The Use of Coaching in the Agricultural Value Chain

Abstract

Agricultural organizations are faced with continuous processes of change: economic openness, national and international competition between companies, adaptation to new business management models -Corporate Social Responsibility-, changing markets and the need to comply with regulations and certifications. This has led to the generation of a great demand for knowledge, preparation and motivation of the people who work in the organizations and in the agribusiness environment. Organizations are obliged to seek strategies or business techniques that allow them to guarantee survival and increase their levels of competitiveness. Among these techniques the coaching technique is highly positioned. The objective of the research was to analyze the use of coaching in the agricultural value chain as a tool to contribute to rural development. The study analyzed 50 coaching companies in Spain, from which qualitative and quantitative data of agricultural and rural coaching were taken. Moreover, a sample of 22 coached agribusinesses in Spain was characterized in order to obtain a profile of the coaching in the agricultural value chain. Frequency, contingency and significance analysis were used to characterize the performance of coaching in the agricultural value chain. The results show that a business attitude among coaching is needed while the use of a combination of coaching tools could improve the agricultural value chain and rural development. It is necessary to promote the coaching techniques among the agricultural value chain, especially at the first stages of the chain, in order to increase the agricultural businesses competitiveness and to contribute to the rural development.