When innovation alone is not enough
In the academic journal *Progress in Economic Geography*, the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), in collaboration with other research institutions, has published a new study on start-ups in the agricultural sector. In it, a research team examines the extent to which so-called agri-start-ups in a region of Lower Saxony with a particularly strong agricultural character are embedded within existing innovation structures. A key finding is that the extent to which innovations from agri-start-ups contribute to sustainability transformations in the region depends heavily on established and well-entrenched structures.
For the study, the researchers conducted a total of 16 guided interviews between January and March 2025. Respondents included individuals from academia, business, public administration, funding bodies and the start-up community. In addition, the interviewees drew network maps to illustrate who is connected to whom and how these relationships function. The analysis focused on five forms of ‘proximity’ between regional actors: spatial, cognitive, social, institutional and organisational. The authors thus provide a concrete explanation of why the transformative potential of innovations depends not only on good ideas, but also on how their development processes are embedded within an existing environment.
Between closeness and distance: How important trust is for collaboration
The case region is described in the study as a German location with a particularly intensive agricultural sector. There, many established companies have been working closely together along complex value chains for decades. This closeness builds trust and facilitates collaboration. At the same time, however, it can make it more difficult for knowledge from new companies to be taken on board. The study shows that agricultural start-ups often rely on intermediaries to gain access to key networks in the first place. Whilst this can be helpful, it often also influences the direction in which their ideas develop.
Furthermore, farmers were only mentioned in passing during the interviews. This, too, is an important finding: for if new technology or new business models are to be used on farms at a later stage, agricultural businesses must be involved in innovation processes as early as possible. The authors conclude that start-ups – or rather, their founders – who are rooted in the region but have also gained experience outside the existing system could play a special role. They bring new perspectives without completely losing access to regional, social and value-based relationships.
Why new ideas often only take effect gradually
What is particularly new about the study is its focus on the quality of relationships within a regional innovation system and an entrepreneurial ecosystem – that is, the interplay between actors, networks and institutions. The researchers demonstrate not only which connections the interviewees perceive within this innovation ecosystem, but also how these connections can either foster or limit new developments. Particularly important: close social and informal institutional ties amongst established actors can lead to the emergence of relatively minor improvements – such as efficiency-focused solutions – rather than fundamental changes. This is socially significant because agriculture faces major challenges – such as climate, environmental and resource protection – and requires not only more efficient solutions, but in some cases also solutions conceived in a significantly different way.
“Our findings show that innovation in agriculture does not succeed or fail solely on the basis of good ideas. It is also crucial whether new players gain access to existing networks – and whether there is room within them for knowledge that does not yet fit in with the status quo,” says Katharina Rock from the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) and lead author of the study.
What the researchers conclude from this
The authors see their findings as indicating that regional networks for agricultural innovation should be broadened. Universities and other research institutions could play an important role in this regard if, in their teaching and research, they not only prioritise economic and technical topics but also incorporate environmental and social issues more fully. However, the study also highlights its own limitations: the direct perspectives of start-ups could only be incorporated to a limited extent, as many young companies were unwilling to disclose their networks for competitive reasons. Future research should therefore compare in even greater detail the specific conditions under which regional innovation spaces facilitate either minor adjustments or more profound changes.
Further information is available via the DOI link to the original publication: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.peg.2026.100067.
Project partners for the study:
- Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF), Müncheberg
- University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart
- University of Social Design, Koblenz
- Georg-August University of Göttingen
The study was funded by the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, through a ZALF grant to complete the PhD, by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF; grant reference: 031B0751) and by the German Research Foundation (DFG; grant reference: 554256072).
About the Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) e. V. in Müncheberg, an institution of the Leibniz Association
ZALF conducts research into the economically, ecologically and socially sustainable agriculture of the future – in collaboration with stakeholders from academia, politics and the field.
To help tackle global societal challenges such as climate change, food security, biodiversity conservation and resource scarcity, we develop and design cropping systems within a landscape context that combine the need for plant-based production with sustainability. To this end, we combine complex landscape data with a unique set of experimental methods, new technologies, computer-based models and socio-economic approaches.
ZALF research is systems research: ranging from processes in soils, plants and water, through relationships at the field and landscape levels, to global impacts and the consideration of complex interactions between landscape, society and the economy. www.zalf.de