Agricultural Innovation, Advisory Services and Needs Assessment of the Agricultural Innovation Training in the Slovak Republic

Abstract

A variety of successful innovations have been introduced in Central European during recent decades. Investments in R&D and agricultural innovations have been fundamental to long-term economic growth worldwide. Recently, substantial shifts in the scientific basis have created a new and promising set of opportunities for innovation in agricultural. Every innovation is a new combination of resources, particularly ideas, skills, information, different types of capabilities, inter-organizational learning and knowledge, and specialized assets. Organizational innovations are as important as product or process innovations. The main actors in AIS in the Slovak Republic are Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, Slovak Commerce and Agricultural Chamber, Suppliers and food processors. Investments in R&D and agricultural innovations have been fundamental to long-term economic growth worldwide. However, R & D activities remain weakly supported by the public and private funding in Slovakia. As the result, productivity of the Slovak innovators remains low as well. However, in Slovakia there does not exist any special agency for innovation in agriculture. The tasks of innovation are separated into an agencies and institutions dealing with research and spreading knowledges in agriculture sector. The need for innovation system must become more important in the Slovak Republic in order to facilitate farmer’s access to information and knowledges to achieve sustainable https://doi.org/10.15414/isd2018.s11.04 AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION, ADVISORY SERVICES ... 2301 and competitive productivity growth. There are many institutions in Slovakia that have path for innovation in agriculture. But there is a huge absence of advice and innovation for food industry. In the agriculture, cooperation between several different types of actors is seen as key to successful innovation. There is no specific national agreement about integration of knowledge exchange among AIS actors. The whole innovative process is provided by the foreign companies, especially in technological area. The process of innovation in Slovak agriculture is mainly based on workshops, scientific conferences and trainings, which is not enough. The need of change a policy in innovation and advice system is very much required.