Analysing innovation activities in agrifood value chains facing agroecological transition issues: framework proposal and application

The transition of incumbent agrifood value chains toward agroecology remains poorly understood. We examined 11 French sustainability-oriented niche markets being linked to some of the FAO “10 elements of agroecology.” Our analysis identified key innovation activities (knowledge development, market signal and communication, network governance and expansion) and the blockages these initiatives encounter to go further for transformative change. The results reveal slow and path-dependent changes toward agroecology, and highlight the intertwined technical, organizational, and institutional changes that limit the depth and scalability of agroecological transitions in conventional value chains, questioning how to support niche innovations in value chains.