Agribusiness has a huge importance in the Spanish economy, and is particularly relevant in some regions such as Extremadura, where the importance of agriculture and its associated industries is substantially higher than the Spanish average. However, Extremaduran agri‑food industries suffer chronic problems such as fragmentation, lack of business clusters or low levels of development of innovative activity.
This paper analyzes innovation in Extremaduran agribusinesses. Firstly we identify the characteristics of innovative and non‑innovative companies and analyze the main perceived barriers to innovation. Secondly a study is carried out to determine different types of firms based on their willingness to innovate and in their consideration of innovation as an essential element of competitiveness. We finally link the profiles obtained with public actions demanded by each type of business.
Data come from a survey carried out in 2013 on a sample of agri‑food companies located in the region of Extremadura. The results allow identifying four types of agribusiness from the point of view of their innovative policies and their degree of risk aversion. In general, although with certain nuances for each type of firm, some public actions should be provided in order to increase the innovative activity of this fundamental industry in regional development are increased public funding for innovation and more personalized advice about innovation related projects.