Agricultural startups’ visions of a sustainable agri-food future: a comparative case study in rural and urban Germany

Katharina Rock (), Jonathan Friedrich () and Jana Zscheischler ()
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Katharina Rock: University of Vechta, Universitätsstraße 5
Jonathan Friedrich: Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF)
Jana Zscheischler: University of Vechta, Universitätsstraße 5

Agriculture and Human Values, 2025, vol. 42, issue 3, No 47, 2033-2053

Abstract: Abstract Current agriculture and food systems are major drivers of global environmental change and are linked to numerous ethical concerns. Against this backdrop, agri-startups are perceived as promising catalysts for new and more sustainable agri-food systems. However, their potential to actually contribute to sustainability transformations has been understudied. The aim of this study is to narrow this gap by analyzing German agri-startups’ visions and how these co-produce prevailing or novel sociotechnical imaginaries in agriculture. We conduct an in-depth qualitative comparative case study of agri-startups (n=16) in both a rural–agrarian and an urban (nonagricultural) setting in Germany. We identify four visions with varying scales and scopes of envisioned change, with different conceptualizations of sustainable agri-food transformation: (1) Reconfiguration of Sociomaterial Structures, (2) Partial Redesign, (3) Optimization of Value Chains, and (4) Incremental Improvement. Our findings highlight the relevance of the sociospatial context of agri-startups and innovation processes in co-producing agri-food futures. While urban startups tend to envision more holistic changes, rural agri-startups rather envision applied and pragmatic changes. We critically discuss the differences among these visions and their limited ability to transform existing agri-food systems. Finally, we highlight that agri-startups largely perpetuate existing imaginaries and that the disruptive character that is often attributed to (agri-) startups needs critical scrutiny.

Keywords: Sociotechnical visions; Agricultural startups; Sustainability transition; Transformation; Agricultural innovation (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s10460-025-10750-z

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