Innovating locally for global transformation

Overview & Synopsis

Innovation in agroecology must necessarily address economic, environmental, political, scientific, socio-cultural and technical concerns. To be able to understand and to implement the new ideas and solutions that agroecological innovators develop requires a rethinking of what is meant by the often misused terms of technology, innovation and markets. This chapter illustrates what a focus on organizational innovations and the knowledge of techniques can contribute to the expansion of markets for agroecology. I explore novel ways of organizing (and intermediating) the linkages between production and consumption that have been developed by different actors around the world to effectively kick-start this transition process. By rearranging what types of actors collaborate within local markets, we can better understand how they share old knowledge and create new knowledge that can resolve socio-economic and environmental problems and offer new pathways towards sustainability. The local solutions explored in this chapter offer ideas on where to begin addressing some of the problems in the global food system, specifically in terms of public policy support and partnerships among societal actors.