The SOLINSA project
The SOLINSA project aimed to identify barriers to the development of Learning and Inno-vation Networks for sustainable agriculture (LINSA). The project explored how policy instruments, financial arrangements, research, education and advisory services might support LINSA's in cost-efficient and effective ways.
Context
SOLINSA was funded by the Seventh Framework Programme of the European Commission.
Project duration
It started in February 2011 and finished in January 2014.
Main insights
From the three-year-long engagement in collaboration and research with LINSA, the project has distilled five main insights that may inspire and inform future research in this field:
- LINSA are networks of producers, consumers, experts, NGOs, SMEs, local administrations as well as official researchers and extensionists, that are engaged in sustainable agriculture and rural development - cooperating, sharing resources and co-producing new knowledge by creating conditions for communication.
- There are different forms of LINSA. LINSA can have a strong relation-ship with the Agriculture Knowledge System or not be connected to the AKS at all, or a relationship that lies between these extremes.
- There is a need for opening spaces and creating an environment in which LINSA can develop their full potential to contribute to innovation for sustainable agriculture – beyond traditional Agriculture Knowledge Systems.
- The role of Agriculture Knowledge System as partners for LINSA needs to be strengthened.
- In this situation, transition partners emerge as new kind of actors, with particular roles and functions. These are various kinds of networkers, facilitators, participatory researchers, boundary persons, or experts who engage with LINSA in joint learning and innovation for sustainability.
Implementation
AGRIDEA strives to implement these findings in its actual projects.
Person in charge