Knowledge management for innovation in agri-food systems: a conceptual framework

Navigating the innovation policy dilemma: How subnational governments balance expenditure competition pressures and long-term innovation goals

In the pursuit of economic growth, the role of innovation has become increasingly important, posing dilemmas for subnational governments as they navigate the balance between expenditure competition and long-term investments in innovation. This study aimed to investigate the intricate relationship between fiscal pressures and the pursuit of innovation goals faced by regional authorities. To achieve this, a systematic literature review was conducted, synthesizing more than 150 studies published within the past 15 years. Keyword searches were conducted across multiple databases, and additional scholarly articles were incorporated through citation tracking. Rigorous qualitative analysis techniques, including inductive coding and thematic analysis, were employed to distill conceptual insights from the literature. The analysis performed in this review reveals extensive discussions regarding the influence of competition on innovation outcomes, encompassing a wide range of perspectives. The potential advantages of localization are emphasized by some viewpoints, while others caution against the risks of inadequate investment. The effective coordination of policies across multiple levels of governance to maximize synergies between national and subnational innovation systems emerges as a complex yet crucial challenge. It is observed that collaborative networks, which facilitate knowledge exchange through industrial clustering and public-private linkages, play a significant role in leveraging regional innovation assets. Strategic approaches that successfully balance competition with long-term capacity development have been demonstrated by leading jurisdictions. These findings highlight the significance of tailored policy frameworks that account for the unique contexts of each region, providing opportunities to harness competitive motivations while sustaining investments in innovation. Ongoing coordination is essential to strike a balance between responsiveness and coherence across diverse territories. This study offers practical guidance and academic insights on strategies to align decentralized imperatives, aiming to optimize prosperity through knowledge creation within evolving multi-level innovation systems. By shedding light on these strategies, the research contributes to both practical and academic understandings of how to effectively navigate and capitalize on the dynamics of such systems.

Occupational safety knowledge management in Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia

This article elaborates the characteristics of knowledge management in the context of occupational safety and presents the results of research based on the assumption that there is a link between knowledge management and occupational safety performance, and that knowledge management can help in improving occupational safety performance. The research involved 645 occupational safety experts from three Balkan countries (Slovenia, Croatia and Serbia). The results showed that the knowledge management in the organization is related to all of the observed aspects of occupational safety performance: number of work-related injuries within the organization; number of lost working days due to injuries; costs caused by work-related injuries and occupational diseases; financial investments in occupational safety; assessment of the state of occupational safety. The practical implications of the article can be seen in the context of meeting the educational needs for continuous learning and improvement of knowledge/lifelong learning in the field of occupational safety.

Effect of Storage Technologies on Postharvest Insect Pest Control and Seed Germination in Mexican Maize Landraces

Smallholder farmers who grow maize landraces face important challenges to preserve their seed biodiversity from one season to another. This study was carried out in the central highlands of Mexico to compare the effectiveness of two seed storage practices-specifically, polypropylene woven bags (farmers' conventional practice) vs. hermetic containers-for minimizing seed losses and maintaining germination. Four Mexican landraces were stored for three and six months. Data on moisture content and kernel damage were collected at the beginning and the end of the storage period. Pest-free samples collected were also analyzed for seed germination. Moisture content was below 13% overall and was not significantly affected by storage technology or storage time. Samples from the polypropylene woven bags suffered significant damage from Sitophilus zeamais and Prostephanus truncatus, with the percentages of insect damage and weight loss reaching 61.4% and 23.4%, respectively. Losses were minimal in seed stored in hermetic containers, with a maximum insect damage of 4.1% and weight loss of 2.2%. Overall, the germination rate of samples stored in these airtight containers was greater than 90%. This study provides additional evidence on the effectiveness of hermetic containers at maintaining Mexican landraces' seed quantity and quality during storage in smallholder conditions in central Mexico.

Intergenerational knowledge management in a cutting-edge Israeli industry: Visions and challenges

Knowledge management is a multifaceted, complex, end-to-end organizational process dealing with collecting and using data, information, and knowledge generated by a group of individuals. The current study examines the changes required in companies’ quality systems to enhance intergenerational learning and knowledge retention. Our primary objective was to understand the factors that influence the development of an organizational culture encouraging innovation, knowledge sharing, organizational learning, openness, and providing opportunities to create up-to-date knowledge. We collected the viewpoints and needs of industry professionals by using interviews and a survey. Then, we analyzed the factors that influence knowledge management quality and transfer between workforce generations. The professionals’ primary goal is to introduce, integrate, and improve knowledge in their organization. Their second goal is to facilitate knowledge sharing and transfer between workforce generations. Improving transgenerational knowledge sharing and reducing the loss of knowledge are challenges for all industries. A cutting-edge industry such as the defense field deals with sensitive data, and knowledge management is a strategic need in a competitive context. Quality management standards propose guidelines for developing and enhancing the overall knowledge-related processes. However, implementing them requires a shift in the corporate culture team. Organizational knowledge resilience must be developed by involving the workforce in implementing knowledge management systems.

