Veganism and plant-based protein crops: Contentious visioning almost obstructing a transition

Trust is crucial in efforts for sustainability transitions. It is a prerequisite for actors to engage in new practices. But how can trust be generated under the conditions of uncertainty that come with letting go of familiar routines? This article answers this question empirically, analyzing how trust was actively constructed alongside a common vision, in a project promoting legume production in Sweden, part of the 'protein transition'. While a growing vegan market presented an opportunity to valorize legumes, the project's participating farmers distrusted the envisioned changes and viewed veganism as a threat. Applying a heuristic framework that enables analysis of the intertwinement of learning and trusting, the analysis shows that system level vulnerabilities and uncertainties interfered with inter-personal dynamics of trust. The analysis provided a basis for designing strategic interventions. The article concludes that visioning had to interact with experienced vulnerabilities and uncertainties of participating actors, to gradually build trust. It therefore shows how trust is an essential dimension to consider when searching for congruence in interactive visioning.

Automated summary

Trust is crucial for sustainability transitions and must be gradually built under a common vision. Generating trust in conditions of uncertainty is a key challenge, with system level vulnerabilities and uncertainties interfering with trust construction.