Regional Innovation System Influencing the Olive Grove

1
UNIVERSITY of the AEGEAN
Regional Innovation System Influencing the Olive
Grove
Abinash, Chad, Dimitris, Manolis, Nikos, Pong,
Rifaat, Sevasti, Stathis, Vera, Victoria,
Lesvos - May 2002
2
Reserach Question
How does the regional system constrain and enable
the innovative change process influencing the
olive grove on Lesvos, Greece?
3
Reflections

• The need to look beyond the system of provision
  of olive oil and identify the hidden
  cross-sectoral links to better capitalize on the
  value in the olive grove.
• The work we have done is a good critique of the
  existing literature on regional innovation with
  regards to the missing link to biotic captial and
  culture.

4
The Olive Grove

• The Diversity of Resources in the Olive Grove
• An agro-tourist resource
• A Gene Pool
• A Multi-use, polyculture system

5
Relational Determinants

• Dynamic conceptualization of the olive groves.
• Factor conditions that enable or constrain the
  ability of firms to innovate.
• Collaborative and competitive productive field
• Learning driven knowledge intensive productive
  field
• Culture of Change
• Specialization and Flexibilty

6
Collaborative and Competitive Productive Field

• Inter-sectoral and intra-sectoral relationships
• Ongoing and regular communication between farmers
  and all other enterprises

7
Learning Driven Knowledge Intensive Productive
Field

• The ability of enterprises in regions to
  collectively transform traditional sectors into
  knowledge intensive sectors and to internalise
  this competitive advantage
• Identifying the alternative sources of value of
  the olive grove beyond simply a source for olives

8
Culture of Change

• Trust, loyalty and respect among stakeholders
• Uncertainty is an obstacle blocking these
  channels because people are frightened of
  trusting someone they dont know
• Quality relations - Long term perspective on
  investments in improving relationships

9
Specialization and Flexibility

• Knowledge intensive traditional sectors combine a
  high degree of specialization with flexibility
• Produce quality specialized products that compete
  by differentiation
• Enterprises can develop mutual dependence

10
Structural Determinants

• Determine the playing field for innovation,
  factors that enable and constrain.
• Sticky location specific biotic (natural)
  resources
• Historical and socio-cultural trajectory (path
  dependency) of the olive grove
• Supralocal governance and cohesiveness

11
Sticky location specific biotic (natural)
resources

• Resources that cannot be transferred or
  reproduced elsewhere such as
• natural resources, tacit knowledge, relationships
  and motivations
• Olive grove is a gene bank, a polyculture
  multi-use system and a rural tourist resource

12
Historical and socio-cultural trajectory of the
olive grove

• Path dependency
• There exists a tradition of olive oil production
  practice, infrastructure and a deep cultural
  identification
• A cultural tradition of extensive agriculture and
  of biological olive grove cultivation practices
  on Lesvos, makes organic farming easier.
• Farming suffers from the stigma of being
  perceived as an inferior occupation. Young
  people may abandon rather than use organic
  farming.

13
Supralocal Governance and Cohesiveness

• The complex layering of supranational, national,
  regional and local policies interact to provide a
  context for innovation
• Common Agricultural Policy has shifted from
  supporting intensive to extensive cultivation
• Tax incentives for Lesvians, and renting of
  abandoned groves can support innovation

14
Reflections

• The need to look beyond the system of provision
  of olive oil and identify the hidden
  cross-sectoral links to better capitalize on the
  value in the olive grove.
• The work we have done is a good critique of the
  existing literature on regional innovation with
  regards to the missing link to biotic captial and
  culture.

15
Thanks! Efharistoume!