Co-production of knowledge with social enterprises

Social enterprise as a catalyst for sustainable and healthy local food systems
Young woman pushes a wheelbarrow while an elderly man plants seedlings in a community growing project

Overview

The Social Enterprise as a catalyst for sustainable and healthy local Food Systems (SEFS) project aimed to explore the contribution of social enterprises, including community growing and distribution schemes, to local, healthy, sustainable and inclusive food systems.
"Social enterprises (SEs) are a diverse group of organisations with a primary social or environmental purpose that combine the approaches of public, private and civil society sectors" (Graham, 2024).

People involved

A transdisciplinary team of researchers from Middlesex, Surrey and Glasgow Caledonian universities, working closely with Shared Assets, a community interest company, and six partner SEs with diverse business models: 
Families gather at a community food hub
Elderly woman steps out of a minibus helped by a younger woman in a community transport project
Nursery school group samples fresh fruits and vegetables led by a young female nursery teacher

Key project activities

Shaping the funding bid

SEs had a key role in early project discussions:
"They were involved as partners on the project from the very start…in discussions about what the project would be like and what their role would be in it…" (Researcher, SEFS).

Research methods training for community researchers

Staff from the six SEs were appointed as community researchers (CRs) to carry out data collection. CRs received training in research methods, and led focus groups, recruiting participants from their local communities and facilitating discussions. 
CRs "were paid for their time… We thought this was really important… We really wanted it to be recognised as a real job" (Researcher, SEFS).

Workshops with social enterprises

Workshops were conducted with SEs to share good practice, identify challenges, and consider pathways to scaling up SE activities related to sustainable and nutritious food. 

Co-designed projects with social enterprise staff

Each of the six SEs received funding to undertake a project of their choice with support from a range of experts (e.g., with expertise in nutrition, or land use) and support to measure impacts on nutrition or sustainability outcomes. For example, Cultivate Powys developed the carbon tuckshop game as part of their project, educating primary school aged children on the environmental and nutritional impacts of different foods.

Co-design of good practice guidance and a poster

Insights were collated from the six social enterprises, workshops, and observations from Shared Assets and academic researchers, to create resources to support SEs with growing their activities and beneficial impacts.

Co-production principles

Relationships

Existing connections with SEs were considered key to their involvement in the co-design of research and writing cases for support. Provision of project funding to SEs was felt to be important for enabling engagement, empowering them to shape research to address their own needs and strategic priorities. 

Inclusion

Finding shared means of communication was highlighted as a challenge (Microsoft Teams was not accessible for project partners), so the team worked to identify tools for online meetings and sharing documents. Meetings were designed with fun, inclusive activities and in a way to ensure everyone had opportunities to speak.
Researchers also noted the importance of openness and flexibility in working with SEs, taking account of different workloads and timelines, allowing plenty of time for project activities and providing opportunities to answer questions.

Power

SEs were involved in developing the funding bid and identifying research priorities. Partners were also responsible for planning meeting agendas with clear objectives, challenging traditional academic ways of working, with researchers noting that this "transformed our approach profoundly" (blog).
Community researchers were responsible for making decisions regarding the advertising and recruitment of participants for focus groups, consent processes, and payment for participants.  
"They had to make all of those choices…and we trusted them to know best what was right for their community…we were really guided by them and trying to just have a facilitating role" (Researcher, SEFS).

Knowledge

Researchers highlighted the knowledge and expertise of staff from SEs:
"They are already involved in the community, they already have links, and they also have a lot of knowledge about how things work in the area, the things that people value, do not value and what is a good way of recruiting participants there… Relationships of trust are already established, and they just have incredible skills and knowledge that are very, very important" (Researcher, SEFS).

Insights from project collaborators

A blog post shares some of the positive outcomes of involvement, with SE staff noting enhanced personal and organisational confidence, the value of 'space to think' and opportunities to reflect on important questions with academics. The collaborative work was also seen as a catalyst for change, with one participant suggesting that project involvement "nudges important things into immediate territory."
Three generations of women working in a community garden

Related references

Burningham, K. (2024), Learning to work differently: reflections on transdisciplinary research, Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, Retrieved 8 May 2025
CUSP (2022), Social enterprise as a catalyst for sustainable and healthy local food systems, Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, Retrieved 7 May 2025
Graham, K., Burningham, L., Loukianov, A. (2024), Exploring social enterprises’ engagement in transdisciplinary research: a reflective analysis, Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity, Retrieved 8 May 2025
Graham, K. (2024), Good Practice Guide for Social Enterprises Working on Food, Wellbeing and Sustainability, Guildford: Centre for the Understanding of Sustainable Prosperity
Vickers, I., Lyon, F., Psarikidou, K. and Kirtley, A. (2024), Social innovation for food systems transformation. Lessons from the TUKFS programme, Transforming UK Food Systems Strategic Priority Fund, University of Sussex, and Middlesex University, Retrieved 8 May 2025