Farmers’ views on research and extension services (RES) included in the Agricultural Knowledge and Innovation System are rarely investigated. This study analyses the relationship between key factors of innovation behaviour (market orientation, learning orientation, and innovation attitude) and the use of RES through structural equation modelling, focusing on small-scale agricultural holdings. Market orientation and learning orientation appear to be positively correlated, confirming that synergies between both factors provide a background for innovativeness. Learning orientation and farm-holders’ education level, improve knowledge exchange and make the agriculture innovation process more inclusive. However, farmers’ innovation attitude is not clearly correlated with the use of RES. Motivations about “the will to do innovations” are represented by a construct that does not appear to have a determinant effect as a mediator in farmer’s decisions about using RES.
Innovation at farms is crucial to face technological, environmental and social challenges of the agricultural sector. Our hypothesis is that access from farmers to research & development services (RDS) is enhanced by certain entrepreneurial attributes (market orientation and learning orientation) as well as by their innovative attitude and human capital, as innovation capabilities. We explore the role of these factors in a sample of farmers in a region of Spain (Valencian Community), which is a context dominated by small and medium-sized farms. Through a logistic equation modelling approach, we tested the conditions that increase the likelihood to be users of RDS. Our findings suggest that both strategic and innovation capabilities, as well as a high level of formal education, are positively correlated with farmer's willingness to make use of RDS, while the largest group of farms shows a lower probability of adoption of RDS. Policies promoting knowledge intensive support services can pay attention to the fact that more innovative and educated farmers are also those who interact more with RDS, even in a context where small and medium-sized farms prevail. Reg Sci Policy Pract. 2019;11:295-305. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/rsp3 295 2 | CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK According to Touzard, Temple, Faure, and Triomphe (2015), despite the complexity of the AKIS, an interactionist view of innovation suggests to explore the key factors that influence the farmers' participation in the innovation networks.
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