IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jsusta/v11y2019i5p1271-d209678.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Innovation Trajectories and Sustainability in the Food System

Author

Listed:
  • Valeria Sodano

    (Department Political Science, University of Naples Federico II, 80131 Naples, Italy)

Abstract

The goal of the study is to answer the question of whether the current processes of technological change and innovation within the agri-food system could help to increase its sustainability. Four strands of literature are used to unveil the nexus between sustainability and innovation: models of technical change and innovation, sustainability definitions, agroecology as a science and political movement, and the conceptualization of food regimes. The results indicate that innovation processes in the system follow two innovation trajectories, leading to two different food regimes, with opposite effects on sustainability. Since market forces push towards the less sustainable regime, adequate interventions are required in order to assure the sustainability of the system.

Suggested Citation

  • Valeria Sodano, 2019. "Innovation Trajectories and Sustainability in the Food System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-19, February.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1271-:d:209678
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/5/1271/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/11/5/1271/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Vanloqueren, Gaëtan & Baret, Philippe V., 2009. "How agricultural research systems shape a technological regime that develops genetic engineering but locks out agroecological innovations," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 38(6), pages 971-983, July.
    2. Vernon W. Ruttan, 2002. "Productivity Growth in World Agriculture: Sources and Constraints," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 16(4), pages 161-184, Fall.
    3. Erik S. Reinert (ed.), 2004. "Globalization, Economic Development and Inequality," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 1570.
    4. Athanasios Balafoutis & Bert Beck & Spyros Fountas & Jurgen Vangeyte & Tamme Van der Wal & Iria Soto & Manuel Gómez-Barbero & Andrew Barnes & Vera Eory, 2017. "Precision Agriculture Technologies Positively Contributing to GHG Emissions Mitigation, Farm Productivity and Economics," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 9(8), pages 1-28, July.
    5. Dosi, Giovanni, 1993. "Technological paradigms and technological trajectories : A suggested interpretation of the determinants and directions of technical change," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 22(2), pages 102-103, April.
    6. Uwe Deichmann & Aparajita Goyal & Deepak Mishra, 2016. "Will digital technologies transform agriculture in developing countries?," Agricultural Economics, International Association of Agricultural Economists, vol. 47(S1), pages 21-33, November.
    7. Bodo E. Steiner, 2017. "A phenomenon-driven approach to the study of value creation and organizational design issues in agri-business value chains," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 19(1), pages 89-118.
    8. Sodano, Valeria, 2008. "Innovation and Food System Sustainability: Public Concerns vs Private Interests," 110th Seminar, February 18-22, 2008, Innsbruck-Igls, Austria 49891, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    9. Valeria Sodanoa & Martin Hingley, 2018. "Corporate social responsibility reporting: The case of the agri-food sector," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 20(1), pages 93-120.
    10. Carlota Perez, 2009. "Technological revolutions and techno-economic paradigms," The Other Canon Foundation and Tallinn University of Technology Working Papers in Technology Governance and Economic Dynamics 20, TUT Ragnar Nurkse Department of Innovation and Governance.
    11. Hellström, Tomas, 2009. "New vistas for technology and risk assessment? The OECD Programme on Emerging Systemic Risks and beyond," Technology in Society, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 325-331.
    12. Valeria Sodano, 2008. "Innovation and food system sustainability: public concerns vs. private interests," Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Development (DEPFID) University of Siena 1108, Department of Economic Policy, Finance and Development (DEPFID), University of Siena.
    13. Ruttan, Vernon W, 1997. "Induced Innovation, Evolutionary Theory and Path Dependence:," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 107(444), pages 1520-1529, September.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Guangying Xie & Shengyan Wu & Zhengjiang Song, 2022. "Focus on Innovation or Focus on Sales? The Influences of the Government of China’s Demand-Side Reform during COVID-19 and Their Sustainability Consequences in the Consumer Products Industry," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(20), pages 1-21, October.
    2. Patrizia Gazzola & Daniele Grechi & Ilaria Martinelli & Roberta Pezzetti, 2022. "The Innovation of the Cashierless Store: A Preliminary Analysis in Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(4), pages 1-16, February.
    3. Sotiris P. Gayialis & Evripidis P. Kechagias & Georgios A. Papadopoulos & Nikolaos A. Panayiotou, 2022. "A Business Process Reference Model for the Development of a Wine Traceability System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(18), pages 1-23, September.
    4. Bianca Polenzani & Chiara Riganelli & Andrea Marchini, 2020. "Sustainability Perception of Local Extra Virgin Olive Oil and Consumers’ Attitude: A New Italian Perspective," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-18, January.
