Rock, KatharinaKatharinaRockFriedrich, JonathanJonathanFriedrichZscheischler, JanaJanaZscheischler2025-10-232025-10-232025-06-17https://hdl.handle.net/21.11106/65410.23660/voado-574Diese Arbeit wurde mit Mitteln des Bundesministeriums für Bildung und Forschung (BMBF) im Rahmen der Nachwuchsgruppe "BioKum" [Förderkennzeichen: 031B0751] gefördert.Current agriculture and food systems are major drivers of global environmental change and are linked to numerous ethical concerns. Against this backdrop, agri-startups are perceived as promising catalysts for new and more sustainable agri-food systems. However, their potential to actually contribute to sustainability transformations has been understudied. The aim of this study is to narrow this gap by analyzing German agri-startups’ visions and how these co-produce prevailing or novel sociotechnical imaginaries in agriculture. We conduct an in-depth qualitative comparative case study of agri-startups (n=16) in both a rural–agrarian and an urban (nonagricultural) setting in Germany. We identify four visions with vary¬ing scales and scopes of envisioned change, with different conceptualizations of sustainable agri-food transformation: (1) Reconfiguration of Sociomaterial Structures, (2) Partial Redesign, (3) Optimization of Value Chains, and (4) Incremental Improvement. Our findings highlight the relevance of the sociospatial context of agri-startups and innovation processes in co-producing agri-food futures. While urban startups tend to envision more holistic changes, rural agri-startups rather envision applied and pragmatic changes. We critically discuss the differences among these visions and their limited ability to transform existing agri-food systems. Finally, we highlight that agri-startups largely perpetuate existing imaginaries and that the disruptive character that is often attributed to (agri-) startups needs critical scrutiny.enCC BY 4.0Sociotechnical visionsAgricultural startupsSustainability transitionTransformationAgricultural innovationTechnik, Medizin, angewandte Wissenschaften::630 Landwirtschaft::630 Landwirtschaft und verwandte BereicheArticle