Including <scp>AKIS</scp> in the 2023 <scp>CAP</scp> Strategic Plans: What Difference has it Made?

Summary In 2021, for the first time, the EU Member States were required to include Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation Systems (AKIS) in their Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) Strategic Plans (2023–2027). We present the findings of empirical research into how this requirement has influenced the development of national AKIS. Focus group discussions were conducted with representatives from 9 EU countries and Norway. Study participants reported that the term ‘AKIS’ was not well known outside the networks created by multi‐actor European Commission‐funded projects on AKIS. A key achievement of the inclusion of AKIS in CAP strategic plans was increased awareness of the AKIS concept within national departments of agriculture. The plans also led to the establishment of AKIS coordination bodies in every Member State. In Austria, Sweden, Finland, Spain and Italy, it also led to increased investment in coordinating AKIS. Actions of the coordination bodies have aligned with a greater emphasis on peer‐to‐peer learning through operational groups and other collaborative forms of innovation support. Overall, the inclusion of AKIS in national CAP Strategic Plans appears to represent a positive step forward for supporting agricultural innovation, but observable changes remain high level: on‐the‐ground impacts may not be evident for several years.