Main goals

  • Developing territorial strategies and circular business models in the agri-food and forestry value chains, which allow adding value to agri-food and forestry products, empowering familiar farmers, forest owners and SMEs in rural territories in the process of retaining added value;
  • Designing and improve Agricultural and Forestry Knowledge and Innovation Systems, capable of encouraging farmers and forest owners to, through innovation, respond to society’s challenges and the demands of markets and new consumers;
  • Enhancing the ecosystem services provided by agrarian ecosystems, rural areas and urban green areas; 
  • Supporting initiatives aimed at urban sustainability and encourage the sharing of knowledge of best practices;

Theoretical and Conceptual Structures

  • Knowledge and innovation systems;
  • Sociotechnical transitions and multilevel approach (MLP);
  • Socio-ecological Systems;
  • Short food supply chains;
  • Approach to ecosystem services.

Methodological Approaches

  • Mixed methods (case study, qualitative and quantitative research);
  • Analysis of social networks;
  • Sociotechnical scenarios and other participatory deliberative approaches;
  • Spatial analysis and modeling.

Main Contributions

  • Creating conditions for the creation of local value and retention of added value in rural territories;
  • Empowering farmers, advisors and other rural actors to engage in co-creation processes facilitating sustainable agro-ecological transitions in agriculture and rural areas.
  • Generating knowledge about sustainability-oriented urban interventions and best learning practices;