Network-based multifunctionality in social farming. EIP-AGRI Operational Groups as institutionalised rural living labs

Multifunctional agriculture has increasingly been interpreted as a dynamic and territorially embedded process rather than a farm-level attribute. Within this perspective, social farming (SF) represents a paradigmatic case of agriculture's integration with welfare provision, social inclusion, and environmental stewardship. Yet, limited empirical research has examined how multifunctionality is co-produced through actor networks and shaped by participatory rural innovation policies. This article investigates whether European Innovation Partnership for Agricultural Productivity and Sustainability (EIP-AGRI) Operational Groups (OGs) enable a shift from farm-level to network-based multifunctionality in social farming and assesses their potential as institutionalised rural living labs. Drawing on a case study of an OG in Umbria (Italy), following a single case-study design, the research combines an indicator-based assessment of multifunctionality (economic, social, environmental, and cultural dimensions) with Social Network Analysis (SNA). Data collected in 2021 and 2023 allow examination of both differentiated multifunctionality trajectories and evolving relational configurations. Findings reveal highly heterogeneous and path-dependent multifunctionality profiles across farms and Type B social cooperatives, confirming that rural diversity emerges through distributed and complementary configurations rather than internally complete organisations. Network analysis shows that the OG consolidates pre-existing collaborative structures while fostering greater future-oriented connectivity and cross-sectoral integration. Although multifunctional actors do not systematically occupy central positions in existing networks, they emerge as preferred partners in prospective collaborations, indicating that multifunctionality enhances relational capital and perceived strategic value. The article advances a relational understanding of multifunctionality and contributes to debates on place-based rural governance by conceptualising OGs as evolving institutional platforms that stabilise and expand embedded welfare territorially–agriculture interfaces.