TY - JOUR
T1 - Technological innovation in agricultural co-operatives in China
T2 - Implications for agro-food innovation policies
AU - Luo, Jianli
AU - Guo, Hongdong
AU - Jia, Fu
PY - 2017/12/1
Y1 - 2017/12/1
N2 - Technological innovation has become a major source of farmer co-operatives’ competitive advantage, however empirical research on co-operatives innovation in a developing country context is rare. We adopt an ethnographic case study method collecting data from 32 co-operatives managers of four exemplar co-operative cases and agricultural experts in China and collected much archival data. In addition, a Delphi study was conducted to collect data on the innovation performance. Based on the distinctive characteristics of co-operatives, we found that first knowledge spillovers and technology acquisition modes are two constructs which best capture the dynamic of technological innovation in co-operatives and develop a typology based on them. Second, grassroots and social innovation in a Chinese co-operative context have their own characters and indeed a hybrid of capitalism (e.g., agribusiness) and New Rural Re-structuring principles (i.e., similar to ICA ones). Third and finally, we provide detailed agro-food policy implications for each of the four types of co-op innovation. The results of the research may be learned by co-ops and policy makers in other developing economies who face similar challenges as in China.
AB - Technological innovation has become a major source of farmer co-operatives’ competitive advantage, however empirical research on co-operatives innovation in a developing country context is rare. We adopt an ethnographic case study method collecting data from 32 co-operatives managers of four exemplar co-operative cases and agricultural experts in China and collected much archival data. In addition, a Delphi study was conducted to collect data on the innovation performance. Based on the distinctive characteristics of co-operatives, we found that first knowledge spillovers and technology acquisition modes are two constructs which best capture the dynamic of technological innovation in co-operatives and develop a typology based on them. Second, grassroots and social innovation in a Chinese co-operative context have their own characters and indeed a hybrid of capitalism (e.g., agribusiness) and New Rural Re-structuring principles (i.e., similar to ICA ones). Third and finally, we provide detailed agro-food policy implications for each of the four types of co-op innovation. The results of the research may be learned by co-ops and policy makers in other developing economies who face similar challenges as in China.
KW - Agricultural co-operatives
KW - Agro-food policy
KW - Case study, China
KW - Technological innovation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85033385604&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.09.001
DO - 10.1016/j.foodpol.2017.09.001
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85033385604
SN - 0306-9192
VL - 73
SP - 19
EP - 33
JO - Food Policy
JF - Food Policy
ER -