Climate and environment: The directions of innovation studying Italian Operational Groups

Agriculture featured prominently at the UN Climate Change Conference COP27 in 2022, since agriculture, food, and land use contribute for about 25% of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions worldwide according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). Innovation can pave the way towards mitigating the climate impact of agriculture, as well as fostering the diffusion of mitigation options in sectors providing inputs, such as the energy sector. The place of agriculture in innovation policy has perhaps been overlooked, and only recently can one find research works studying the distinctive features of the innovation process in agricultural firms and the knowledge exchange flows it entertains with other sectors (Bjerke and Johansson, 2022). In regard to knowledge flows, the European Union has taken the challenges to establish an Agricultural and Knowledge Innovation System (AKIS) and has assigned it a central role in the future economic development after the global crisis. Supporting the adoption of innovations through AKISs has been one of the main issues addressed by the European Union's structural policies for the development of farms and rural areas in terms of competitiveness and sustainability (Mirra et al., 2020). Therefore, in order to achieve the main policy goals for a resilient, intelligent, and sustainable agriculture, innovation has, evermore, a central role for the future European strategy. Hence, the literature argues the importance of radical technological and organizational solutions to addressing a sustainable transition in agriculture. According to Brunori et al. (2013), such a transition is favoured by innovation policies which foster new approaches and methods of intervention, such as the implementation and definition of network models, characterized by the linkages and cooperation among actors. In this framework, partnerships are demand-driven and follow a bottom-up approach, increasing the awareness of the value of local knowledge and of producer participation. Indeed, this model foster knowledge production, resource sharing and information dissemination in rural areas. Furthermore, it generates spaces for the experimentation and the transformation of local knowledge into resource development (Brunori et al., 2013). The extent of collaboration among several actors is a key determinant innovation (Minarelli et al., 2015). Therefore, the Rural Development Policy (RDP) promotes innovation in agriculture, forestry and rural areas, by funding the establishment of Operational Groups (OGs). These multi-actor partnerships aim to identify innovative solutions to solve problems or exploit new technological opportunities. Innovation projects are financed by the 2014-2020 RDPs, as provided in Measure 16 for cooperation, through sub-measure 16.1 "Support for the establishment and management of EIP operational groups on agricultural productivity and sustainability”. Indeed, the first Priority (P1) of rural development programming 2014-2020 has been to promoting knowledge transfer and innovation in agriculture and in rural areas. Its application cuts across other European priorities regarding rural development, confirming the key contribution of innovation to sustainable growth. The study aims at understanding, in detail, how the RDP is fostering innovation. In particular, the focus is directed toward defining the analysis of entrepreneurs ’innovative outcomes, regarding innovations aimed at mitigating the carbon and environmental footprints of agricultural production. To this purpose, a content analysis of objectives of successful applications of OGs (Measure 16.1.1) has been made, along with a statistical analysis, in order to define the categories of innovations actually supported through European funds.