| dc.description.abstract | Chile has a semi-privatised technology transfer programme regarded as a market-oriented
system. With semi —privatised is meant that government finances extension services, but the
delivery of it is contracted out to private companies (Kidd et al., 2000). However, Bebbington
and Sotomayor (1998) argue that there is only limited evidence that the Chilean system of
pnvatisation has had a positive impact on farm incomes or on enhancing the extent to which
services are demand - led. In the processes of demand - driven innovation the farmers are the
clients, who express their wishes, which lead the process of innovation. In this case the
meaning of 'demand' refers to the interest that clients have in certain services and contents,
and the questions clients pose (Leeuwis, 2004). It is assumed that in the semi —privatised system, the priorities and needs of farmers are taken
into account in order to generate an agenda of agricultural research that aims to support
innovation. The Chilean state policy for agnculture until 2010 seeks to achieve a productive
transformation and modernization of the agrarian sector, oriented at quality products in order
to increase competitiveness and profitability of agricultura! production. This objective also
seeks a sustainable and balanced development together with the farmers of all the agricultural
regions in the country. In order to achieve this, the innovation support services of the Ministry
of Agriculture (MOA) (fine in total) proposed certain guidelines for this achievement.
This research is an explorative one, which seeks to understand how in practice the objective
of transformation and modernization of Chilean agriculture is carried out at moment. The
research aims to identify the needs for innovation that exist amongst the vanous actors
involved in the innovation "system" at regional level, and how convergence is achieved
amongst the different actors (stakeholder) on a specific research agenda. It is a case study in
the VII-th Region of Chile; Region del Maule. The study was executed through the Regional
Secretary of Agriculture in Talca, which is the regional representative of the Minister of
Agriculture. The units of analysis are specific projects financed by FIA (Fundación para la
Innovación Agraria - Fund for Agranan Innovation). This is a foundation dependent on the
Ministry of Agriculture, and finances projects aimed at agrarian innovation through
competitive grant system.
Seven projects were chosen, the diversity of seven projects was considered as an irnportant
factor to understand how the negotiation process in the different partnerships was carried out.
The seven projects chosen were projccts executed by two regional universities (Catholic
University of Maule and University of Talca), one NGO (Fundación CRATE), one
Municipality (Municipalidad de San Javier), one Farmer Association (Sociedad Apícola
Verkruisen), one by a public research centre (INIA, Cauquenes) and one private research
centre (Bio—insumos Nativa). The methodology used is qualitative, consisting of in-depth
interviews and participant observation. | |
