Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Rural Areas

Identification and dissemination of good practices in agriculture and agro-industrial sectors

Actually Innovation and Entrepeneurship play a keyrole on economic and soocial development, in all activities sectors, and the rural sector is not an exception.

Studies about Innovation and Entrepeneurship in agriculture or agro-industry sector are rare, and a systematic analysis about their impact is trully needed.

It is important to understand if our farmers and agro-industries are innovating, and what are the true results of that effort.

Aside from the collected data, it is important to understand the results, and express the real impact of innovation and entrepeneurship in the sector and

rural population life quality improvement.

Introduction .

Task 1 – Analysis of successful cases of Innovation and Entrepeneurship

In order to be able to analyze and understand the role of innovation and entrepreneurship in

rural development, it is essential to consider which models and good practices that have

been defined and implemented in this area, nationally and internationally.

Agriculture and Agro-Industry models

and good practices identification

10 international visits (2 countrys)

15 national visits Information from

secondary sources

Task 2 - Identification and selection of a sample for best practices and

models of innovation and entrepreneurship analysis

Selection of a representative national sample of agricultural and agro-industrial companies,

approximately 100 farms and 50 agro-industrial companies (in fruit and vegetable, olive oil

and wine sectors). To ensure access to economic and financial detailed and rigorous

information, it is important to ensure that all companies use management software for at

least five years. This information will complement the data collected through questionnaires.

National Companies

Management Software

100 Farms

50 Agro-Industries

Task 3 – Survey Preparation

Development of a survey on the adoption of innovation and entrepreneurship practices on

farms / businesses / farmers / entrepreneurs linked to fruit and vegetable, olive oil and wine

sectors. The survey should be structured to allow, based on information gathered, an

economic, technical, spatial and temporal analysis of the real impact of innovation and

entrepreneurship in selected farms / companies performance.

Field Visits

Interviews

Questionnaire Development

Task 4 – Submit the survey and colect answers

Submit the survey and colect answers from all the selected entities in the sample. All the

surveys are conducted in person, and confidentiality must be kept.

Task 5 – Data Analysis

Results analysis of the innovation / entrepreneurship practices impact on farms and agro-

industrial companies. To ensure that the analysis is carried out systematically and uniformly,

assessing the real impact of models and best practices in economic and financial companies,

will be necessary to cross the survey results with data collected over the years by the

management software.

Task 6 - Development of models and good practices

Analysis and interpretation of data, carried out in the previous paragraph, will assess the

impact and contribution that the innovation and entrepreneurship activities, have played in

the development of rural areas in Portugal, particularly in agriculture and agro-industrial

companies. The results of this analysis will determine which models and best practices of

innovation and entrepreneurship, contribute the most to the development of rural areas

nationwide.

Practical Results

Innovation

Market Leader

Growth

Profit

Task 7 - Promotion

Dissemination of models and best practices defined shall be made in the following ways:

7.1. Production of an Innovation and Entrepreneurship Support Guide, in Rural Areas,

available digitally and on paper.

7.2. Four regional seminars to disseminate innovation and entrepreneurship best practices

and models that contribute the most to rural areas development.

7.3. National workshop for good practice and models dissemination of innovation and

entrepreneurship that contribute the most to rural areas development.

7.4. Creating an online benchmarking platform (associated with the National Rural Network

website).