Gingko's Project

The aim of the research project GingKo is to study, using a comparative institutional analysis (IAD/SES framework) on the sustainability of social ecological systems (Ostrom 2009, McGinnis and Ostrom 2014), the potential role of Geographical Indications (GIs) as levers for action in fostering agro ecological transitions (AET) and supporting local collective strategies (de/re/re-de-re)-territorializing towards more sustainable social-ecological systems (SES) in agri-food sectors.

In the context of the new “Green Deal” defined by the EU commission, the public policies adopted in France through the so-called EGALIM law (n° 2018-938 of 30/10/2018) has defined a national road map to favor healthier, safe and sustainable food systems, which stipulates the need for GIs systems to explicitly incorporate more agro-ecological practices in their technical specifications or to develop synergies with other environmental certifications. However, this road map does not define a one fit all solution, and GIs systems are confronted to major socio-economic challenges in moving towards more sustainable Social Ecological Systems (SES).

A better understanding of local strategies and transitions pathways adopted by local stakeholders involved in geographical indications is needed. In order to fill this gap in the literature, the research project GingKo builds upon the boundary concept of “knowledge commons” as developed by Hess and Ostrom (2007) and  extended by Hess (2012) and Frischman et al. (2014) and Mazé (2023), to characterize the role of knowledge ecosystems supporting local food heritage associated to geographical indications and the dynamics of innovations and collective learning needed to support agroecological transitions.