Exploration, exploitation and environmental innovation in agriculture. The case of variety mixture in France and Denmark
Résumé
By studying a case of environmental innovation, variety mixture in the cereal supply chains, this paper shows that the adoption of this type of innovation is not limited to the integration of a new product or process. Environmental innovations can require a profound change in the knowledge base of economic actors. Furthermore, these innovations are based on an ecosystem involving a diversity of actors operating along the supply chain who need to explore new knowledge to understand, test and evaluate their potential. Such exploration needs are studied in detail on the basis of interdisciplinary research. The case studied here reflects innovation “in the making”. Several development scenarios are possible, leading to a more or less pronounced redistribution of the roles of the actors in innovation. Beyond the actors’ exploration needs, we show that current market regulations and standards can constitute obstacles to exploration. Thus, the development of such systemic innovations requires both an exploration of new knowledge by the actors of the sector and an evolution of market standards.