"Sociological Perspectives on Disruptive Innovation: The Role of Co-Design in Agriphotovoltaics Adoption Among Farmers"

The diffusion of eco-friendly technological innovations necessitates robust societal comprehension and community engagement as prerequisite conditions for successful adoption. Grounded in Bower and Christensen's (1995) framework of disruptive innovation, the text posits that unilateral, top-down implementation strategies are epistemologically and practically insufficient. Instead, participatory co-design models — integrating stakeholder involvement from the earliest developmental phases — are identified as critical determinants of technological uptake and legitimacy. The Horizon Europe REGACE Project operationalizes this theoretical framework by systematically engaging farming communities across five partner states in the co-development of agri-photovoltaic technologies. Employing a suite of structured participatory methodologies — including semi-structured interviews, open space technologies, and world café formats — the project instantiates a collaborative model of socio-technological innovation, consistent with principles of responsible and inclusive research (Rose & Chilvers, 2018). Preliminary findings indicate that bottom-up community participation constitutes a significant mediating variable in the successful integration of novel agricultural technologies, facilitating equitable distribution of socioeconomic value and reinforcing environmental sustainability outcomes. The paper further situates these results within the contentious politics framework governing contemporary agricultural policy discourse at the global level.