Abstract

JARAMILLO-VILLANUEVA, J. Luis; ESCOBEDO-GARRIDO, J. Sergio; MORALES-JIMENEZ, Juan  and  RAMOS-CASTRO, J. Guadalupe. Factors that explain innovation in agricultural micro-entrepreneurs in the state of Puebla, México. agric. soc. desarro [online]. 2012, vol.9, n.4, pp.427-439. ISSN 1870-5472.

Innovation is a development factor that has been at the center of the discussion in México during the last two decades, as an element that contributes to generate dynamics of entrepreneurialism. This induces to empirically revise models that attempt to describe the dynamics of innovation and their explicative factors. The objective of this research was to analyze the factors that explain the innovative behavior of small agricultural/livestock micro-entrepreneurs in Valle de Puebla, México. The data used were generated through a structured interview applied to a statistical sample. In order to value the relationship between innovative micro-entrepreneurs and their determinants, an innovation index was built from five variables related to innovative behavior, and it was related to possible explicative variables by using a correlation analysis, difference of means tests, and linear regression. It was found that training is an important factor in the development of new products. The factors related to the market are a source of changes and development of new products that drive innovation. In the regression model, the variables schooling, experience, propensity for risk, social relations and wholesale sales were statistically significant.

Keywords : agricultural/livestock entrepreneurs; innovation factors.

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