Case studies: Value Chain

This report (Deliverable 2.2) builds on the initial conceptual and analytical framework of the VISIONARY project and aims to map out how the case studies selected in VISIONARY complement each other to address key objectives for the project. The report aims to briefly outline the theoretical foundations of our work and outline the approach taken in the case studies.

This working paper on drivers and barriers in value chain initiatives is part of VISIONARY project Milestone 15. This document presents an analysis of drivers and barriers to enabling sustainability innovation in seven agribusiness initiatives in seven partner countries (Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Poland, UK).

This report marks a significant step in our exploration of sustainable value chains through detailed case studies, focusing on value chain initiatives and business models. We examine individual case studies across seven partner countries: Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Romania, Spain, Poland, and the UK. Our analysis employs a practice-based approach to understanding how sustainability is integrated into these value chains. By studying real-world practices within organisations and across supply chains, we gain insights into the connections—both supportive and challenging—that impact sustainability efforts. This perspective sheds new light on the internal dynamics and broader implications of sustainable practices within value chains.

Find all key facts about VISIONARY at one glance.

This Analytical Framework will steer the empirical research of the VISIONARY project, with regards to policy interventions, to novel value chain initiatives and business models, and to leverage points in the agri-food systems. The Analytical Framework adopts a novel approach combining two substantially different approaches: quantitative, experimental and behavioural economics on the one hand, and qualitative, comprehensive systems thinking approaches on the other.

This Initial Conceptual Framework assembles VISIONARY’s theoretical and conceptual foundations, explaining the systemic character of the food system and its transitions towards sustainability, the role of food actors’ behavioural factors in conditioning such transition and the interaction between research and policy-making to accelerate. This initial framework sets the foundations for the ‘Empirically grounded Conceptual Framework’ to be released in the summer of 2025. After a preliminary review of the approaches revolving around food system transition towards sustainability and its behavioural dimension (in particular of farmers and consumers), the document focuses on two main domains: ‘behavioural food policies’ and ‘sustainable business models’. Finally, the document deepens into the transdisciplinary approach of the project, based upon the concept and implementation of Science-Policy Interfaces.