AgiLE: Agri-Innovation and Learning Unit

The Agri Innovation and Learning (AgILe) Living Lab has a nested governance structure embedded within Teagasc, Ireland’s Agriculture and Food Development Authority.

It has its origins in over a decade of evolving participatory practice, driven by a conviction – based on sociological evidence – that co-creation and participatory innovation are vital in pursuing societally just and impactful approaches in addressing complex societal challenges in agriculture (such as climate change, biodiversity loss, food security, gender inequality and generational renewal).

The AgILe lab is embedded in Ireland’s farming community and Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System (AKIS) and we are highly networked with European AKISs. The lab is led by sociologist Áine Macken-Walsh, who has a 25-year career dedicated to social justice, participatory practice, interactive innovation and user-centred design processes. The AgILe lab works in project cycles, with every project structured around core Living Lab processes of exploration, co-creation, experimentation, and evaluation, ensuring continuity, reflexivity, and genuine user engagement across all activities. We have produced multiple toolboxes, informed by sociological, behavioural and end-user insights, that are suitable to support the creative, inclusive processes at the core of our lab in other contexts.

Areas of work:

• Agriculture & agri-food
• Circular Economy
• Culture and Creativity (Creative Sectors)
• Environment/Climate Change
• Gender
• Rural
• Social Innovation and Inclusion
• Soil