The designation of origin of rice of Morelos: linkage and conformation of networks

Abstract

In 2012, Mexico received the designation of origin (DO) for the state of Morelos rice, which was the result of a close and very long-term relationship between producers, federal and local government agencies, and researchers from the National Institute of Forestry, Agriculture and Livestock Research (INIFAP)-Zacatepec Experimental Field. In particular, the constant communication between INIFAP producers and researchers allowed them to respond quickly to technical problems of production and facilitated the incorporation of constant technological innovations with direct effects on productivity and competitiveness. The contribution of this work will be the identification of the actors involved and their degree of participation in the conformation of the network that gave the final result, although not unique, the obtaining of the DO. As well as understanding how this linkage between actors, who are the relevant actors and who are the subsidiaries and in general identify the dynamics between the local actors. The tool used for the identification of the network, is known as analysis of social networks (ARS). The ARS was made from 15 semi-structured and in-depth interviews conducted in the state of Morelos between 2013 and 2015 to producers, government representatives, and researchers from INIFAP. It is concluded that the appellation of origin is the result of a series of endogenous and organizational processes that open new and wide possibilities to the members of the network.