On a Path towards co-innovation : Institutional networking in Metropolitan Food Clusters : The case of Agrosfera in Aguascalientes, Mexico
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Issue Date
2013-08
Language
en
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Abstract
As
a
country
that
is
experiencing
tremendous
growth,
Mexico
has
the
potential
to
become
a
leader
in
sustainable
project
developments
in
the
Americas.
While
this
path
towards
innovation
contains
many
unknown
variables
that
could
hinder
or
help
an
idea
take
shape,
Mexico’s
involvement
in
a
MFC
project
exemplifies
their
aspiration
in
finding
creative
solutions
and
implementing
new
strategies
for
progress
in
the
agro-‐food
industry.
A
venture
like
Agrosfera
introduces
new
farming
practices
to
a
culture
that
has
subsisted
from
traditional
methods
for
generations
and
therefore,
resistance
to
such
endeavors
will
occur.
While
the
voyage
of
discovery
and
change
may
entice
some,
others
fear
the
spur
of
innovative
activity.
Even
if
this
system
is
aimed
at
improving
food
security,
the
local
economy
and
resource
management
strategies,
if
people
are
not
willing
to
participate,
then
the
project
will
fall
through.
I
argue
that
creating
a
network
of
involved
participants
is
needed
for
developing
sustainable
MFCs
and
by
identifying
what
hinders
or
nurtures
network
expansion,
better
strategies
to
build
capacity
among
stakeholders
can
be
applied
to
foster
its
growth.
A
strong
presence
of
social
capital
based
on
trust
based
relations
then
ultimately
leads
to
communities
of
practice
(CoP),
which
are
groups
of
people
who
have
a
shared
objective
and
who
want
to
take
steps
to
achieving
it
by
knowledge
sharing
and
interacting
with
one
another
on
a
regular
basis
(Murillo,
2011).
The
goal
of
this
investigation
is
to
gain
a
better
understanding
of
the
different
elements
that
advance
or
deter
stakeholder
relationships
from
developing
in
Metropolitan
Food
Clusters
(MFCs).
Agrosfera
is
the
emerging
MFC
in
Aguascalientes,
Mexico
that
utilizes
technologically
advanced
systems
of
agroproduction
that
are
sustainable
in
design
in
order
to
meet
the
nutritional
needs
of
growing
urban
populations
worldwide.
Stakeholders
involved
in
Agrosfera
hope
that
the
implementation
of
this
competitive,
state-‐of-‐the-‐art
project
will
act
as
a
model
of
innovation
for
the
country
and
that
it
brings
forth
economic
and
social
development
to
the
state.
The
study
was
based
on
qualitative
criteria
congruent
with
my
interests
regarding
sustainable
development
projects
in
Latin
America
and
the
desire
to
gain
in-‐depth
knowledge
on
stakeholder
participation
for
effective
network
formation.
I
have
chosen
to
study
the
impact
social
processes
have
in
the
creation
of
this
innovative
system
design
because
my
conjecture
is
that
the
value
networks
formed
via
social
capital
are
important
in
determining
project
success.
Even
though
the
empirical
focus
is
Agrosfera,
the
overarching
premise
relates
to
social
network
formation
in
a
MFC.
While
the
theoretical
assumptions
described
in
chapter
2
address
the
core
concepts
of
the
thesis
and
establish
the
trajectory
by
which
this
study
has
been
conducted,
the
research
approach
in
chapter
4
makes
explicit
how
the
variables
and
relationships
that
follow
from
logical
argument
are
operationalized
(Sutton
and
Saw,
2007).
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