The Role of Farmers and the Place of Their Knowledge in European Agro Living Labs. A Review

In response to environmental and social challenges, agro-living labs promote participatory agricultural innovation by involving farmers in the co-design of territorially adapted solutions (McPhee et al., 2021). However, their implementation reveals significant limitations. Focusing on power dynamics, role adjustments, and the recognition of farmers’ knowledge and professional representations, this literature review offers deeper insights into participatory processes within agro-living labs. Findings show that farmer participation remains highly variable: some initiatives emphasize genuine co-construction, while others limit participation to mere consultation, hindered by time constraints, governance issues, or limited resources. The structure of participatory mechanisms is uneven, and professional agricultural constraints are often inadequately addressed. Moreover, knowledge hybridization remains imbalanced: agricultural knowledge is sometimes acknowledged but frequently marginalized. Five ideal types illustrate this diversity, ranging from symmetrical co-construction to marginal hybridization. Overall, a persistent gap exists between the participatory ambitions these initiatives claim and how they are actually implemented. Practitioner Summary Agro-living labs often struggle to ensure meaningful farmer participation. Successful initiatives involve farmers early, adapt to agricultural rhythms, and value experiential knowledge. For practitioners, inclusive governance, flexible formats, and recognition of farmers as co-designers are key to fostering relevant, sustainable, and context-sensitive agricultural innovations.