Biofactories as a Strategy to Promote Sustainable Agricultural Development

Resumen

Objective: Explain the factors that most significantly affect the innovation of biofertilizers produced and marketed by biofactories in the agricultural sector of Michoacán.

Design/methodology/approach: The methodology involved structural equation modeling using partial least squares with SmartPLS4 software, a bibliometric study and the logical framework methodology.

Results: Sustainability, productivity and profitability are the key factors that influence the innovation of biofertilizers produced and marketed by biofactories in the agricultural sector of Michoacán. The three constructs explain 78.5% of the variance in Innovation (R2=0.785).

Limitations on study/implications: There are other constructs that can be incorporated into the variables. Each species of agricultural crop needs certain microorganisms as a bioinoculant, so the biofertilizer products market produces new types every year.

Findings/conclusions: For agricultural producers, the search for new markets, higher profits, higher sales, reduction in production costs, and sustainable fertilization alternatives significantly impact the use of biofertilizers. The factors that drive farmers to use bioinoculants are the search for a differentiated organic product for export. The use of biofertilizers has shown growth compared to synthetic ones, between 5 and 10%. In the structural model, Profitability represents 60% of innovation in the agricultural sector of Michoacán, Sustainability 19.2% and Productivity 18.8%. Mexico is innovative in the use of bioinoculants since every year it uses new species of microorganisms in its preparation.