The promotion of innovation and the management of knowledge within agro-industrial clusters. The case of Spanish clusters

Abstract

In an economic approach, clusters are groups of vertically and horizontally linked and interrelated enterprises that can play a significant role in increasing their competitiveness through the adoption of innovative techniques and the exchange of knowledge. The cluster concept should be understood as a form of smart economy, supporting the participating enterprises in order to provide them with innovation, business strategies and technical support, thus increasing their competitiveness. However, there is little research that focuses on the performance of the agribusiness as such; most researchers have concentrated on understanding the role and benefits of clusters for the region as a whole. To fill this gap, this paper seeks to determine whether the fostering of innovation, competitive management and knowledge democratisation that should occur within a cluster has a direct economic effect on participating SMEs. To fill this gap, this paper seeks to determine whether the promotion of innovation, competitive management and democratisation of knowledge that should happen within a cluster has a direct economic effect on participating SMEs. The results obtained through the analysis of the evolution of variables such as financial profitability and the number of workers of the participating enterprises in two Spanish agro-industrial clusters in contrast with the enterprises in their region and the OECD as a whole, show that for the small and medium-sized enterprise segments, the innovation and information diffusion provided by the cluster affects them very positively by improving their performance, creating new jobs and bringing sustainable development to the sector, based on innovation and the training of the workforce.