    5. Dorin Maier & Andreea Maier & Ioan Așchilean & Livia Anastasiu & Ovidiu Gavriș, 2020. "The Relationship between Innovation and Sustainability: A Bibliometric Review of the Literature," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(10), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Robert Bumbac & Magdalena Bobe & Roxana Procopie & Rodica Pamfilie & Smaranda Giușcă & Calcedonia Enache, 2020. "How Zoomers’ Eating Habits Should be Considered in Shaping the Food System for 2030—A Case Study on the Young Generation from Romania," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(18), pages 1-18, September.
    7. Nawab Khan & Ram L. Ray & Hazem S. Kassem & Sajjad Hussain & Shemei Zhang & Muhammad Khayyam & Muhammad Ihtisham & Simplice A. Asongu, 2021. "Potential Role of Technology Innovation in Transformation of Sustainable Food Systems: A Review," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 11(10), pages 1-20, October.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Ciarli, Tommaso & Ràfols, Ismael, 2019. "The relation between research priorities and societal demands: The case of rice," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 48(4), pages 949-967.
    2. Schnebelin, Éléonore, 2022. "Linking the diversity of ecologisation models to farmers' digital use profiles," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).
    3. BEN KHALIFA, Adel, 2017. "Territoire Appropriant Et Economie De La Connaissance Basee Sur Les Tic : Une Approche Eclectique [Appropriating Territory and ICT-Based Knowledge economy: An Eclectic Approach]," MPRA Paper 77535, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    4. Giovanni Dosi & Richard Nelson, 2013. "The Evolution of Technologies: An Assessment of the State-of-the-Art," Eurasian Business Review, Springer;Eurasia Business and Economics Society, vol. 3(1), pages 3-46, June.
    5. Kuokkanen, A. & Nurmi, A. & Mikkilä, M. & Kuisma, M. & Kahiluoto, H. & Linnanen, L., 2018. "Agency in regime destabilization through the selection environment: The Finnish food system’s sustainability transition," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 47(8), pages 1513-1522.
    6. Coronese, Matteo & Occelli, Martina & Lamperti, Francesco & Roventini, Andrea, 2023. "AgriLOVE: Agriculture, land-use and technical change in an evolutionary, agent-based model," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 208(C).
    7. Daniil P. Frolov & Agnessa O. Inshakova & Marina L. Davydova, 2017. "The Institutional Factors of Strategic Development and the Tactical Regulation of Nanotechology," European Research Studies Journal, European Research Studies Journal, vol. 0(3B), pages 588-606.
    8. Adamashvili Nino & Fiore Mariantonietta & Contò Francesco & La Sala Piermichele, 2020. "Ecosystem for Successful Agriculture. Collaborative Approach as a Driver for Agricultural Development," European Countryside, Sciendo, vol. 12(2), pages 242-256, June.
    9. Bajmócy, Zoltán & Málovics, György, 2009. "A fenntarthatóság közgazdaságtani értelmezései [Economic interpretations of sustainability]," Közgazdasági Szemle (Economic Review - monthly of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences), Közgazdasági Szemle Alapítvány (Economic Review Foundation), vol. 0(5), pages 464-483.
    10. Chakori, Sabrina & Aziz, Ammar Abdul & Smith, Carl & Dargusch, Paul, 2021. "Untangling the underlying drivers of the use of single-use food packaging," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 185(C).
    11. Giacomo Damioli & Vincent Van Roy & Daniel Vertesy & Marco Vivarelli, 2024. "AI as a new emerging technological paradigm: evidence from global patenting," Working Papers of Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation, Leuven 746877, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Management, Strategy and Innovation, Leuven.
    12. Sidney G. Winter, 2002. "Toward an Evolutionary Theory of Production," LEM Papers Series 2002/27, Laboratory of Economics and Management (LEM), Sant'Anna School of Advanced Studies, Pisa, Italy.
    13. Yamna Erraach & Fatma Jaafer & Ivana Radić & Mechthild Donner, 2021. "Sustainability Labels on Olive Oil: A Review on Consumer Attitudes and Behavior," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-23, November.
    14. Thrane, Sof & Blaabjerg, Steen & Møller, Rasmus Hannemann, 2010. "Innovative path dependence: Making sense of product and service innovation in path dependent innovation processes," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(7), pages 932-944, September.
    15. Azzurra Annunziata, 2013. "Il contributo dei modelli di consumo responsabili al perseguimento della sostenibilit? del benessere," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2013(1), pages 191-210.
    16. Saiz, Patricio & Amengual, Rafael, 2016. "Knowledge Disclosure, Patent Management, and the Four-Stroke Engine Business," Working Papers in Economic History 2016/02, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain), Department of Economic Analysis (Economic Theory and Economic History).
    17. Vazquez, Miguel & Hallack, Michelle, 2018. "The role of regulatory learning in energy transition: The case of solar PV in Brazil," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 114(C), pages 465-481.
    18. Fergus Green, 2015. "Nationally Self-Interested Climate Change Mitigation: A Unified Conceptual Framework," GRI Working Papers 199, Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment.
    19. Dosi, Giovanni & Nelson, Richard R., 2010. "Technical Change and Industrial Dynamics as Evolutionary Processes," Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, in: Bronwyn H. Hall & Nathan Rosenberg (ed.), Handbook of the Economics of Innovation, edition 1, volume 1, chapter 0, pages 51-127, Elsevier.
    20. Le Floc'h, Pascal & Merzéréaud, Mathieu & Beckensteiner, Jennifer & Alban, Frédérique & Duhamel, Erwan & Thébaud, Olivier & Wilson, James, 2023. "Explaining technical change and its impacts over the very long term: The case of the Atlantic sardine fishery in France from 1900 to 2017," Research Policy, Elsevier, vol. 52(9).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:5:p:1271-:d:209678. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.