Multi-Scale Theory of Change in Transition Design: A Case Study in Regenerative Agriculture

Transition Design recognises that shifting complex systems towards sustainability and social justice inevitably requires multiple interventions across differing scales and time horizons. Theory of Change is a key element of this, helping transition designers envision, and create pathways to, preferred futures. Much of the Transition Design literature focuses on the transformational power of everyday choices and local-scale community movements, whilst recognising the importance of interconnections between different scales. This requires designers to develop Theories of Change that combine micro-scale changes able to catalyze broader system transitions, with supportive meso-level and macro environments that can sustain micro-scale initiatives. Regenerative agriculture has risen to prominence in several parts of the world in recent decades as a more sustainable approach to farming. Supporting uptake of regenerative agriculture requires a bridging of scales that transition designers can contribute to. While many farming decisions are undertaken individually and enacted at a local farm scale, they are influenced by systems that operate at national or global scales, such as markets, supply chains and regulations, which may have unique local or regional expressions. This tension is reflected in attempts to define regenerative agriculture, which can tend towards either individualistic approaches based around specific practices and farmer mindsets or systemic approaches that emphasise the need for holistic, global-scale changes to our agricultural systems. This article reports on an Australian case study involving ten diverse working groups that helped to inform a Theory of Change for transitioning agriculture to regenerative, equitable, and just futures. The insights generated from working with transition initiatives related to agriculture demonstrate the value of existing frameworks such as Multi-Level Perspective, while also highlighting the importance of the meso scale as an opportunity area in this context and the need to consider scale in a physical and geographical sense within Transition Design frameworks and practices.