The role of networking in enhancing innovation within the agricultural system

The farmers’ current market position is changing due to deregulation and globalization trends. Farmers are now under continuous pressure to adapt and to innovate in order to survive. One successful strategy to realize innovations is networking, giving access to resources that might help farmers to become more innovative. The overall objective of this PhD is to better understand how networking contributes to innovation within the agricultural innovation system, by investigating the influence of a series of factors leading to successful networks for innovation. The results show that despite the challenges farmers face, they can also enjoy the advantages of being active in numerous networks to be or become innovative. Findings show: (i) the importance of not restricting relationships to familiar partners and structures, (ii) network partners are to be selected in consideration of the network type and the stage in the innovation process, (iii) taking action to understand and respond to market needs and to gain power in the chain is an essential element for innovation success, (iv) a suitable, independent network coordinator is indispensable for successful innovations. In comparison to the traditional adoption of existing product and process innovations on the farm, the generation of innovation by the farmer gains significance, as well as the focus on marketing and organizational innovations. An interesting area for future research is therefore situated in studying the link between these kinds of innovation and networking.