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Interactive Approach for Innovation: The Experience of the Italian EIP AGRI Operational Groups

Author

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  • Andrea Arzeni

    (CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00187 Rome, Italy)

  • Francesca Giarè

    (CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00187 Rome, Italy)

  • Mara Lai

    (CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00187 Rome, Italy)

  • Maria Valentina Lasorella

    (CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00187 Rome, Italy)

  • Rossella Ugati

    (CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00187 Rome, Italy)

  • Anna Vagnozzi

    (CREA—Council for Agricultural Research and Economics, Research Centre Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy, 00187 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

The interactive approach implies that a heterogeneous group of actors cooperates to identify, develop, and introduce innovative solutions on the ground. Twenty-year studies have shown this approach to be the most suitable to support innovation and knowledge sharing in the agri-food system. The present study aims to analyse how the interaction process works in the implementation of OGs in Italy, and its effectiveness, given the relevance assigned to EIP AGRI as a driver for innovation in the past and the current CAP programming periods. An online survey submitted to 270 OGs and 10 in-depth case studies were used to analyse the interaction process and verify whether a common implementation pattern can be identified. The results show that the implementation of OGs in Italy helped capture the real issues of farmers/rural entrepreneurs and support the creation and strengthening of relationships between partners. However, low levels of internal and external communications and the lack of efforts to disseminate the results reduced the effectiveness of the groups. The study showed how complex it is to describe the processes triggered by the interactive approach, being that it is influenced by the type of relationships existing between partners and by other external factors. The implementation of the next generation of OGs could be strengthened by improving their capacity to address the issues of large groups of farmers, promoting the presence of intermediaries to dialogue between partners and facilitating the active participation of advisors.

Suggested Citation

  • Andrea Arzeni & Francesca Giarè & Mara Lai & Maria Valentina Lasorella & Rossella Ugati & Anna Vagnozzi, 2023. "Interactive Approach for Innovation: The Experience of the Italian EIP AGRI Operational Groups," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-24, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:15:y:2023:i:19:p:14271-:d:1248752
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    References listed on IDEAS

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