Agency and behavior change in agricultural research for development: New directions for guiding agri-food system transformations

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cg.authorship.typesCGIAR multi-centre
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and advanced research institute
cg.contributor.affiliationWorldFish
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Center for Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Food Policy Research Institute
cg.contributor.affiliationBioversity International
cg.contributor.affiliationFrench Agricultural Research Centre for International Development
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Maize and Wheat Improvement Center
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationSELMET
cg.contributor.affiliationUniversity of KwaZulu-Natal
cg.contributor.donorCGIAR Trust Fund
cg.contributor.initiativeAgroecology
cg.contributor.programAcceleratorMultifunctional Landscapes
cg.creator.identifierRachel Voss: 0000-0002-0890-830X
cg.creator.identifierThomas Falk: 0000-0002-2200-3048
cg.creator.identifierAnne Rietveld: 0000-0002-9400-9473
cg.creator.identifierVeronique Alary: 0000-0003-4844-5423
cg.creator.identifierVimbayi Grace Petrova Chimonyo: 0000-0001-9912-9848
cg.creator.identifierAymen Frija: 0000-0001-8379-9054
cg.creator.identifierSonali Singh: 0009-0007-0585-0644
cg.howPublishedFormally Published
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104399
cg.identifier.projectIFPRI - Natural Resources and Resilience Unit
cg.identifier.publicationRankA
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.issn0308-521X
cg.issueAugust 2025
cg.journalAgricultural Systems
cg.reviewStatusPeer Review
cg.subject.impactAreaEnvironmental health and biodiversity
cg.subject.impactAreaGender equality, youth and social inclusion
cg.volume228
dc.contributor.authorFreed, Sarah
dc.contributor.authorVoss, Rachel C.
dc.contributor.authorFalk, Thomas
dc.contributor.authorRietveld, Anne M.
dc.contributor.authorAlary, Véronique
dc.contributor.authorChimonyo, Vimbayi G.P.
dc.contributor.authorFrija, Aymen
dc.contributor.authorGuettou-Djurfeldt, Nadia
dc.contributor.authorLestrelin, Guillaume
dc.contributor.authorSingh, Sonali
dc.contributor.authorNdiwa, Aurillia Manjella
dc.contributor.authorZingwena, Taurai
dc.date.accessioned2025-05-27T18:11:33Z
dc.date.available2025-05-27T18:11:33Z
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/10568/174845
dc.titleAgency and behavior change in agricultural research for development: New directions for guiding agri-food system transformationsen
dcterms.abstractCONTEXT Agri-food system transformations require change across sectors and actors within the system. Initiatives contributing to these changes need to connect system change processes to individual and collective agency and behaviors. OBJECTIVE We propose a conceptual framework on agency and behavior change for transforming agri-food systems (ACT framework). ACT emphasizes agri-food system actors' behaviors with attention to their power, agency, and the influence of structural agri-food system elements. Researchers can apply ACT to assess an initiative's contributions to changes in system elements through individual and collective behaviors. METHODS We conducted literature reviews and key informant interviews for 29 initiative case studies. Using ACT, we identified patterns in terms of initiatives' targeted actors, behaviors, and the factors shaping actors' agency and behavior. We then applied ACT in an initiative in Zimbabwe to develop a theory of change that links behavior change pathways with broader systems transformation. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS The reviewed initiatives focused heavily on shaping producers' behavior through knowledge transfer, less often considering other actors and structural challenges and opportunities. Key informants frequently reported enablers and impediments to achieve initiative outcomes that were associated with structural system elements. Few were able to articulate their initiative's theory of change and underlying assumptions. SIGNIFICANCE ACT can support a more diverse and theory-based exploration of agri-food system initiatives' target actors, behaviors, and factors shaping behaviors. Development professionals can apply the ACT framework to design more effective TOCs that attend to diverse actor groups and leverage the factors influencing these actors' agency and behaviors.en
dcterms.accessRightsOpen Access
dcterms.audienceAcademics
dcterms.available2025-05-24
dcterms.bibliographicCitationFreed, Sarah; Voss, Rachel C.; Falk, Thomas; Rietveld, Anne M.; Alary, Véronique; Chimonyo, Vimbayi G.P.; Frija, Aymen; et al. 2025. Agency and behavior change in agricultural research for development: New directions for guiding agri-food system transformations. Agricultural Systems 228(August 2025): 104399. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agsy.2025.104399
dcterms.extent104399
dcterms.issued2025-08
dcterms.languageen
dcterms.licenseCC-BY-NC-4.0
dcterms.publisherElsevier
dcterms.subjectagrifood systems
dcterms.subjectagricultural research
dcterms.subjectdevelopment
dcterms.subjecttheory of change
dcterms.subjectagroecology
dcterms.typeJournal Article

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