Societal Transformation

The bioeconomy is part of a larger societal transformation towards sustainability. Tensions between different societal actors are an element of this transformation. For agriculture as the backbone of a bioeconomy, this new challenge adds to a situation that already is characterized by strong societal concerns and conflicts, among others with regard to environmental effects or production scales.

The concept of bioeconomy builds on new digital technologies and these influence the complex interplay between agriculture and a society in transformation. Scenarios of both a reconciliation and a further alienation of society and agriculture through new technologies are possible. Technological innovations may also influence decision-making, ranging from the farm level to the macro-level of political decision-making.

The processes and effects remain, however, largely unclear, because there are major knowledge gaps regarding the ways in which the different actors will react to new digital opportunities. It is also unclear how new digital options will influence the communication between actors and the formation of broader societal discourses. This research field will address these knowledge gaps.