2025/06/18 by María Rivera, Andrew F. Fieldsend, José Muñoz‐Rojas +2 · 1 voice
Environmental Science · #Environmental Conservation and Management #Forest Insect Ecology and Management #Forest Management and Policy
paper · pdf · doi:10.1007/s13593-025-01025-2
openalex publication_date 2025/06/18 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/31
Abstract Agriculture and forestry are facing numerous challenges, driven by a complex set of social, economic, and ecological factors. Innovation is a key to devising viable, resilient, and sustainable solutions to these challenges, but for innovations to have impact, they need to be “scaled.” The current policy context, in the European Union (EU) and elsewhere, encourages the use of the “interactive” model of innovation through the so-called “multi-actor” approach. In this study, we explore the dynamics of scaling in agricultural and forestry co-innovation partnerships. We ask whether such partnerships can be effective instruments to scale innovations and what factors play a role in the scaling process. Thus, the novelty of our paper is that it is the first published study of the dynamics of scaling within the current EU policy framework. Our analysis draws upon evidence from eight co-innovation case studies across Europe, encompassing varied contexts, scales, and funding mechanisms, and identifies three distinct forms of scaling: scaling out, up, and deep. The selection by co-innovation partnerships of strategies and enabling mechanisms in pursuit of scaling is dependent on factors such as funding conditions, contextual norms, and partnership objectives. Partnerships need to be clear about the type of scaling they aim to achieve, have an in-depth understanding of contextual complexities, and ensure that scaling is an integral part of the entire project cycle. Co-innovation partnerships can be effective catalysts for transformative change, provided scaling complexities are navigated, and enabling mechanisms leveraged adeptly. Our insights advance the understanding of scaling dynamics in co-innovation and offer evidence-based strategies for practitioners, policymakers, and researchers to bolster the impact of co-innovation initiatives in agriculture and forestry.