Transition or stick: Practices influencing the sustainability transitions of Taiwan's agricultural system

Authors: Ming-Yeu Wang; Hsien-Chen Lo

Journal: Corporate Management Review. Jun. 2025, 45(1): 37-70

Keywords: Sustainability transition, agricultural system, multi-level perspective, social practice approach, Taiwan

Abstract:
Sustainability transition has become a prominent topic for management research, aiming to identify new business models that drive the socio-technical system toward a new regime structure based on sustainable and eco-friendly practices. While existing research has predominantly focused on sectors like energy and transportation, the agri-food system, which plays a significant role in unsustainable production and consumption patterns, has received limited attention. This study aims to investigate the sustainability transition of Taiwan’s agricultural system using the combinative lens of the multi-level perspective of transition and social practice approach. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with organic and non-organic farming practitioners, and structural topic modeling was employed to discover the critical practice ingredients influencing the transition of Taiwan's agricultural system toward sustainability. The empirical result indicated that, among the identified nine practice ingredients, “Perception on Environmental Sustainability in Practices” and “Image toward the Return on Practice Option” are particularly critical, as they reflect a pronounced difference in views between sustainable and non-sustainable practitioners. Policy implications for building a sustainable agri-food system in Taiwan are therefore elaborated and discussed.