Mr Nikolaos Tsioras (p), Dr Anastasia Panori (p)

Food systems exhibit increased complexity by lying at the intersection of a region’s economic, societal and environmental structural conditions, struggling to balance economic development with increased needs for sustainability and social justice. In this context, Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) has been highlighted as a tool helping regions build legitimacy and ensure fair food system transformation across regional ecosystems. However, little attention has been paid to developing a place-based perspective of RRI towards integrating regional specificities during its operationalisation. The paper builds on the idea of developing a place-based RRI by exploring how it can be tailored to meet the needs of local food-system challenges identified through Smart Specialisation Strategies (S3) for five pilot regions. By combining qualitative analysis of S3 documents and stakeholder interviews for the five pilot regions, the study identifies tailored pathways of integrating RRI into context-specific regional priorities. The findings indicate that a place-based perspective on RRI is essential for addressing responsibility gaps in food-system transformation related to inclusivity, trust, coordination, and institutional capacity, as these dimensions are fundamentally shaped by how innovation is governed and accessed by different stakeholders within regional contexts. The results suggest that localised forms of RRI can be developed through in-depth analysis of regional contexts, enabling fairer food-system transformation by structurally embedding region-specific constraints that would otherwise remain unaddressed within S3 policies alone.

Prof. Dimitrios Karkanis (p), Ms. Kadriye Kardelen Güzel, Prof. Amélie Bourceret, Prof. Paolo Prosperi, Prof. Georgios Kleftodimos

The growing significance of the fisheries industry for the European economy and food security can be documented by several recent EU-level policies or financial instruments, such as the Common Fisheries Policy (CFP) or the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF). Greece possesses several comparative advantages in this specific industry, being a leading producer and holding a dominant position in the EU market of Mediterranean fish, namely seabass and seabream. At the Mediterranean level, Greece implements the Mediterranean Management Plans of the General Fisheries Commission for the Mediterranean (GFCM), including fisheries restricted areas, focus on critical stocks and monitoring and control measures. Finally, at the national level, several policies for the development of aquaculture have been put in place, such as the “Fish from Greece” certification or the expansion of marine protected areas, but also non-governmental organizations’ initiatives. The purpose of the present study is to enrich the existing literature related to the way the above sustainability-driven policies affect the development prospects of the fisheries industry in Greece. The methodological aspect of this qualitative study essentially constitutes an in-depth overview of the goal setting and related measures of the above multilevel policies carried out or even announced in the Greek case, combined with a cross-comparison with other European Mediterranean countries. The overview of the related multi-level policy framework is expected to provide insights for policymakers by highlighting eventual points of misalignment or even of conflict between policy goals of different nature in the Greek case. The added value of the present research aims finally at a better understanding of the sectoral-level effects of EU- or nation-led policies on fisheries output and, therefore, exports, based on the 3-digit Standard International Trade Classification (SITC).

Dr. Valérie Angeon (p), Ms Adriana Courteille (p), Ms Matilda Strand, Dr Claire Lesur-Dumoulin, Dr Marion Casagrande, Dr Mireille Navarrete

Contestations of the dominant agricultural and food model emphasise the necessity of transforming agri-food systems. These transformations can be explained in terms of an agroecological transition (Gliessman, 2016). Implementing such dynamics of change requires a global, systemic, multi-actor and multi-scale approach. From this perspective, agri-food systems can be considered as spaces of interaction between different stakeholders with asymmetric power. In particular, intermediary actors can have a significant influence as their decisions affect both upstream and downstream practices in agri-food systems (Brocard, 2023).

Nevertheless, scholars rarely analyse these actors. When they are studied, their actions are generally criticised for negatively impacting the sustainability of agri-food systems (Gottlieb & Joshie, 2010; Patturel & Ramel, 2017; Lepillier & Yount-André, 2019). Given their importance and their structuring role, we wonder about their ability to ecologise agri-food systems. To what extent do the strategies of intermediary actors facilitate the circulation of food products resulting from agricultural systems with low pesticide use? Who are these actors, and what resources do they use to integrate such products into food circuits?

We refer to the sociology of market agencement literature, which recognises that intermediary actors perform three primary functions: market mediation, market agencement, and regulation (Le Velly & Dufeu, 2016). We hypothesise that, to fulfil these three functions, these actors mobilize different forms of proximity, and that strong proximity ties encourage their involvement in the enhancement of food products with low pesticide use.

Our empirical analysis focuses on the fresh food and vegetable value chain. We compare two contrasting French case studies: Martinique and Pyrénées-Orientales. Data was collected through the analysis of grey literature, as well as through participatory and non-participatory observations and surveys of various intermediary actors (retailers, wholesalers and distributors). In Martinique, 24 surveys were conducted between 2022 and 2026, and 12 were conducted in Pyrénées Orientales in 2022.

The results allow us to:
(i) identify the intermediary actors who are invested in ecologisation strategies, and to characterize the functionnal trading circuits in which they operate;
(ii) document an indicator grid on the forms of proximity activated (spatial, relational, functional and economic) and how they are articulated.
This empirical material enables us to produce specific and cross-road results, allowing us to develop a generic understanding of the ecologisation process in trading circuits and, consequently, agri-food systems.

Ms Adriana Courteille (p), Dr Valérie Angeon (p), Mr Arnaud Dufils, Dr Mireille Navarrete

The current context, shaped by multiple crises (environmental, health-related, and socio-economic), calls for a profound transformation of agricultural and food systems toward more sustainable models. Transforming these systems entails complex and wicked challenges and requires overcoming the systemic lock-ins that characterize them. (Rip and Kemp, 1998 ; Meynard and al., 2017). In this context, adopting territorialized approaches appears relevant to support the transition, because they foster coordination among stakeholders and the local embeddedness of solutions. The literature highlights the value of designing coupled innovations, that is, the coherent combinations of innovations of different types (technical, organizational, institutional and/or social) to address complex problems (Leclère et al., 2025). By definition, coupled innovations articulate several components of agri-food systems that are often managed by different stakeholders (Meynard et al., 2017) and operate at different scales. However, research on the conditions for designing and implementing such innovations remains limited, especially in overseas territories.

This paper analyses a coupled innovation design process initiated by researchers and aiming to secure and reinforce the local fruit and vegetable supply in Martinique. To explore collective solutions and overcome identified lock-ins, a participatory methodology relying on the principles of innovative design theory (C-K theory, Hatchuel and Weil, 2009) was proposed. On this basis, two workshops were organized. They gathered a various range of stakeholders, with representative or decision-making authority.

The results highlight the emergence of several prototypes of coupled innovations, combining multiple dimensions. On one hand, organizational innovations aim to increase supply volumes, pool skills and expertise, and optimise access to financial support. On the other hand, technical innovations focus on crop diversification to improve the management of climatic and plant health hazards, as well as promoting traditional crops. These proposals combine technological innovations, to design processing tools suited to the specificities of local products and contribute to value creation. The analysis underlines that the co-design of innovations between researchers and stakeholders fosters coordination among actors and the production of local knowledge. This enables the emergence of systemic innovations that are embedded in the territory. Coupled innovations appear as a promising lever for supporting the reterritorialization and ecologisation of agri-food systems. These findings invite further reflection on issues of scaling up and on the governance of these innovations. They raise the question of how the facilitation and coordination activities initially carried out by researchers might be taken over by other stakeholders.