Enhancing the Digitalisation of Rural Areas by Utilising the Potential of the Knowledge, Business, and Innovation Ecosystems

The paper explores how digital innovation unfolds within rural agri-food context through the interconnection of business, knowledge, and innovation ecosystems. Using the case of the Pecorino Toscano PDO supply chain in Southern Tuscany, the study investigates how digitalisation processes are shaped by the interaction among heterogeneous actors, artefacts, and institutions. Adopting a multi-ecosystem framework and a qualitative case study approach, the research examines the development and implementation of a Farm Management Information System (FMIS) as both a technological artefact and a mediator of relationships among farmers, technicians, the Protection Consortium, researchers, and ICT developers. The findings show that digital innovation cannot be interpreted merely as a technology adoption process but as the negotiated outcome of multi-actor configurations, where value creation depends on the alignment of diverse goals, temporalities, and capabilities. The study highlights both opportunities and barriers for ecosystem alignment, offering a theoretical framework useful to guide policies, practices, and strategies for promoting digital and green transition in rural contexts.