Innovation and the role of Social capital in nursery industry: the case of Sicilian micropropagation companies

Abstract

he advent of technological innovation does not constitute a process confined to a particular territory or to a specific economic system, but represents a shared opportu- nity, cutting across all regions, sectors, and activities, that is destined to grow to meet the expectations of the modern consumer in terms of food safety, wholesomeness, qual- ity, certification, etc. It is in this context that the work places itself, exploring the role played by social capital in the diffusion of micropropagation in agriculture, an innova- tion able to shift productive chains upstream, particularly in the activities of the nursery industry. The paper demonstrates the influence of numerous relational variables on the success of this activity.