A polycentric network strategy for regional diversification of agriculture: theory and implementation

Widespread and substantial diversification of current agroecosystems appears fundamental to meeting many grand challenges in agriculture. Despite urgent calls for on regional scales, particularly regions dominated by industrialized, low-diversity agriculture, strategies such scales are early stages development, conceptually practically. We outline a strategy, its implementation the Forever Green Partnership, public-private-NGO coalition support agricultural U.S. Midwest region. Our strategy supports introduction scaling multiple novel crops region, which requires development interdependent supporting elements, including supportive markets, infrastructure, policy, finance, R&D. The core our is sustainable supply chains (SSCs) set crops. define SSCs as rudimentary systems these elements crops, linking on-farm crop production end-use markets while advancing economic, environmental, social sustainability criteria that demanded stakeholders. provide scaffold upon fully-developed can be constructed, thus driving diversification. cannot “built day”; rather they must evolve expands over time space, new opportunities emerge. Therefore, system sustain this evolutionary process across posit an effective built from two crucial elements: conscious concerted cultural evolution, polycentric network organizes process. conceptual basis, associated accomplishments. Three years after inception, Partnership has attracted resources, developed network, some cultural-evolution place. However, node uneven hindering operation. In addition regional-scale diversification, seeking advance practical understanding transitions explore potential value evolution transitions.