WP2 Practice-based Conceptual Framework and Typology Development

Baltic Studies Centre will lead a process with all consortium members to identify what are considered the main elements of successful demonstration and peer-to-peer learning techniques. This will involve compiling the grey and academic literatures and conducting interviews with consortium members, International Advisory Board (IAB) members and leaders of related EU projects (e.g. Solinsa, AgriSpin). The final list is expected to include: Governance, commissioning, financing; Topics and objectives, Accessibility (particularly gender), Mediation techniques applied (including virtual, on-line approaches), Level of practice (i.e. practical knowledge vs theoretical knowledge), Level of separation of information from source (i.e. "demonstrator to farmer", "advisor to farmer", or "farmer-to-farmer")., Geography, Social capital, Technical complexity, degree of deviation from current practice, cost.

The Ruralis will lead this Task. Existing conceptual frameworks of behavioural change and innovation development will be reviewed to develop a broad theoretical understanding of innovation uptake and peer-to-peer learning. These theories are expected to include the Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM), Social Innovation Theory (SIT), the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), Social capital theory and the Good Farmer approach (GF). These will be contextualised using insights from farming systems research. A conceptual framework will be constructed through integrating the theories. The framework developed will be used to identify how the factors identified in T2.1 influence (a) direct innovation transfer from research to farming, and (b) peer-to-peer transfer. This will be assessed with the IAB at their first meeting and revised to form the PLAID conceptual framework.

 Ruraliswill work with the other empirical WP leaders (HUT, NAAS, WLO, ISP) to enable practical analytical frameworks to be developed for data collection and analysis in each WP. In particular, Ruralis will develop a draft typology for use in defining and categorising demonstration activities in WP3, a conceptual basis for assessing the learning mechanisms and potential impact of 'virtual demonstration' in WP4 and in specific case studies in WP5, and governance analysis in WP6.

Wageningen (WUR) will work with other WP leaders (Ruralis, HUT, NAAS, ISP) to assess empirical findings as they emerge from the WPs to further refine and develop the conceptual framework and typology. WUR and Ruralis will work with ISP and ACTA to develop these into user-friendly information notes and practice abstracts for EIP Agri that characterise types of demonstration farming, how learning occurs through demonstration, and the role of demonstration in agricultural innovation processes.