The adoption of adequate technologies is essential to improve the performance of different kinds of companies. Although there is literature related to the adoption of technology in dairy agribusiness in developed countries, information about it is scarce in developing countries. The objective of this study was to explore the factors associated with the adoption of technology by dairy agribusiness. A structural analysis was conducted to evaluate the relationships between the internal variables of Antioquia province farms, Colombia, and their technology adoption process. This process was explained by two factors: production-related variables and management-dependent traits. The variables resulting in the greatest impact were pasture improvement, genetics, administration, and technical procedures.

Business performance should be evaluated to measure the achievement of an organization's objectives. The dairy industry has focused its efforts on technological development and productivity, but it requires to consolidate itself in organizational and business management terms, if it is to face the challenges derived from free trade. For this reason, we wanted to answer the research question: how are the structural relationships between the determining factors of business performance in the Colombian dairy industry? Information from 236 businesses in the department of Antioquia, Colombia was analyzed using a structural equation model and the predicted values for business performance and the variables that comprise it were calculated. According to the findings, the dairy sector needs to increase its business performance, which is mainly determined by process efficiency and business productivity.

In agriculture, technologies support the productivity and competitiveness of production systems in value chains. In the last decade, the Colombian avocado sub-sector has expanded. However, little is known about its technological level (TL). The objectives of this study were (i) to understand the perception of value chain experts in terms of technological supplies and demands, (ii) to evaluate the TL in avocado production systems and (iii) to discover which socioeconomic characteristics impact the TL. The three stages were consultation with experts and parameterization of the TL, evaluation of the TL using multivariate methods and analysis of variables of the production system. The technological supply “By-products from seed” was of great importance, while “Branch girdling” was the least relevant. A total of 161 demands were identified, “Environmental management and sustainability” showing greater relevance. The analysis showed a low correlation between the qualification of experts and the use of technology by producers. The postharvest supplies had the lowest frequency of use. Producers were characterized according to TL: high (34.4%), medium (47.2%) and low (18.4%). A relationship was found between the TL and some variables of the production system. The gap found should be the basis for designing science and technology policies for the avocado sub-sector in Colombia.

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