CAT’s Innovation Lab workshops for the Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales project are bringing together stakeholders from the Welsh Horticulture sector to explore how they can work together for a more sustainable future.
Following the first of CAT’s Innovation Lab workshops for the Cymru Wledig LPIP Rural Wales project, which brought together stakeholders to explore the challenges and opportunities facing the Welsh horticulture sector, the project team has been delving into the data and insights gathered.
These findings are now shaping the next phase of the project: the co-design of practical, testable interventions that can be trialled in real-world settings.
The team has been carrying out a systems analysis, looking at the relationships between different parts of the system to identify where there is energy to build on, and where persistent challenges may be holding things back. These insights are helping to highlight potential areas for intervention and are informing the design of the second workshop.
Working together to develop solutions
The second workshop took place on Wednesday 30 July at the National Botanic Garden of Wales. Around 30 participants attended, including most of those who joined the first session, along with several new contributors. This session marks a shift into the innovation phase of the lab, where participants will use design thinking to generate and develop ideas in response to a specific prompt.
The goal is to co-create five or six core intervention ideas. These will be explored and voted on to gauge where there is the most enthusiasm and potential for impact. While no final decisions will be made at this stage, the workshop will result in a shortlist of well-developed ideas that can be taken forward for further testing.
Implementing solutions iteratively
This is not just a theoretical exercise. The project has secured £30,000 of funding to trial one or more of the interventions over a 12-month period, from autumn 2025 to autumn 2026. Innovation managers at Aberystwyth University will oversee this phase, supporting the testing and iteration of the chosen ideas on the ground.
In complex systems, it’s not always possible to predict the outcomes of an intervention in advance. That’s why this phase is focused on experimentation – trying things out, monitoring how they work, and adapting them as needed. The aim is to learn what works in practice and to use that learning to inform future action.
Before implementation, the shortlisted ideas will be reviewed by a challenge panel, which will help ensure that the funding is directed toward the intervention with the greatest potential for positive impact.
CAT’s Role
While CAT’s role in the implementation phase is still to be confirmed, the team will likely maintain an oversight role as the project progresses.
This next stage of the LPIP Innovation Lab represents a significant step forward – from understanding the system to actively designing and testing solutions. We look forward to sharing more updates as the work continues.
