Knowledge flows and linkage with universities: the vision of Mexican farmers

Abstract

This paper is about the linkage between academia and the productive sector in agriculture, focusing on the farmers’ point of view regarding this linkage. It also explores another dimension of knowledge transfer: the links that farmers establish with their peers to share the knowledge they acquire. Two research questions guided this study: (1) What characteristics influence the propensity of a farmer to engage in direct links with researchers? and (2) What characteristics influence the propensity of a farmer to share (transfer) knowledge with other farmers? This paper is based on original micro data obtained from a survey of Mexican farmers in 2011. The Mexican case is interesting for different reasons: it is a large country with large scientific capacities in the agricultural sciences; there is a large number of small farmers living in rural areas—both commercial and subsistence, and agro exports make a contribution to the export structure. Hence, more knowledge flows are needed for the development process. The research questions are approached through a model with a binary dependent variable to analyse the variables that explain the likelihood that a farmer establishes links directly with researchers, and a model with a multinomial distribution in order to observe the determinants of knowledge transfers made by farmers among their peers. The main finding is that training, participation in farmer organisations and the geographical location matter to explain the probability that a farmer establishes links with researchers. Concerning to the propensity of knowledge sharing with other farmers, belonging to organizations that include a variety of agents related to the innovation process and a set of idiosyncratic factors specific to the region (e.g. a more communal type of culture) are relevant for this matter.