Wageningen Transformation Initiative

Transitions and transformations require collaboration between different parties, who often have differing visions, objectives and interests. By bringing together a diverse range of stakeholders, we can tackle even the most challenging transformation processes. Dialogue and co-creation are central to our approach. We provide support at every stage of the transformation process: from vision development to implementation, evaluation, scaling up or breaking through systemic lock-ins.

Transformation depends on the alignment of technical, social and institutional changes. Thus, there are always multiple processes of innovation, scaling up, and scaling down happening at the same time, and the results can be desirable or undesirable. Through the Wageningen Transformation Initiative, we pool our knowledge and expertise to support responsible innovation and scaling.

Economic incentives and new ways of measuring progress are essential in the transition to sustainable systems, from food production to nature and water management. Through the Wageningen Transformation Initiative, we are helping businesses, markets and the financial sector to chart a new course.

In agriculture, water systems and food systems, there are deep-rooted lock-ins: mechanisms that perpetuate the status quo and lead to undesirable outcomes such as pollution, waste, loss of biodiversity and growing inequality. We investigate which factors perpetuate lock-ins and where ‘leverage points’ for change lie, in order to break through these undesirable barriers.

Through the Wageningen Transformation Initiative, we offer specialised support in advanced transition modelling and analysis. This enables organisations to explore impacts, identify critical drivers and illuminate pathways for systemic change.

To provide insights into the inner working and effects of transformations initiatives, programmes or organisation monitoring, learning and evaluation are essential. Wageningen developed and applied different approaches to realise monitoring, learning and evaluation for transformative contexts.

Unsustainable and unhealthy behaviour is deeply ingrained in our society. This is particularly true of our food environment. Drawing on our expertise, we contribute to the redesign of environments so that healthy and sustainable becomes the most logical, attractive and accessible option for consumers, businesses and institutions.