Growing innovation: Agro-biotechnology and organic agriculture compared.

摘要

Innovation is critical to economic development across sectors. To date there has been a tendency in the literature to study innovation from a point of emphasis of some particular scale. This approach has precipitated studies that focus on Regional Innovation Systems, National Systems of Innovation, and globally-based research to uncover the contributing factors that are needed for an ideal innovation environment. This thesis questions the merit of using a uni-scaled approach to understanding innovation. As knowledge is said to be a key force in the learning economy, the importance of intellectual property and the role of basic research to the innovation process are paid particular attention.; In agriculture, as in other sectors, there is a constant push to improve process and product. To explore the question of multiple influences on this innovation process, sixty interviews were conducted with innovators in agro-biotechnology and organic agriculture. A range of influences from global, national and local scales were identified for both groups. The influences identified by agro-biotechnology innovators include: intellectual property, organizational issues, research policy, regulations, networked resources, infrastructure, consumer demand, government funding, normative issues and economic market conditions. Influences identified by organic innovators include: consumer demand, resources, intellectual property, networks and infrastructure, funding, policy, regulations, research, and certification. The thesis results support a multi-scaled approach when researching and developing policy for innovation. As well, questions about the merits of Canadian funding are raised as there is a predilection for supporting applied research at the expense of basic research. The long-term impact of this approach may indeed undermine our ability to be competitive globally as basic research is not receiving adequate funding. Finally, issues of power are compared for both agro-biotechnology and organic innovators. Agro-biotechnology derives its power from entrenched institutions, while organic innovators draw their power from consumers. Ultimately, this research describes two fundamentally different approaches and innovation styles for food production.