<p>Current agriculture and food systems are major drivers of global environmental change and are linked to numerous ethical concerns. Against this backdrop, agri-startups are perceived as promising catalysts for new and more sustainable agri-food systems. However, their potential to actually contribute to sustainability transformations has been understudied. The aim of this study is to narrow this gap by analyzing German agri-startups’ visions and how these co-produce prevailing or novel sociotechnical imaginaries in agriculture. We conduct an in-depth qualitative comparative case study of agri-startups (<i>n</i>=16) in both a rural–agrarian and an urban (nonagricultural) setting in Germany. We identify four visions with varying scales and scopes of envisioned change, with different conceptualizations of sustainable agri-food transformation: (1) <i>Reconfiguration of Sociomaterial Structures</i>, (2) <i>Partial Redesign</i>, (3) <i>Optimization of Value Chains</i>, and (4) <i>Incremental Improvement</i>. Our findings highlight the relevance of the sociospatial context of agri-startups and innovation processes in co-producing agri-food futures. While urban startups tend to envision more holistic changes, rural agri-startups rather envision applied and pragmatic changes. We critically discuss the differences among these visions and their limited ability to transform existing agri-food systems. Finally, we highlight that agri-startups largely perpetuate existing imaginaries and that the disruptive character that is often attributed to (agri-) startups needs critical scrutiny.</p>

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Agricultural startups’ visions of a sustainable agri-food future: a comparative case study in rural and urban Germany

  • Katharina Rock,
  • Jonathan Friedrich,
  • Jana Zscheischler

摘要

Current agriculture and food systems are major drivers of global environmental change and are linked to numerous ethical concerns. Against this backdrop, agri-startups are perceived as promising catalysts for new and more sustainable agri-food systems. However, their potential to actually contribute to sustainability transformations has been understudied. The aim of this study is to narrow this gap by analyzing German agri-startups’ visions and how these co-produce prevailing or novel sociotechnical imaginaries in agriculture. We conduct an in-depth qualitative comparative case study of agri-startups (n=16) in both a rural–agrarian and an urban (nonagricultural) setting in Germany. We identify four visions with varying scales and scopes of envisioned change, with different conceptualizations of sustainable agri-food transformation: (1) Reconfiguration of Sociomaterial Structures, (2) Partial Redesign, (3) Optimization of Value Chains, and (4) Incremental Improvement. Our findings highlight the relevance of the sociospatial context of agri-startups and innovation processes in co-producing agri-food futures. While urban startups tend to envision more holistic changes, rural agri-startups rather envision applied and pragmatic changes. We critically discuss the differences among these visions and their limited ability to transform existing agri-food systems. Finally, we highlight that agri-startups largely perpetuate existing imaginaries and that the disruptive character that is often attributed to (agri-) startups needs critical scrutiny.