Purpose

Following the contextual approach to intellectual capital, this study analyzed the specific types of external relational capital that foster product/service, process and managerial innovativeness in organic farming as key drivers of sustainable food production.

Design/methodology/approach

Survey data from 358 organically certified Spanish farmers were analyzed using structural equation modeling based on partial least squares. A total of three models, one for each type of innovativeness, were developed to analyze the impact of external relational capital. These models took into account four specific types of relational capital: vertical relationships, horizontal relationships, relationships with government institutions and relationships with knowledge-intensive institutions.

Findings

Although relational capital and innovativeness are clearly underdeveloped, knowledge generated through and embedded in external relationships plays a substantial role in promoting innovativeness in organic farming. Moreover, depending on the type of innovation to be developed, the type of external relational capital that is relevant differs.

Practical implications

This study's findings indicate that organic farmers prioritize process innovation over product/service and managerial innovation. For the latter categories, building relationships with customers, consumers and government institutions is key. Policymakers should encourage farmer-engaging socialization spaces that emphasize family farms and their knowledge contribution.

Originality/value

Past studies have examined the overall degree of association between external relational capital and innovation, often overlooking the nuances of contextual factors. In contrast, this research delves into the unique contributions of knowledge sourced from various external relationships, focusing specifically on how these relationships influence different types of innovation within the specific context of organic farming.

中文翻译：

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促进有机农业的创新：外部关系资本的作用

 目的

遵循智力资本的情境方法，本研究分析了促进有机农业产品/服务、流程和管理创新的特定类型的外部关系资本，作为可持续粮食生产的关键驱动力。

设计/方法论/途径

使用基于偏最小二乘法的结构方程模型对来自 358 名有机认证西班牙农民的调查数据进行了分析。总共开发了三个模型，每种创新类型各有一个模型来分析外部关系资本的影响。这些模型考虑了四种特定类型的关系资本：纵向关系、横向关系、与政府机构的关系以及与知识密集型机构的关系。

 发现

尽管关系资本和创新能力显然还不够发达，但通过外部关系产生并嵌入外部关系的知识在促进有机农业的创新方面发挥着重要作用。此外，根据要开发的创新类型，相关的外部关系资本类型也有所不同。

 实际影响

这项研究的结果表明，有机农民将流程创新置于产品/服务和管理创新之上。对于后一类，与客户、消费者和政府机构建立关系是关键。政策制定者应鼓励农民参与强调家庭农场及其知识贡献的社交空间。

 原创性/价值

过去的研究考察了外部关系资本与创新之间的整体关联程度，往往忽视了背景因素的细微差别。相比之下，这项研究深入研究了来自各种外部关系的知识的独特贡献，特别关注这些关系如何在有机农业的特定背景下影响不同类型的创新。