Innovación, redes y territorio. Un análisis del sistema apícola del centro de Santa Fe, Argentina

Argentina is one of the world’s leading producers and exporters of honey, and must therefore comply with consumer markets' demanding quality and traceability requirements. In order to meet these demands, innovations required by the organization and cooperation between public and private actors have been developed. This article aimed to characterize the networks of actors that articulate the innovation processes in the beekeeping production system of the center of the province of Santa Fe, Argentina, a region with a significant concentration of bee producers and institutions linked to the product. To understand the different types of market and non-market links established among the actors, that is, the socio-economic relationships that regulate the innovation processes in the production systems, a relational theoretical approach was used. From the empirical point of view, a qualitative approach was carried out, based on the analysis of interviews conducted with key actors in the system, which made it possible to identify the roles, the links established, and the perceptions that these actors have about the beekeeping innovation system. The constant comparative method was used to analyze the interviews. The main results showed that the production system studied includes product innovations (in bee genetics and beehive products and by-products), process innovations (related to beehive management and the use of machinery and equipment), and organizational innovations (related to the beekeepers' form of association and the professionalization of the activity). All these transformations are taking place within the framework of an innovation network structured around beekeepers and the organizations that bring them together, with a significant presence of the public governmental, and science and technology sectors. The network is dominated by cooperative coordination mechanisms, based on relationships of trust founded on territorial identification.