The need for coordination to develop customized competitiveness in agrifood systems: lemon, pork, and dairy in Argentina
Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies
ISSN: 2044-0839
Article publication date: 31 May 2022
Issue publication date: 2 August 2022
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this research is to analyze the ability of agrifood systems to construct “customized competitiveness” strategies that can allow firms to meet the specific and constantly changing demands of foreign markets.
Design/methodology/approach
The research performs a comparative analysis of three case studies of agrifood systems in Argentina: lemon, pork, and dairy products. The authors obtained primary data from 79 semi-structured interviews with key persons in each agrifood system carried out online between March 2020 and February 2021. Secondary data was obtained from databases, academic studies, and reports from business associations and public agencies.
Findings
The authors find wide disparities in the development of customized competitiveness strategies between the studied agrifood systems (higher in lemon, lower in dairy products, and incipient in pork). The authors attribute the disparity to the varying degrees in which these systems are capable of coordinating their own actions and their interactions with State agencies.
Originality/value
The paper provides comparative evidence about the role of private coordination in the ability of agrifood systems to construct customized competitiveness strategies.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This study was conducted as part of IADB project “Private and public strategies for success in modern agri-food markets”. The authors especially thank Ernesto Stein for his very valuable comments to earlier versions of this study. The authors also thank Piero Ghezzi, Romina Ordoñez, and Lina Salazar for valuable comments.
Funding: This work was supported by the Inter-American Development Bank. The opinions expressed in this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Inter-American Development Bank Group, its respective Boards of Directors, or the countries they represent.
Citation
González, A.L., Hallak, J.C., Scattolo, G. and Tacsir, A. (2022), "The need for coordination to develop customized competitiveness in agrifood systems: lemon, pork, and dairy in Argentina", Journal of Agribusiness in Developing and Emerging Economies, Vol. 12 No. 4, pp. 750-767. https://doi.org/10.1108/JADEE-10-2021-0271
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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