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Socio-technological change in modern agriculture through the commercialisation of radical technological innovations in urban agriculture

Agriculture is a sector that is constantly changing. Currently surface pressure on arable land, nature conservation and climate change lead to a growing interest in urban agriculture and vertical farming. These technologies open up for agricultural production out of rural areas and lead to increasing yields. The transition of socio-technological regimes is connected with institutional change. When considering socio-technological change two things are important; first a pure technological analysis might overestimate the potential of an innovation, when ignoring the connection of it to social structures, organisation and human agency. On the other side the change of the prevailing regime is connected with institutional work. A successful transition of institutions mostly happens from a niche-perspective. Therefore, particular attention must be paid to the actors involved and their agency in driving change. Governments have the opportunity to promote change (e.g. demonstration projects) or oppose change through regulation. However, the successful commercialization of innovations is linked to a change in the perception of technology by different actor groups and the relationship between technology and social structures.

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