Knowledge Sharing, Absorptive Capacity, and Innovation in the Brazilian Apple Production Chain

An innovative and highly technological spirit characterizes the Brazilian agribusiness sector. This sector is important not only for generating wealth but also for the growth of other economic sectors. In this context, knowledge sharing has been treated as an antecedent of innovation but not always considering the role of absorptive capacity. In the agribusiness context, this relationship is still less explored. We propose a structural equations model to analyze the relationship between knowledge sharing, absorptive capacity, and its influence on innovation in the Brazilian apple production chain. We use a quantitative-descriptive methodology to validate the model and the proposed hypotheses, empirically investigated based on a survey. We apply a questionnaire with 166 actors from the apple value chain, from the production and packing-houses segments of Southern Brazil. The results provided strong support for hypothesized relationships, which demonstrated that knowledge sharing significantly influences innovation in the Brazilian apple production chain. However, it must be integrated with the absorptive capacity to maximize its effects.