The family agroindustry’s interactions with institutional environment at Rio Grande do Sul

Abstract

The family agroindustries has resulted as a supplemental alternative to the development of family farming in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (Brazil). Beyond to the disposal of the players to undertake and make the process of agro industrialization a socio-economic reality that dynamizes the local development, there are several interactions with the institutional environment favorable to these initiatives. Based on 19 case studies with rural family enterprises in three regions in the State of RS, the main goal of this article was to demonstrate the ability to implement processes of social and institutional interactions having innovation as its main objective. These interactions were characterized from empiric evidences of relationships with organizations, entities and institutions. The interactions were characterized from the mechanisms (how?) and the purposes (why?) in which the relationship occurred. Also, three attributes were analyzed in interaction: open information sources, acquisition of knowledge or technology and/or cooperative innovation. The results, based on the cluster analysis, evidenced 13 categories of interactions for the implementation of innovation processes in the context of family farms, proving to be an important practice for local development of these rural enterprises.