MAY PRIMARY ACTIVITIES BE INNOVATIVE? THE CASE OF GALICIAN MUSSELL FARMING GONZALO RODRÍGUEZ RODRÍGUEZ Dpto. de Economía

1. MAY PRIMARY ACTIVITIES BE INNOVATIVE? THE CASE OF GALICIAN MUSSELL FARMING GONZALO RODRÍGUEZ RODRÍGUEZ Dpto. de Economía Aplicada. Universidade de Santiago de Compostela

2. THE GALICIAN MUSSEL FARMING: THE PRODUCTION AREAS IN GALICIA.

3. THE GALICIAN MUSSEL FARMING: MAIN INVESTMENT ELEMENTS. THE BOAT THE FARM: BATEA

4. THE GALICIAN MUSSEL FARMING: MAIN FEATURES.

5. THE CONCEPT OF INNOVATION ELEMENTS OF THE CONCEPT • DEPARTURE POINT: Improve process. • ARRIVAL POINT: 1st world introduction and aplication of certain advance. • SYSTEMATIC PROCESS: opposite to isolated activities.

6. THE CONCEPT OF INNOVATION WHAT HAPPEN WITH THOSE ACTIVITIES THAT ARE JUST IN A CHANGE OR IN CATCHING UP PROCESS? MAY THE DEFINITION INTRODUCES ANOTHER ELEMENTS? • Sectorial meeds of innovation. • Territorial dimension: local/regional or global innovation. • Temporal dimensión: historical character of innovation.

7. MUSSEL CULTURE PATTERNS IN THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY . SUPPLIER DOMINATED. • Technological chage came from supliers on machinery and other producction inputs. • Most technology is transferred internationally embodied in capital goods. • Technological accumulation is focused on producction process. • Small size of firms. • Temporal dimensión: historical character of innovation. • Production learning and suppliers are the main sources of technological accumulation.

8. THE MILIEU. MILIEU • Spatial entity. • Group of players • Specific material elements and also non-material and institutional elements. • An organizational logic. • A learning logic. + • The milieu it´s capable to open up to the exterior. Internacional relations. • Their resources are organized, coordinate and relate by economic, cultural and technical structures that restore the exploitable resources for news productive combinations INNOVATOR MILIEU

9. MUSSEL FARMING AS A INNOVATOR MILIEU. Spatial Entity Organizational vicinity Group of players Producers, suppliers up stream, down stream, quality control, Specific material and non material elements Habours net, Mussel Council building / Specific culture MILIEU Organizational logic Dense organizative net; cooperativenesss INNOVATOR MILIEU Learning logic Main kind fo knowledge: Tacit Open up to exterior Exports (21%) International organizations Sustainable relations Change point

10. MUSSEL FARMING AS A “MILIEU”. MUSSEL FARMING ORGANIZATION INDICATORS - + Little innovation without “milieu” Pontentially innovator “milieu” LEARNING INDICATORS Innovation without “milieu” Innovator “milieu” + SOURCE: IRER /1991

11. CHRONOLOGY OF INNOVATION:

12. INSERTION OF THE MUSSEL CULTURE IN THE FISHING INNOVATION SYSTEM. INSTITUCIONAL INFRAESTRUCTURE FISHING-CONSERVES SECTOR Quality control centres Tehnological centers Training centers R&D institutions Specific magazines MUSSEL CULTURE Promote agency Specific public administration MUSSEL MILIEU

13. (PROBABLE) CONCLUSIONS. • The behavior of mussel culture is in the own parameters of the supply-dominated sectors. • Mussel culture may be regarded a milieu potencially innovator, taking into account their strong organizational logic. • Mussel culture needs longs periods to get new innovations, as a consecuence of the predominat use of tacit knowledge and It depends strongly to their environment to innovate. • Most of their innovations has a regional character, but it means a increasing use of formal knowledge. • Just this direction may be taking into account both by policy makers and for managment of innovation at firm level • As a general hypothesis, we think that primary activities may be innovator but they have dificulties to accumulate enaugh capabilities. Them, they are very dependent of their productive environment. As they need to accelerate the learning and innvation process, they need to participate in more complex systems of innovation.