CONTEXT

The fast acceleration of climate changes contrasts strikingly with the slow implementation of any globally-coordinated mitigation response to climate threats. In many countries, the current priority is to maintain food production and avoid food crises through the adaptation of vulnerable agricultural systems. In this context, the introduction in crop rotations of hardy crops such as sunflower, which are more tolerant to droughts and more resistant to pests, has the potential to harness solutions based on ecosystem services instead of synthetic input.

OBJECTIVE

This article tackles the issue of farmers’ varietal innovation development and adoption with the intent to highlight pathways for more resilient and sustainable agricultural systems. In particular, it explores the governance of the French sunflower varietal innovation system to assess its legitimacy. The objectives are therefore (1) to provide a relevant institutionalist framework based on the concepts of governance and legitimacy, and (2) to discuss opportunities to unlock the current situation that sees varietal innovation not entirely responding to the needs of farmers.

METHODS

The analysis relies on 37 semi-structured interviews with farmers, representatives of seed companies and seed distributors, as well as scientific experts in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine, the two regions leading sunflower production in France. The interviews explored sunflower strengths and weaknesses, sunflower genetic traits sought by farmers, the adoption and diffusion of sunflower varieties, and the impacts and perceptions of both public policies and climate changes.

RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS

Results show that the current lack of governance legitimacy of the French varietal innovation system is counterbalanced by the critical role of seed distributors representatives who contribute to maintaining trust. In order to improve the effectiveness of climate changes adaptation efforts, the normative legitimacy of the current varietal innovation system may gain from the inclusion of farmers in the governance of the varietal innovation system and the implementation of a more cognitive legitimacy.

SIGNIFICANCE

This article contributes to the economic literature through an investigation of varietal adoption in the Global North on a crop cultivated for its environmental benefits, instead of focusing on a staple food crop in the Global South. It adopts a comprehensive stance that departs from the numerous econometric analyses classically used to investigate varietal adoption. The institutionalist perspective provides conceptual tools to deepen recent results of the systems thinking literature focused on the concepts of governance and legitimacy.

中文翻译：

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领导者、守护者和追随者？适应气候变化的品种创新系统治理的合法性视角。法国向日葵杂交种案例

语境

气候变化的快速加速与任何全球协调的气候威胁减缓响应的缓慢实施形成鲜明对比。在许多国家，当前的优先事项是通过调整脆弱的农业系统来维持粮食生产并避免粮食危机。在这种情况下，向日葵等耐旱作物轮作引入，这些作物更耐旱，更能抵抗害虫，有可能利用基于生态系统服务而不是合成投入的解决方案。

客观的

本文解决了农民品种创新开发和采用的问题，旨在强调更具弹性和可持续农业系统的途径。特别是，它探讨了法国向日葵品种创新体系的治理，以评估其合法性。因此，目标是 (1) 提供基于治理和合法性概念的相关制度框架，以及 (2) 讨论解决品种创新不能完全满足农民需求的现状的机会。

方法

该分析依赖于对农民、种子公司和种子经销商的代表以及法国向日葵生产领先地区 Occitanie 和 Nouvelle-Aquitaine 的科学专家进行的 37 次半结构化访谈。访谈探讨了向日葵的优势和劣势、农民寻求的向日葵遗传特征、向日葵品种的采用和传播，以及公共政策和气候变化的影响和看法。

结果和结论

结果表明，法国品种创新体系目前缺乏治理合法性，这与有助于维持信任的种子经销商代表的关键作用相抵消。为了提高气候变化适应工作的有效性，当前品种创新体系的规范合法性可能来自于将农民纳入品种创新体系的治理和实施更具认知性的合法性。

意义

本文通过调查全球北方的品种采用情况，而不是关注全球南方的主食作物，从而为经济文献做出贡献。它采用了一种全面的立场，与传统上用于调查品种采用的众多计量经济学分析不同。制度主义观点提供了概念工具来深化关注治理和合法性概念的系统思维文献的最新成果。