Uma análise sobre a capacidade absortiva em unidades de produção de soja no Estado de Ma-to Grosso (Brasil)

Abstract

In Brazil, the agribusiness is a major industry, and such position results from the innovations generated throughout its productive chain and from the capacity of the rural producers to in-corporate external knowledge. Thus, this study asks if the construct of Absorptive Capacity (AC) explains the dynamics behind the innovation process for the production of soy in Brazil. The theoretical point of view used for the understanding of this context came from the con-struct of AC and has to do with the identification, assimilation and exploitation of the knowledge present in the external environment because, as such, it interferes directly in the competence of an organization in terms of generation of value, once it recombines resources to incorporate the necessary knowledge. The AC contributes for the organizational performance and to the capacity of innovation, which was crucial in the agricultural context for the increase of its efficiency and to place Brazil in a highlighted position in terms of productivity, mainly in the soy production context. Since innovation processes do not happen isolatedly, the objec-tives suggested here aimed to contribute to the characterization of the relational environment of soybean farmers based on the design of the referred productive chain and, in it the identifi-cation of the agents considered sources of knowledge/technologies necessary to the produc-tive process of the grain. Modern technologies are needed for the production of soybean, which demands a constant update from the producers. That is why it is important to examine the dynamics involved in AC in these places. Events such as lectures and field work during soybean planting and harvesting were also attended to complement the understanding of the sources of knowledge/technologies and their dissemination in this environment. Later, a mul-tiple case study was made in the three soybean production units in Mato Grosso state. These units have different cultivation systems. Their owners were interviewed with a semi-structured script for the collection of qualitative data about the AC process. In this way, evi-dences suggest that the Production Units develop the AC, enabling them to keep working since long ago, and also to introduce innovation based on modern technologies (production unit A) and the adoption of more elaborated production systems which would allow greater productivity and profitability (production units B and C).