In connection with current local and global sustainability challenges scholars, policy makers and actors need to deal with socio-technical dynamics that are increasingly gaining attention in society and in policy circles. Any transition to sustainability will require a high level of social / cultural change, linked with a similar high level of technological change. In a general sense, the concept of system innovation (Geels et al., 2004) is defined as a complete transformative change in the way societal functions are fulfilled, such as food production and consumption, energy use and supply, transportation, etc., targeting a sustainability transition (Geels, 2010) and a related transformative policy mix (Edmondson et al., 2019). Such major changes typically involve a co-evolution of a number of related elements, including technology, infrastructures, symbolic meanings, governance structures, scientific knowledge, industry and related institutions, etc. Moreover those transformations also request withdrawal of technological fix and significant disruption in incumbent regime that are more or less governed. This is also the case for the agro-food area that will be addressed specifically in this Thematic Group. Over the past 10 years, the initiators have organised various activities on this topic under the name SISA: System Innovation for Sustainable Agriculture. By turning this initiative into an STRN thematic group we seek to achieve an influx of new people and thus increase exchange between people that are active in this area.