Sociological Perspectives on Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Co-Design in Agriphotovoltaics Adoption Among Farmers

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Autori principali: ANTONUCCI, MARIA CRISTINA, VOLTERRANI, Andrea
Natura: Recurso digital
Lingua:inglese
Pubblicazione: Zenodo 2026
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author ANTONUCCI, MARIA CRISTINA
VOLTERRANI, Andrea
author_facet ANTONUCCI, MARIA CRISTINA
VOLTERRANI, Andrea
contents <p>This book chapter considers technological advancements, especially in eco-friendly domains, that have significantly heightened social awareness, making community-driven participation essential. Disruptive innovations, as defined by Bower and Christensen (1995), have the power to transform entire sectors, but their<br>success hinges on comprehensive societal understanding and acceptance. To overcome potential skepticism, it is increasingly vital to involve communities in the awareness and adoption of these innovations from the outset. Ramirez (2013) underscored the role of social networks in agricultural technology adoption, while Rose and Chilvers (2018) emphasized the importance of inclusive, responsible innovation in the era of smart farming. As energy and climate challenges intensify, the<br>urgent need to engage all societal sectors in embracing new technologies becomes clear, particularly for solutions like agri-photovoltaics.<br>The Horizon Europe REGACE Project exemplifies this by designing participation models that actively involve farmers in the development of agri-photovoltaic technologies. By prioritizing early and meaningful farmer involvement through different participatory techniques (interviews, open space technologies, world cafés), the project ensures that technological innovation is not imposed from the top down, but rather co-developed with the future users. This participatory approach<br>transforms the construction of technological innovation into a collaborative process, fostering a deeper awareness of the environmental sustainability of these actions (Antonucci, Sorice, Volterrani 2022, 2024). Recent studies (Spanaki, Sivarajah, Fakhimi Despoudi & Irani, 2022) have shown that the agricultural sector benefits significantly from such community-driven support, ensuring a thorough understanding of the impact and a fair distribution of economic and social value.<br>Referring to a global context dominated by the perspective of contentious politics, especially in the farming policy arena, this paper discusses the initial outcomes of farmer participation from five partner states in the REGACE project, analyzing the potential risks and benefits of this social- technological collaboration in the field of agriphotovoltaics, with a focus on the impact of farmers ‘participation in the technology co-design early stages. The first findings of the Project highlight the<br>critical role of bottom-up community participation in ensuring the successful adoption and integration of innovative agricultural technologies, due to the direct and active involvement in the technology co-design.</p>
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language eng
publishDate 2026
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spellingShingle Sociological Perspectives on Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Co-Design in Agriphotovoltaics Adoption Among Farmers
ANTONUCCI, MARIA CRISTINA
VOLTERRANI, Andrea
sociology of innovation;
Social sciences
Social Participation
Environmental sciences
<p>This book chapter considers technological advancements, especially in eco-friendly domains, that have significantly heightened social awareness, making community-driven participation essential. Disruptive innovations, as defined by Bower and Christensen (1995), have the power to transform entire sectors, but their<br>success hinges on comprehensive societal understanding and acceptance. To overcome potential skepticism, it is increasingly vital to involve communities in the awareness and adoption of these innovations from the outset. Ramirez (2013) underscored the role of social networks in agricultural technology adoption, while Rose and Chilvers (2018) emphasized the importance of inclusive, responsible innovation in the era of smart farming. As energy and climate challenges intensify, the<br>urgent need to engage all societal sectors in embracing new technologies becomes clear, particularly for solutions like agri-photovoltaics.<br>The Horizon Europe REGACE Project exemplifies this by designing participation models that actively involve farmers in the development of agri-photovoltaic technologies. By prioritizing early and meaningful farmer involvement through different participatory techniques (interviews, open space technologies, world cafés), the project ensures that technological innovation is not imposed from the top down, but rather co-developed with the future users. This participatory approach<br>transforms the construction of technological innovation into a collaborative process, fostering a deeper awareness of the environmental sustainability of these actions (Antonucci, Sorice, Volterrani 2022, 2024). Recent studies (Spanaki, Sivarajah, Fakhimi Despoudi & Irani, 2022) have shown that the agricultural sector benefits significantly from such community-driven support, ensuring a thorough understanding of the impact and a fair distribution of economic and social value.<br>Referring to a global context dominated by the perspective of contentious politics, especially in the farming policy arena, this paper discusses the initial outcomes of farmer participation from five partner states in the REGACE project, analyzing the potential risks and benefits of this social- technological collaboration in the field of agriphotovoltaics, with a focus on the impact of farmers ‘participation in the technology co-design early stages. The first findings of the Project highlight the<br>critical role of bottom-up community participation in ensuring the successful adoption and integration of innovative agricultural technologies, due to the direct and active involvement in the technology co-design.</p>
title Sociological Perspectives on Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Co-Design in Agriphotovoltaics Adoption Among Farmers
topic sociology of innovation;
Social sciences
Social Participation
Environmental sciences
url https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.19114903