The post-industrial service economy suggests new ways of thinking about food system design and building processes. This article discusses the need to explore best practices in the servitization of farming and theorize them as a new approach to food production, supply, and consumption. In contrast to prevailing theories that suggest reorganization of the global agri-food supply chain on the basis of the short supply chain concept or according to the community-supported agriculture model, servitization of farming puts forward a „made-to-order” food system. The purpose of this article is to develop theoretical and practical guidelines that suggest new ways of thinking about food system design and building processes. The article demonstrates the potential of a farming servitization to create new food system configurations through the combination of three approaches: holistic, design thinking, and evolutionary by providing a case study on a farm that uses a „service-driven” business model and makes-to-order organic vegetables, fruits, and greens. The case study approach allows in-depth, multi-faceted explorations and conceptualization of an innovative business model building process according to 5 phase design thinking model, which suggests gradual reorganization of the industrial food system as the result of farming servitization.

Despite the extent and importance of the Smart Specialization strategies, achieved in a short cohesion policy period from 2014 to 2020, the evidence on the assessment of their actual effect on the economic development and the mobilization via the Smart Specialization implementation of the regions is still pending. In light of green transformation, accelerated by the European Green Deal, the heart of Smart Specialization strategies of EU regions is to avoid fragmentation and to reach a complementary in reaching the joint EU ambition of climate neutrality by 2050. This article aims to demonstrate how to identify the region-specific (place-based and bottom–up) pathways for green transformation and align them with the European Green Deal-focused Smart Specialization strategies in regions, using moderated co-creation in DPSIR analysis and policy modeling. The findings of this article are based on the moderated experimental experience from the two interconnected projects in the area, i.e., “LARS” and “GRETA”, implemented in the Baltic Sea Region (October 2017 to September 2021). The research proposes how moderated learning and knowledge transfer between matured innovators and young innovators embodies the identification of place-based pathways and help develop political course recommendations for green transformation, thus solving the homogeneity issues of the Smart Specialization strategies.

Green transformation at the beginning of the 21st century occupies the top positions in modern society’s sustainability transition research and policy debates due to its multiple propositions of various innovations, addressing the still unsolved issues of rapidly on-going societal and technological changes. Rooting from the general climate change concerns, recently, sustainability transformation has become a special focus in the EU, which is facing new and very concrete demands—to elucidate the evidence-based pathways towards the green transformation with European Green Deal and European Climate Law targets ahead. The main aim of this research is to disclose the pathway towards the green transformation in Lithuania in one of the fast-growing research fields of circular bioeconomy—biogas production from manure and waste. To reach this aim, a hybrid methodology approach was used. Analysis and synthesis of scientific literature, document analysis and structuring, stakeholder mapping, interviews, and statistical analysis methods had been applied. Research results gave evidence for one of the five proposed possible ways for green transformation in Lithuania—the regime transformation. Interviewed stakeholders repeatedly defined this as the most probable pathway for green transformation in Lithuania in the field of biogas production from manure and waste, considering the best suitability of the current development state in the field: adjustments of existing industries, skills, regulations, and institutions.

This study responds to the need for theoretical and empirical research on value co-creation in tourism. Previous research has mainly adopted a perspective centred on the collaborative relationships between tourists and service providers, i.e., has been focused on a relationship called ‘one-to-one’. According to the emerging trends in value co-creation theory, value co-creation activities, however, are more complex. The research provides empirical support to previous general conceptualisations of value-creation and brings some new insights to value co-creation involving multiple actors from a perspective called ‘many-to-one’. The research is focused on the role of the most active stakeholder in transformative tourism that represents ‘many’ actors as a whole – the social movement. The paper describes a case on a transformative tourism initiative that is a particularly rich setting for expanding value-cocreation in a network of activities’ research for a more complex understanding of value networks in the tourism sector. The case study examines extensively the role of social movements in transformative tourism development through value co-creation. The findings develop a more complex value co-creation mechanism and enable the conceptualisation of the value co-creation process by identifying drivers of collaboration, value co-creation activities, and outcomes. The research demonstrates the potential of social movements for the development of transformative tourism in value co-creation and has implications for both entrepreneurs and policymakers seeking to develop transformative tourism and leaders of a new generation of social movements aiming to transform society.

Stakeholder engagement in the process of policy formation can mitigate the risks of flaws in policy planning and implementation; it also facilitates the successful adoption of new decisions, reduces conflict, and enhances the sense of responsibility among all actors involved in the implementation phase. Effective stakeholder engagement requires a multi-stakeholder approach, supported by cost-effective, bottom-up mechanisms that are tailored to stakeholders’ needs, experiences, and the challenges they face. This study examines the organisation and implications of stakeholder engagement in the process of Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plan (SP) formation in Lithuania. The research was conducted using qualitative methods. First, experts were selected through the quadruple helix approach, resulting in a total of 15 experts. Subsequently, a focus group was convened to deepen and expand our understanding of stakeholder engagement during the preparation of Lithuania’s Rural Development Programme 2023–2027. The focus group examined engagement in terms of the flexibility, transparency, inclusivity, and effectiveness of organisational and management practices. Analysis of stakeholders’ engagement in CAP SPs in Lithuania revealed that there is a certain middle ground between formalistic and more elaborated engagement.

This study explores how sustainable culinary tourism fosters rural diversification and resilience in the Baltic Sea Region (BSR). Despite increasing recognition of gastronomy as a driver of sustainable tourism, comparative analyses across macro-regional contexts remain limited. The paper addresses this gap through a qualitative comparative analysis of twelve thematic culinary trails involving seventy-three small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) developed under the INTERREG Baltic Sea Region Programme’s BASCIL project. Drawing on documentary analysis, stakeholder consultations, and thematic coding, the research identifies six interconnected pathways: agritourism and farm-based experiences, rural gastronomic branding, culinary festivals, digitalization, sustainability and circular economy practices, and European Union (EU) policy support. Results reveal that culinary tourism strengthens local economies, reinforces cultural identity, and promotes transnational cooperation, while challenges persist in professionalization, digital adoption, and infrastructure. The study underscores the enabling role of EU frameworks in scaling innovation and embedding gastronomy within rural development strategies. It concludes that culinary tourism operates as a strategic lever for sustainable rural transformation, integrating economic, social, and environmental dimensions, and calls for further longitudinal research on its long-term socio-economic and policy impacts in the BSR and beyond.