Innovación en la agroindustria de la guayaba en la Hoya del Río Suárez (Colombia)

Abstract

Agro-industry plays a fundamental role in Colombia’s agricultural and livestock economic activity, especially in some areas such as the Hoya del Río Suárez, where guava is grown. One of the main challenges of this agro-industry is to significantly improve quality levels, according to the demanding requirements of the current market. The aim of this research was to carry out an analysis and diagnosis to identify the state of innovation in the guava agro-ndustry in the Hoya del Río Suárez. It explores the innovation activities implemented in the factories, concerning organisational management, marketing, products and processes, resources and capacities for such innovation practices. A descriptive mixed approach methodology was used with a non-experimental field design, which included the application of a survey addressed to the managers of a sample of 47 companies in this area of study. The results identify a positive association between the size and age of the company and innovation. Likewise, the most developed types of innovation are new products and transformation and marketing processes, with organisational management being the least developed.