Facilitating Sustainable Agriculture Transformation in China: The role of Science and Technology Backyards as community-based innovation intermediaries

Summary

This study contributes to understanding sustainable agricultural transformations in rural China by examining the evolving policy context and investigating the role of a novel interactive approach, Science and Technology Backyards (STBs), in supporting this transformation. The thesis reveals that policy tools emphasizing interactions with farmers and their groups were largely absent from past policy documents. The findings also demonstrate the strength of STBs in their long-term and continuous engagement with local farming communities, enabling them to evolve from knowledge brokers to system innovation intermediaries. This engagement allows for responsive adaptation of support networks and innovation directions based on emerging challenges at the community level. However, as a community-based approach, STBs face limitations in addressing issues beyond the community due to their constrained intermediation roles and insufficient institutional support for scaling up.