The rapid transformation in the way people live has become a concern for countries around the world. Innovation can offer a strategy to address sustainable development challenges in all areas of society. Traditionally, the agri‐food sector has had low levels of innovation and research and development (R&D). Despite its negative environmental effects, its value for society is unquestionable. Therefore, the agri‐food sector must not lag behind other sectors in embracing the technological progress that contributes to sustainable development. The scientific literature contains studies of eco‐innovation drivers and barriers. Nevertheless, research on low‐technology sectors such as the agri‐food sector is scarce. To address this research gap, this paper identifies the internal and external factors that are necessary for in‐firm eco‐innovation and whose absence can constrain or block eco‐innovation development. Data were gathered from Spanish agriculture and industrial agri‐food firms in 2022 based on primary statistical information collected in a 2022 survey to obtain data on their activity in the period 2017–2021. Necessary condition analysis (NCA) reveals three main findings: (i) internal factors are more relevant than external factors, (ii) the type of firm and the degree of eco‐innovation development affect the importance of internal and external factors, and (iii) agricultural and industrial agri‐food firms prioritize different stages of eco‐innovation development because of the higher complexity and technological progress of industrial firms. These results highlight eco‐innovation as a key strategy to enhance the competitiveness and sustainability of the sector. By prioritizing internal factors and fostering eco‐innovation through environmental training, green relationships, and support networks, companies can progress toward more sustainable and technologically advanced practices, thus contributing to the overall sustainable development of the sector. This underscores the importance of policies that promote training, investment in R&D, environmental and fiscal regulation, and collaboration to drive eco‐innovation and sustainability in the agri‐food sector.

中文翻译：

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通过生态创新改变农业食品行业：可持续发展和技术进步之路


人们生活方式的快速转变已成为世界各国关注的问题。创新可以提供应对社会各领域可持续发展挑战的战略。传统上，农业食品行业的创新和研发 (R&D) 水平较低。尽管它对环境产生负面影响，但其对社会的价值是毋庸置疑的。因此，农业食品部门在拥抱有助于可持续发展的技术进步方面决不能落后于其他部门。科学文献包含对生态创新驱动因素和障碍的研究。然而，对农业食品等低技术领域的研究却很少。为了弥补这一研究空白，本文确定了企业内部生态创新所必需的内部和外部因素，这些因素的缺乏可能会限制或阻碍生态创新的发展。数据是根据 2022 年调查中收集的主要统计信息从 2022 年西班牙农业和工业农产品公司收集的，以获得其 2017-2021 年期间活动的数据。必要条件分析（NCA）揭示了三个主要发现：（i）内部因素比外部因素更相关，（ii）企业类型和生态创新发展程度影响内部和外部因素的重要性，（iii） ）由于工业企业的复杂性和技术进步程度较高，农业和工业农产品企业优先考虑生态创新发展的不同阶段。这些结果凸显了生态创新是增强该行业竞争力和可持续性的关键战略。 通过优先考虑内部因素并通过环境培训、绿色关系和支持网络促进生态创新，公司可以朝着更可持续和技术先进的实践迈进，从而为该行业的整体可持续发展做出贡献。这凸显了促进培训、研发投资、环境和财政监管以及合作的政策的重要性，以推动农业食品行业的生态创新和可持续发展。