Cultivating ecological knowledge for corporate sustainability: Barilla's innovative approach to sustainable farming

In this paper, we link three theoretical perspectives – organizational knowledge, ecological knowledge and social-ecological systems – to derive new conceptions of multi-disciplinary, multi-tier, sustainability-oriented knowledge. Our study examines how collaboration between pasta-producer Barilla, the farmers/small-holders supplying the firm, and scientists generated sustainability practices in the agri-food industry by creating transformative ecological, technical and scientific knowledge. In 2010, Barilla initiated a sustainable farming project to significantly reduce the environmental impact of cultivating durum wheat, its most important raw material. Core components included replacing monoculture with crop rotation, collectively creating innovative approaches that support farmers’ decision making, and generating widely accessible guidelines for sustainability-oriented cropping knowledge and practices. These collaborative efforts initiated profound transformations within and beyond the organization’s boundaries via increased production yields, reduced environmental impacts and improved sustainability of farming practices which generated economic, social and ecological benefits for farmers, surrounding communities and the firm.