1. Abstract
The importance of innovation in the agro-food sector and the extension services has gained
significance both in the practice and in the academic context. The agro-food sector is facing rapid
and fast-spreading challenge such as, increased uncertainty due to rising of food price, resource
scarcity and climate change. In this context, innovation and knowledge transfer are starting to
become key tools for practitioners to tackle the latest global challenges. However, handling
innovation remains a crucial step for many stakeholders in the agricultural value chain. Smallholder
farmers, farmers, retailers, processors, public and private institutions, academics, researchers and so
on, face different constraints in accessing or spreading innovation, knowledge and capital. This calls
for the presence of intermediary organizations.
The purpose of the thesis is to firstly present an overview of the role of intermediaries, fostering
innovation processes for smallholders farmers; secondly to understand how they can facilitate the
development of the agricultural value chain; and finally present an empirical application,
understanding the facilitation of innovation processes by Local action groups in the Italian agro-
food value chain. The thesis reviews, regardless the specific context, literature on functions of
innovation intermediary organizations and the way in which they support smallholder farmers to
adopt and participate in innovation processes, thus fostering participation in market exchanges and
farmers’ development. Moreover, it aims at contributing to academic debate on innovation
intermediaries, by adopting a value chain perspective, entailing an explorative multiple case
research based on the theory-building approach. Finally, gives an empirical analysis on the case of
Local Action Groups as potential innovation intermediaries within Italian rural development
program. Findings highlight (i) that matching function of innovation intermediaries and types of
farmers challenges is crucial in order to enhance adoption and diffusion of innovation; (ii) that
different types of intermediaries affect the value chain at micro, meso and macro level and finally
(iii) which are the main factors that affect the decision to activate innovative measures by local
Action Groups within agricultural and rural policy.
Key words
innovation intermediaries, agro-food supply chain, innovation process, innovation broker, value
chain reconfiguration