Evolution of rural systems and coherence of territorial dynamics of knowledge

As underlined by FAO’s (2019) The future of food and agriculture, the role of knowledge in agrifood and rural systems will be strategic. This paper deals with sound and pertinent knowledge to be spread in rural territorial systems. The aim of the paper is the analysis of “coherence” in rural areas’ knowledge dynamics. More precisely, our paper analyses the coherence of Territorial Dynamics of Rural Knowledge by focusing on the role of agricultural extension services in knowledge transfers. Our hypothesis is that rural knowledge should be tailored to the characteristics of rural territories. In order to evaluate this coherence, we apply the “milieu innovateur” approach to excavate how mechanisms of coordination and interaction boost innovation adoption. Therefore, the two logics that represent the pillars of the milieu approach, logics of interaction and logics of learning, are empirically evaluated. Consequently, a multivariate analysis is carried out, to aggregate homogeneous groups of farms, with reference to interaction and learning logics. Our results evidence clear distortions within processes of knowledge transfer and show clear incoherence between demand and supply of knowledge in various rural contexts. More precisely, highly specialized agricultural areas seem to catch the most of knowledge provision, while in remote rural contexts, access to knowledge seems more difficult. This may raise risks of elite capture and social exclusion of farms with high potential for alternative and multifunctional paths of farm’s development. Our results provide basis for planning a more targeted action for the next programming period 2021-2027, with a special attention to knowledge diffusion through empowering farms’ interaction sphere and, through this way, boosting innovation adoption.