Institutional Innovation for the Agroecological Transition: A Case Study of A Regional Natural Park Project

This paper examines the process of institutional innovation in the development of a regional natural park (NRP) in the Gers, designed as a tool for agroecological transition. It analyzes the PNR team’s capacity to innovate and strengthen territorial cohesion through a multi-stakeholder consultation involving farmers and local actors. The approach draws on the concept of institutional innovation, understood as the transformation of institutions to address socio-economic challenges, and explores how a territorial project can foster such processes. The underlying hypothesis is that broad consultation enhances trust and knowledge coordination. The methodology is based on participant observation during four meetings, supplemented by a preliminary diagnostic phase. Early findings highlight the diversity of actors, their asymmetries and divergences, but also collective construction, mutual learning, and the NRP’s adaptability, illustrated by the expansion of its themes and the inclusion of new groups.