The role of collaboration and entrepreneurship in strengthening the participation of primary producers in the bioeconomy

Primary production has been finally recognized for its important potential in contributing to the ambitious objectives of the European bioeconomy strategy (2018). Target stakeholders such as primary producers, cooperatives processors and producer association are asked not only to provide raw materials but also to contribute to the process towards the sustainable transition. Furthermore, the bioeconomy is seen as a good opportunity for increasing their profitability and to strengthen their competitiveness in the longer term. Finally, the recent emphasis of the bioeconomy on natural resources and ecosystem services matches with the growing attention at the role of agriculture as a provider of public goods. However, the involvement of farmers in bio-based initiatives is still limited and their position is still confined into the area of the primary sector. The adoption of biobased solutions appears still hampered in Europe due to two main challenges faced by primary producers: (i) poor collaboration and (ii) low level of awareness and knowledge creation. Consequently, due to those starting conditions, low level of interactions exists, and few new business relations are established. However, the entrepreneurial activity of primary producers has a key role in contributing to the sustainable bioeconomy, even if their role has been neglected for long time in the entrepreneurship literature. Entrepreneurial orientation is important in stimulating collaborative behavior and in establishing new relations among producers, in the context of bio-based economy. Furthermore, given the complexity of emerging areas such as bioeconomy, usually those interactions need a specific knowledge on optimization of processes, high degree of investments in innovation and technologies. However, little attention has been paid until now to the key role of person-based relationships and to the importance of supportive environment and networks in the knowledge transfer process. Despite the increasing interest in this matter, research in the field of collaboration net- works in the bioeconomy itself is still composed of fragmented and unconnected themes without a contextual focus. This is even more true when it comes to new strategies to enhance the involvement of farmers in the bioec- onomy going beyond the primary production. This book chapter attempts a state-of-art review on collaborations and networks in the field of the bioeconomy.