• learning processes

all these have to be constantly renewed, since a transition to sustainability has not an ‘end point’, but rather it is a continuous process of adaptation and change



Incomplete process of Anchoring [1]

• the non-expansion of a new network beyond an initial ‘core’ to other community groups and external actors

• the confinement of animating and facilitating activities of a hybrid actor mainly to the members of the ‘core’ network

weakens the significance of the initiative as a learning space



Incomplete process of Anchoring [2]

Consequently: the initiative neither prompts the creation of

spaces of exchange, nor facilitates a reflexive process and engagement of new stakeholders in joint learning and action



Broader contextual changes impacting on both niches and regime [1]

In (most of) FarmPath Case Studies:

• the recent crises in agricultural and food production

• the emergence of new societal values and needs

• fundamental changes in policies, especially in CAP and EU cohesion policies



These contextual changes have been followed or accompanied by analogous national efforts to introduce:

a. novel policy measures which either clarify or supplement the EU regulations and directives

b. regionally/locally tailored programs in collaboration with regional and local authorities, concerning rural development, environmental management, etc.

c. administrative changes and new modes of government intervention within a multi-actor model of governance



Broader contextual changes impacting on both niches and regime [2]

Opportunities ........ Translation by Actors.......Niche Development

The ‘Renewable Energy Production’ Cluster:

Landscape Pressures:

concerns about climate change, rising energy prices and fluctuating farm incomes,

opened up a ‘window of opportunity’ in the early 2000s



‘Translation’

in the middle two phases of the transition (technological anchoring Phase: mid 1980s – 1997, and institutional anchoring phase: 1997-2007)

as the energy regime co-opted anaerobic and wind technologies intended to address on-farm issues, and utilised them for public energy supply instead

Hence, the energy regime can be viewed as co-opting resources and technologies traditionally associated with the agricultural regime, ‘translating’ these to address landscape-level issues



Critical Questions

• How is the regime before and after its interaction with the niche?

• How and when ‘windows of opportunity’ appear?

• How these opportunities are ‘translated’ by actors and thus contributing to the development of niches?



Critical Questions

• Niche as a ‘protected’ space: how to characterize an initiative involving multi-annual agri-environmental programs?



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