Integrated production systems under the sustainable innovation perspective

Abstract

The purpose of this paper was to describe the integrated farming system in a perspective of sustainable innovation. For that, the paper initially sought to synthesize two of the current conceptions about the innovation theory: the economic and the sociologic approaches. The first highlighted the contribution of the Schumpeterian approach of evolutionary economy, which importantly reflects on the conduction of the innovation politics in several countries. The second highlighted the dedication of Science and Technology Studies in order to understand how the innovation can be seen as a socio-collective process which stabilizes a heterogenic network of actors. The path shown for exploitation of theoretical and practical models of sustainable innovation was developed through the alliance between the environmental, the economical and the social perspectives. The description of the Integrated Production Systems fell within this perspective of sustainable innovation, since these systems search to conciliate indissoluble needs originated from environmental, social, and economic dimensions. Finally, the conclusion pointed that Integrated Farming Systems are processes developed in a systemic approach, that is, holistic, since they sought a rational use of natural resources and higher productive efficiency, considering the environmental, social and economic aspects.

Sustainable Innovation: Eco-development tendencies and Theory of Communicative Action Standpoint

“…According to Tonelli et al (2012), approaches such as the "Innovation National Systems" hold: i) technical advance's nature (primarily, evolutionary); ii) how processes get an architecture structurally inserted, what involves specific contexts and conditions; iii) what are the strategies use to, among provement (ITS, 2007). Taking such initial reflection as basis, it is possible to state that it is still mandatory to advance a lot in terms of creating values to sustainable innovation models, including in such scope -besides social innovations -, conventional innovations .…”

“…The main concern does not lay on establishing the innovation economic impact, on finding out the obstacles to its spreading or on technologies transference, record institutional reforms or on investigating its effects over employment rates or over the countries' competitive capabilities. The main goal is to investigate innovation's social or collective production whereas immerse in relations and interrelations that build themselves around this particular issue (OLIVEIRA, 2008;Tonelli Et Al, 2012). Economics takes social actors from an instrumental logic.…”

“…The sustainability theme consists in one of the most important nowadays phenomenon. It means a challenge to production, without losing track of environmental eco-system's reloading capability (TONELLI et al, 2012). There is a large amount of actions that have been taken in order to develop production alternatives no longer aggressive to the environment and paired to economic wealth production and to society's common welfare.…”