Social Innovation in Community Energy in Europe: A Review of the Evidence

Citizen-driven Renewable Energy (RE) projects of various kinds, known collectively as community energy (CE), have an important part to play in the worldwide transition to cleaner energy systems. On the basis of evidence from 8 European countries, we investigate CE, over approximately the last 50 years (c.1970–2018), through the lens of Social Innovation (SI). We carry out a detailed review of literature around the social dimension of renewable energy; we collect, describe and map CE initiatives from Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Spain, Sweden, and the UK; and we unpack the SI concept into 4 operational criteria which we suggest are essential to recognizing SI in CE. These are: (1) Crises and opportunities; (2) the agency of civil society; (3) reconfiguration of social practices, institutions and networks; (4) new ways of working. We identify three main phases of SI in CE. The environmental movements of the 1960s and the “oil shocks” of the 1970s provided the catalyst for a series of innovative societal responses around energy and self-sufficiency. A second wave of SI relates to the mainstreaming of RE and associated government support mechanisms. In this phase, with some important exceptions, successful CE initiatives were mainly confined to those countries where they were already embedded as innovators in the previous phase. The third phase of CE innovation relates to the societal response to the Great Recession that began in 2008 and lasted most of the subsequent decade. CE initiatives formed around this time were also strongly focused around democratization of energy and citizen empowerment in the context of rising energy prices, a weak economy, and a production and supply system dominated by excessively powerful multinational energy firms. CE initiatives today are more diverse than at any time previously, and are likely to continue to act as incubators for pioneering initiatives addressing virtually all aspects of energy. However, large multinational energy firms remain the dominant vehicle for delivery of the energy transition, and the apparent excitement in European policy circles for “community energy” does not extend to democratization of energy or genuine empowerment of citizens

Diagnostic agronomique régional de la production d'ignames en Guadeloupe: Rapport réalisé dans le cadre d’un Volontariat Civil à l’Aide Technique sur la période du 12 Janvier 2009 au 11 Janvier 2010, au sein de l’Unité Agrosystèmes Tropicaux, Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique

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Les potentialités de l'innovation sociale dans les territoires ruraux marginalisés: une présentation du projet SIMRA

International audienceEuropean institutions have identified both rural and ‘marginal’ areas in the context of rural development policy and cohesion policy. Rural areas have been defined by Eurostat, using population density (Eurostat, n.d.). A number of types of ‘marginal’ areas have been mapped, for instance in the ESPON GEOSPECS project (University of Geneva et al. 2012), which used defining criteria relating to topography, accessibility and population potential. The project ‘Social Innovation in Marginalised Rural Areas’ (SIMRA), running since April 2016 and funded by the EU Horizon 2020 Programme, builds on such previous work with particular attention being paid to countries of Eastern and Southern Mediterranean as well as the rest of Europe which also includes mountainous areas. First intermediate results of the methodological work to analyse Social Innovation will be presented, both defining ‘marginalised rural areas’ according to consistent criteria, and presenting their characteristics according to criteria – e.g. demographic, economic, land use, transport – that are relevant for social innovation in such areas. Challenges discussed include those of undertaking analysis at such a wide regional scale, with particular reference to issues of appropriateness of scale and spatial resolution

Miel, indication géographique et biodiversité: des liens émergents complexes

National audienceLe miel produit dans le district de Coorg, en Inde du sud, est le produit d'un écosystème caractérisé par une importante biodiversité. Il est lié à deux formes bien particulières d'apiculture. L'une relève de la cueillette en forêt; effectuée essentiellement par les tribus, elle concerne Apis dorsata, abeille géante, et donne lieu au miel de forêt. L'autre repose sur l'élevage d'Apis cerana; pratiquée en majorité par des producteurs de café, elle produit le miel de Coorg qui jouit d'une forte notoriété Cette activité, mise à mal par le ravages du virus du Thaï Sac Brood, semble aujourd'hui trouver une nouvelle impulsion mais la production reste très inférieure à la demande et le miel de Coorg comporte habituellement un pourcentage variable de miel importé du Nord de l'Inde. Il peut être coupé de sirop de sucre. Enfin, certains miels font abusivement état de l'origine «Coorg». Dans un tel contexte, l'indication géographique constitue une possible stratégie pour protéger le miel de Coorg et sa réputation, mais soulève un certain nombre de questions. Doit-elle concerner les deux types de miel ? Doit-on accepter le principe du coupage dans une démarche de protection du miel de Coorg ? Une indication géographique visant à renforcer l'apiculture locale peut-elle avoir un impact sur la biodiversité ? La dernière question n'est pas la moindre: qu'en pensent les acteurs locaux

Viabilité des systèmes « Bananiers plantains » aux Antilles : l’innovation agronomique face à la diversité des agriculteurs.

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