Abstract
This chapter presents the core characteristics of studies of 'socio-technical transitions to sustainability', focusing on the multi-level perspective (MLP) and niche-regime linking. It includes a very brief overview of previous work on niche-internal processes, which was situated within research on (endogenous) rural development. Finally, some core concepts on transitions within farming are discussed: the need of a niche to cope with the complexity and unpredictability of societal change; the role of power in resisting and steering transitions; the politics involved in defining sustainability in agriculture; and the role of changing rules and values to engender transitions.