Regional preconditions to shape interpath relations across regions: two cases from the Austrian food sector

Figures & data

Figure 1. Regional industrial path.

Figure 2. Conceptual framework.

Table 1. Case description and empirical material.

	Diversification of aquaculture towards RAS	Insect-based food/feed path creation
Case description
Initiating event	Participative development process of the national aquaculture strategy (2012)	International report on edible insects published by the FAO (van Huis et al. 2013)
Main actors of change	A farmers’ cooperative, policy and educational organizations with key network position in traditional fishpond production activities	University scientists and a few start-ups
Region	Peripheral region of Waldviertel	City of Vienna
Empirical material
Documents analyzed	EU European Maritime and Fisheries Fund Operational programmes of Austria, Slovakia and Hungary and accompanying national reports and presentations (AP-EU) National strategic aquaculture policy documents (AP-NAT1) Project reports of firm-policy cooperation (AF1-REG) RAS educational material (AE1-REG) Reports and data on aquaculture production of Statistik Austria (AP-NAT2)	EU novel food application database (IP-EU) National Guideline for Cultivated Insects as Food and its amendments (IP-NAT1) National policy documents on new processes and techniques in food production and novel foods (IP-NAT2) Project report on larvae cultivation for feed production for fish, poultry and pig by Global 2000 (INGO-NAT)
Material of open or closed network events	Protocols and presentations of three aquaculture dialogue platform events (AP-NAT3) Own notes from and conversations at the Air Liquide food club industrial event 2019 (AF2-INT)	Own notes from and conversations at the Air Liquide food club industrial event 2019 (IF-NAT1) Protocols and presentations of conferences of the Austrian working group insects (IF-NAT2) and at the spring conference of the Austrian Association of Food and Biotechnology (IR-NAT1)
Interviews	Three RAS firm actors (AF3-REG, AF4-REG, AF5-REG) Farmers’ cooperative (AC-REG) Advocacy group representing traditional fish production (AA-NAT) Federal Ministry of Sustainability and Tourism (AP-NAT4) Federal Agency for Water Management (AP-NAT5) Federal Environment Agency (AP-NAT6) Regional chamber of agriculture (AP-REG) Agricultural training organization (AE2-REG)	Two firm actors (IF-REG1; IF-REG2) Federal Ministry of Labour, Social Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (IP-NAT3) Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (IP-NAT4) University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences (IR-NAT2) University of Applied Sciences in Graz (IR-NAT3)

van Huis, A., J. van Itterbeeck, E. Mertens, A. Halloran, G. Muir, and P. Vantomme. 2013. “Edible Insects: Future Prospects for Food and Feed Security.” FAO Forestry Paper 171, Rome.

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