Topic 1 - Transitions towards agroecology & circular economy

TOPIC 1 – Transitions towards agroecology & circular economy: Which actors and approaches of advice and education support, what hinders them?

The aim of this topic is to discuss whether the new patterns of advice and education support or not the integration of agroecology and circular economy. (How) do the new actors of advice and education (and the relation between these actors) contribute to transitions?

Potential issues / questions to be addressed:

• Territorial approaches: How to implement territorial approaches of advice and education to support transitions?
• Pluralism of suppliers of advice: How do the fragmentation of advisory landscapes play on sustainability transitions? What strategies do educators and advisors apply to network and cooperate as well as remain competitive in these conditions?
• Values and political orientations within education and advisory subsystems - how do impartiality and neutrality of advisors and educators matter?
• Customising advice: Education and advisory methods, tools, and skills to respond to increasing heterogeneity in farmers' needs for assessing and implementing agroecological transitions at the farm level.
• Power relations in supply chains: How do advisory services reinforce or counterbalance power relations within supply chains?
• Development of new approaches to support sustainability: What are the potentialities of network of demonstrations, democratic deliberative processes, living labs, facilitation, etc. ?
• Organisational and marketing innovations: Which policy, schemes and skills to support it?