EXTENSION MODELS WITH AN INNOVATION NETWORK APPROACH: LESSONS LEARNED

Jorge Aguilar-Ávila; Enrique Martinez

Todos os Trabalhos

Trabalho

DOI

10.29327/9786527226680.1441544

Título do Trabalho

EXTENSION MODELS WITH AN INNOVATION NETWORK APPROACH: LESSONS LEARNED

Autores

Jorge Aguilar-Ávila
Enrique Martinez

Modalidade

IRSA - Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (01/10/2025 a 20/01/2026)

Área temática

IRSA 33 - Knowledge Management, Extension Services, and Agri-Food Innovation

Data de Publicação

06/08/2026

País da Publicação

Brasil

Idioma da Publicação

pt-BR

Página do Trabalho

https://www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1441544-extension-models-with-an-innovation-network-approach--lessons-learned

ISBN

978-65-272-2668-0

Palavras-Chave

Agricultural extension, innovation networks, knowledge management, social network analysis, communities of practice.

Resumo

Objective. This paper aims to synthesize key lessons learned from the implementation of agricultural extension and agro-food innovation management models developed by CIESTAAM at the Universidad Autónoma Chapingo in Mexico. It focuses on understanding how innovation networks contribute to improved productivity, market articulation, and efficient use of public resources. Method. The analysis is based on accumulated empirical evidence from the design, implementation, and evaluation of the Innovation Management Agencies for Supplier Development (AGI-DP) model and complementary community-based approaches. These experiences combine strategic knowledge management, differentiated intervention strategies, and social network analysis to examine learning processes, innovation adoption, and actor articulation across agricultural value chains. Conclusions. Results show that successful extension processes are grounded in results-oriented, network-based knowledge management. Innovation should be understood not as an isolated event but as an organized process that articulates actors, knowledge, and markets, generating measurable impacts on productivity, profitability, and public investment efficiency. Key lessons include the importance of clearly defining target populations, differentiating strategies according to farmer typologies and marketing channels, and promoting low-cost, high-impact innovations or good agricultural practices. Social network analysis demonstrates that learning and innovation adoption accelerate when “heterophilic” relationships are strengthened, connecting farmers to diverse and complementary sources of knowledge beyond their immediate circles. Persistent challenges include institutional fragmentation, weak articulation between research, extension, and markets, excessive administrative burdens on extension agents, and limited measurement of network-level impacts. To address these challenges, it is recommended to strengthen specialized technical units, professionalize extension agents in innovation management, and promote communities of practice that foster trust, co-creation of knowledge, and collective learning. Ultimately, better integration of farmers and rural communities requires recognizing their agency, incorporating emerging digital tools, and conceiving extension as a network-based learning process, where outcomes depend fundamentally on the quality of relationships.

Título do Evento: 16th World Congress of Rural Sociology and 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Management and Sociology
Cidade do Evento: Porto Alegre
Título dos Anais do Evento: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA)
Nome da Editora: Even3
Meio de Divulgação: Meio Digital
DOI

Como citar

AGUILAR-ÁVILA, Jorge; MARTINEZ, Enrique. EXTENSION MODELS WITH AN INNOVATION NETWORK APPROACH: LESSONS LEARNED.. In: Anais do 64º Congresso da SOBER e XVI Congresso Mundial de Sociologia Rural (IRSA). Anais...Porto Alegre(RS) UFRGS, 2026. Disponível em: https//www.even3.com.br/anais/sober-irsa2026/1441544-EXTENSION-MODELS-WITH-AN-INNOVATION-NETWORK-APPROACH--LESSONS-LEARNED. Acesso em: 22/09/2026