This introductory paper provides an overview of the emergence of the concept of ‘the multifunctionality of agriculture and rural areas’, with particular emphasis on its historical and research dimensions and how it is interrelated with the notion of ‘territory’. The paper is based on a state-of-the-art review of the different conceptualizations of the multifunctionality of agriculture and rural areas in policy related discourses. It examines how the concept of multifunctionality was taken on board and operationalized, in scientific analyses, strategic policy analysis and evaluation. In this special issue we focus on policy related analyses and discourses and the related analytical frameworks. We argue that scientific research should dissociate itself from political and interest driven discourses where multifunctionality tends to be primarily defined in economic terms (with a focus on the difference between private and public goods terms), and instead treat multifunctionality as a valuable conceptual framework. This paper emphasizes the important analytical and strategic links between multifunctionality and sustainability. In so doing it also closely links the notions of territory and territorial development with those of multifunctionality and sustainability. The adoption of a wider territorial development perspective has several implications in terms of governance and policies and these will be discussed. Theoretical and empirical gaps relating to these issues are identified, some of which are addressed in the other papers within this special issue.

Land use governance in the Brazilian Amazon has undergone significant changes in the last decade. At the national level, law enforcement capacity has increased and downstream industries linked to commodity chains responsible for deforestation have begun to monitor some of their suppliers’ impacts on forests. At the municipal level, local actors have launched a Green Municipality initiative, aimed at eliminating deforestation and supporting green supply chains at the territorial level. In this paper, we analyze the land use transition since 2001 in Paragominas—the first Green Municipality—and discuss the limits of the governance arrangements underpinning these changes. Our work draws on a spatially explicit analysis of biophysical variables and qualitative information collected in interviews with key private and public stakeholders of the main commodity chains operating in the region. We argue that, up to now, the emerging multi-level scheme of land governance has not succeeded in promoting large-scale land use intensification, reforestation and rehabilitation of degraded lands. Moreover, private governance mechanisms based on improved product standards, fail to benefit from potential successful partnerships between the public and private sector at the territorial level. We propose a governance approach that adopts a broader territorial focus as a way forward.

Brazil is one of the few countries that has implemented policies aimed at supporting agroecological transition processes on a national scale. While its experience has caught the attention of the international community interested in building sustainable and healthy food systems, recent literature points to the dismantling of these policies. This article identifies the variety of dismantling strategies to analyze how they are linked to the modification of the policy paradigm. Results suggest that the formation of a ‘clientelist–corporocratic’ paradigm legitimized active and visible dismantling strategies, such as the extinction of policy instruments and the delegitimization of agroecology through discursive mechanisms.

Knowledge Management Research &Practice (KMRP) provides an outlet for high quality, peer reviewed articles on all aspects of managing knowledge, organisational learning, intellectual capital and knowledge economics. This includes not just those focused on the organisational level, but all levels from that of the individual to that of the nation or profession. KMRP is an official journal of the OR Society

The last few years have seen the emergence of different initiatives designed to promote the biodiversification of agroecosystems as a counterpoint to the global expansion of homogenized industrial agriculture. In Brazil, two food procurement programs demonstrate the potential to promote discussions related to this agroecological transition: the National School Meal Program (Programa Nacional de Alimentação Escolar, PNAE) and the Food Procurement Program (Programa de Aquisição de Alimentos, PAA). The objectives of this paper are to analyze: (a) how these procurement programs currently integrate agrobiodiversity (crops and cropping systems) according to the local context; (b) the main challenges that key stakeholders perceive for the adoption of biodiverse systems; and (c) the extent to which the key stakeholders involved in these programs associate agrobiodiversity with the provision of ecosystem services. We carried out this research in 2017 in two contrasting municipalities in the eastern part of the Brazilian Amazon, Paragominas and Irituia. Our research shows that these programs have included up to 42 species in Irituia and 32 species in Paragominas. Perennial crop species are the most common type of culture in Irituia (up to 50%), while vegetables are the most common in Paragominas (up to 47%). Although in both municipalities stakeholders identify a large number of ecosystem services (up to 17), services mentioned in Irituia were more closely related to agrobiodiversity. Stakeholders indirectly associated with the programs have a broader view of ecosystem services. We conclude that these procurement programs can be useful tools to promote the biodiversification of local production systems, but their potential may depend on involving institutions not directly associated with their administration. Additionally, despite the observed differences in production context, providing more ecosystem services appears to be a compelling motivation for promoting changes in agroecosystems.

Du fait de leur transversalité et de leur objet, l'évaluation des politiques de développement territorial ne peut pas s'appuyer sur les outils utilisés pour évaluer les politiques sectorielles. Les questions procédurales sont très largement dominantes, les dispositifs portant essentiellement sur la gouvernance et la coordination. Pour évaluer une démarche procédurale, il convient de préciser le référentiel d’évaluation à la fois en termes du quoi et du comment évaluer. Cet article a pour ambition de contribuer à des méthodes d'évaluation, en analysant les impacts d'une recherche-action pour le développement d'un territoire "fragilisé" du « Alto Sertão du Piaui et du Pernambuco » au Nordeste du Brésil. L'enjeu est de caractériser les processus à l'œuvre pour pouvoir les comprendre et en mesurer la portée. Une première partie précise le cadre d’analyse à partir des attendus des politiques de développement territorial : accroissement et mobilisation de capital humain, capital social et capital institutionnel pour le développement des capacités d'adaptation et d'innovation des sociétés, dans un but d'amélioration des systèmes d'activités et de gouvernance. L'ingénierie territoriale et les démarches de développement territorial doivent être alors évaluées dans leur capacité à créer des compétences, à les mobiliser, à favoriser l'innovation et à la faire reconnaître dans le cadre de dispositifs de gouvernance. Les méthodologies utilisées entre qualitatif et quantitatif sont présentées. L’expérience est décrite dans la deuxième partie dans une séquence historique. Elle allie formation des acteurs et élaboration de projet au travers de forum de discussion, d’expérimentations techniques et de sessions de formations. En termes de gouvernance, la démarche a abouti à la création d'un consortium "inter-municipal" et d'une agence technique, chargés de mettre en œuvre un ensemble d'actions de développement, réunies dans un projet territorial. Notre objectif ici est de donner des éléments factuels sur le déroulement et les impacts. Une troisième partie présente les résultats et tire les enseignements. Les auteurs soulignent les conditions idéales de l’expérience qui rendent sa réplication difficile. Ils évaluent comment le processus a permis de développer les capitaux humain, social et institutionnel et comment ces capitaux ont été mobilisés en terme de compétences collectives, seules capables de modifier les situations, en créant des opportunités de développement, en innovant par la construction de règles pragmatiques, en solution aux problèmes posés. La conclusion propose une réflexion sur les critères d’évaluation et sur les améliorations des méthodologies mises en œuvre