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AbstractPlace‐based approaches to rural development require the collaboration of public and private actors. Such collaboration may be stimulated through joint learning and innovation processes which are supported by various institutional arrangements. There is, however, reason to question the effectiveness of existing institutional arrangements. The learning rural area framework is introduced as a tool to map, analyse and evaluate the operational features of (institutional) arrangements supporting joint learning and innovation in rural areas. Its application is discussed with reference to the Westerkwartier in the Netherlands and other rural areas. It will be shown how the framework can serve as an interactive tool to enhance joint reflexivity, facilitate wider collaboration and help build collective agency. Its potential as a tool for designing and implementing more effective institutional arrangements, catalysing institutional reform and bringing about more collaborative modes of governance should be further explored.

WG 1: The future of multifunctionality of agriculture and its relationship with sustainability. Elements of synthesis: The WG organized by Eric Sabourin (Cirad ES UR Arena) and Dirk Roep (WUR, Rural Sociology Group) has received 26 abstracts. 15 were selected and 14 full papers were presented during the 4 sessions (from 20 to 23 august). The call invited answer to three questions: - The relationship between multifunctionality and the sustainability of agriculture; - The different representations of multifunctionality among different countries and stakeholders; - The future of multifunctionality as a rural development public policy topic. The papers presented were organised in three main themes: - Multifunctional practices (8 papers); - Conceptual considerations (3 papers); - Multifunctional services and policies (3 papers). The 14 papers present study cases in the following countries: Check Republic (2), France (2), United Kingdom (2), Italy (2), Bulgaria (1), Belgium (1), The Netherlands (1), Finland (1), Portugal (1), Austria (1), USA (1) & Viet Nam (1) and Australia (1).

The shift in policy focus from agriculture to rural development enables rural families to diversify their economic activities. Household-based resources, particularly human capital, are essential for capitalizing on newly developed opportunities. Locals with sufficient resources seize possibilities in agriculture and emerging economic sectors such as tourism. A case study (33 in-depth interviews) of Caucasus mountain households in Kazbegi and Mestia municipalities revealed the importance of human capital in attaining other types of resources, such as social and financial capital, and, ultimately, in the process of family-based economic development. Local families are encouraged to engage in and embrace contemporary farming practices in order to determine the most effective sustainable livelihoods. Along with long-established industries, households employ traditional knowledge to enter entrepreneurial tourism activities. ; Premik osredotočenosti politike s kmetijstva na razvoj podeželja omogoča podeželskim družinam diverzifikacijo gospodarskih dejavnosti. Viri gospodinjstev, zlasti človeški kapital, so bistveni za izkoriščanje na novo razvitih priložnosti. Lokalni prebivalci z zadostnimi sredstvi izkoriščajo možnosti v kmetijstvu in nastajajočih gospodarskih sektorjih, kot je turizem. Študija primera (33 poglobljenih intervjujev) kavkaških gorskih gospodinjstev v občinah Kazbegi in Mestia je razkrila pomen človeškega kapitala pri pridobivanju drugih vrst virov, kot sta socialni in finančni kapital, in v procesu na družini temelječega gospodarskega razvoja. Lokalne družine se spodbuja, da se vključijo in sprejmejo sodobne kmetijske prakse, da bi določili najučinkovitejše načine trajnostnega preživetja. Poleg že dolgo uveljavljenih dejavnosti gospodinjstva uporabljajo tradicionalno znanje za vstop v podjetniške turistične dejavnosti.

Editorial to the Special Issue on "Learning and Innovation Networks for Sustainable Agriculture: Processes of Co-evolution, Joint Reflection and Facilitation". There is growing recognition that the technological and organizational solutions the agricultural sector has undertaken in the past are not always compatible with the constraints and opportunities that the rural economy and society will face in the next future. This has generated an increased emphasis on transition towards new business, technological and policy models that address the challenge of sustainability. Innovation is key to transition, but the institutions that are charged with fostering innovation are often locked into old approaches and methods of intervention. The linear view of knowledge transfer as a top-down process from research to advice and practice is still predominant. Increasingly, this view is challenged and partly replaced by systems approaches in which agricultural producers are seen as important actors, rather than merely consumers of technologies that are generated by agricultural research and development and transferred by extension services for subsequent adoption. Such a systems approach has been discussed and further developed in this Journal (see e.g. the special issue 2014 (3) edited by Koutsouris and Cristovao; and Knickel et al. 2009) and in other publications, including Röling and Engel 1991; Hall et al. 2003; Sumberg and Reece 2004. The systems approach has also inspired a recent document of the EU Standing Committee of Agricultural Research (EU SCAR 2013) and many of the aspects of this approach can be found in the recent European Innovation Partnerships policy (EU Commission 2010). This special issue synthesizes the findings of the three year European funded research project SOLINSA 'Agricultural Knowledge Systems in Transition: Towards a more effective and efficient support of Learning and Innovation Networks for Sustainable Agriculture' (GA No. 266306). The special issue assembles papers that explore new ways of learning and knowledge co-production for sustainable agriculture and rural development and critically reflect the role of research and policy for supporting sustainable innovation in rural Europe. In particular, it discusses the institutional aspects of joint learning and reflection in what has been coined as Learning and Innovation Networks for Sustainable Agriculture or LINSA, and how joint learning and innovation in these LINSA has actually been supported and can be supported to further enhance sustainability.

Raising collective agency is key to successful place-based development approaches. Existing policy arrangements have, however, been criticised, suggesting a need to effectuate more collaborative modes of governance. This paper shall contribute to a better understanding of how public support can best be arranged to raise collective agency for a more collaborative mode of governance in rural areas. The paper elaborates on findings of empirical investigations conducted within the EU FP7 project DERREG. It will be shown that differences in effectuating more collaborative modes of governance can partly be ascribed to different political dynamics, economic and demographic situations as well as the presence of a shared sense of place. To raise collective agency effectively requires a joint reconsideration and restructuring of the division of roles and tasks, including those of public administration. This can be supported by facilitating joint reflexivity among development actors and giving room for collaborative leadership and operational flexibility within policy arrangements