Role of Knowledge Management on the Sustainable Environment: Assessing the Moderating Effect of Innovative Culture

Environmental sustainability has become the need of the hour and has been emphasized immensely because of the increased environmental awareness and resulting problems caused due to negligence. This study has intended to determine the role of knowledge management (KM) practices in achieving a sustainable environment with the mediating role of environmental awareness and green technological use. The study further examined the moderating role of green innovative culture between the relationship of KM practices and a sustainable environment. The data were acquired from 378 managerial level personnel of the construction industry in China through questionnaires. Smart-PLS 3.3.3 was used to determine the study's hypothesis through the structural equation modeling (SEM) technique. The study found that KM practice has a significant relationship with a sustainable environment, environmental awareness, and green technological use. Also, environmental awareness has a significant effect on a sustainable environment. Moreover, it was found in the study that environmental awareness significantly mediated the relationship between KM practices and sustainable environment, but green technological use did not find any mediating effect on the relationship between KM practices and sustainable environment. Furthermore, green innovative culture considerably moderated the relationship between KM practices and a sustainable environment. Theoretically, this study contributes to the existing literature by incorporating and investigating the role of KM practices in a sustainable environment. Practically, this article presented some implications for the management concerning promoting KM practices and environmental awareness within the organization and developing a green innovative culture.

Multiyear Maize Management Dataset collected in Chiapas, Mexico

For several decades, maize (Zea mays L.) management decisions in smallholder farming in tropical regions have been a puzzle. To best balance alternative management practices' environmental and economic outcomes, an extensive dataset was gathered through CIMMYT's knowledge hub in Chiapas, a state in southern Mexico. In a knowledge hub, farmers, with the support of farm advisors, compare conventional and improved agronomic practices side-by-side and install demonstration fields where they implement improved practices. In all these fields data on on-farm operations and results is collected. The dataset was assembled using field variables (yield, cultivars, fertilization and tillage practice), as well as environment variables from soil mapping (slope, elevation, soil texture, pH and organic matter concentration) and gridded weather datasets (precipitation, temperature, radiation and evapotranspiration). The dataset contains observations from 4585 fields and comprises a period of 7 years between 2012 and 2018. This dataset will facilitate analytical approaches to represent spatial and temporal variability of alternative crop management decisions based on observational data and explain model-generated predictions for maize in Chiapas, Mexico. In addition, this data can serve as an example for similar efforts in Big Data in Agriculture.

Reduced Water Use in Barley and Maize Production Through Conservation Agriculture and Drip Irrigation

The Mexican Bajío region is the country's main barley (Hordeum vulgare) producing area. Barley is commonly produced during the dry autumn–winter season using furrow irrigation with ground water, following which rainfed maize (Zea mays) is grown in the spring–summer season using supplementary irrigation. Ground water levels in the region are steadily dropping, and the introduction of water-saving technologies in agriculture is urgently required. Drip irrigation can reduce water use but is costly. Conservation agriculture—the combination of minimal tillage, permanent soil cover and crop diversification—might reduce water use, but studies in irrigated systems are scarce. We compared water use and grain yield in tillage-based conventional agriculture and conservation agriculture, both with furrow irrigation and drip irrigation, in a 3-year (six growing seasons) barley-maize field experiment. Additionally, side-by-side demonstrations of conventional and conservation agriculture were installed simultaneously in farmers' fields and yields, water use and fuel use were recorded. In the field experiment, yields did not differ significantly between production systems, but irrigation water use was on average 17% lower in conservation agriculture than in conventional agriculture, ~36% lower with drip irrigation compared with furrow irrigation in conventional tillage, and 40% lower with drip irrigation and conservation agriculture combined compared with conventional agriculture with furrow irrigation. Water use reductions differed strongly between years, depending on weather. The water saving through conservation agriculture in farmers' fields was similar to the water saving in the controlled experiment with about 17%. Additionally, in farmer's fields conservation agriculture reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 192 kg CO2 ha−1 and improved soil health. The implementation of conservation agriculture would be a cost-effective method to reduce water use in the barley-maize production system in the Mexican Bajío, while simultaneously reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Knowledge Management in Relation to Innovation and Its Effect on the Sustainability of Mexican Tourism Companies

An essential aspect of today’s companies is to convert their knowledge into innovative applications that have a sustainable effect; therefore, this study focuses on determining the relationship between the three mentioned constructs. To verify this, a questionnaire was applied to 492 companies in the tourism sector in southern Sonora, Mexico, whose information was captured in SPSS and analyzed with structural equations in the SmartPLS software. The main findings affirm that knowledge management has a direct, positive, and significant relationship with sustainability and innovation, as well as a positive and direct relationship between innovation and sustainability. Companies can focus on knowledge management that will generate innovation and in turn will be distinguished by achieving sustainability, with a possible generation of competitive advantage, as well as sustainable innovation.