The transition towards CSA as a relational model: shaping relational processes between farmers and governments, agri-food corporations and the financial sector

Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) can enhance the mitigation and adaptation capacity of the sector. Yet progress towards CSA remains slow. Durable and scalable transformation requires more than technological adoption or changes in farmers’ capabilities; it depends on the relationships through which actors coordinate resources, interests, and institutional conditions. However, these interdependencies remain fragmented across the literature. This article aims to address this gap by presenting a relational framework for this transformation by focusing on the most impactful relational processes through an integrative review. We identified three relational mechanisms shaping CSA transitions: resource-mobilising, interest-aligning, and institutional-shaping. Across these mechanisms, transformative capacity depends less on the actors involved or the resources exchanged than on how the underlying relationship is configured. Drawing on Emerson’s power-dependence framework and building on Pahl-Wostl’s conceptualisation of governance modes, the proposed framework shows how relational mechanisms and their specific configuration can reproduce hierarchical arrangements or contribute to more networked forms of governance. This study contributes to the body of research on agri-food sustainability transitions and governance by shifting attention from individual adoption and actor roles to the relational configurations through which CSA transitions are enabled or constrained. Moreover, it provides practitioners with insights into mechanisms enhancing CSA adoption.