Innovation in the Agro-Industry Sector in Costa Rica

The report analyzes innovation within Costa Rica's agro-industry sector using a survey of 42 firms. It identifies that while most firms innovate in products and processes to improve quality and market share, they face barriers such as a lack of trained workers and difficulty accessing funding. Regarding environmental protection, most firms invest in water treatment and remediation, but few adopt pollution prevention or eco-friendly product development, primarily due to the non-existence of suitable technologies in international and local markets.

• A majority of surveyed agro-industry firms in Costa Rica have implemented innovations in the three years prior to the 2005 survey, with 31 firms innovating in products, 30 in processes, and 24 in both organizational and marketing areas.
• Innovation in the sector primarily drives economic performance through improved product quality, expanded product arrays, and increased market share, though few firms achieved high economic impacts through reduced raw material or energy consumption.
• Firms rely heavily on internal sources, customers, and competitors for innovation information, while universities and R&D centers are utilized by only a small number of firms.

APA

Orozco, J., & Murillo, C. (2007). Innovation in the Agro-Industry Sector in Costa Rica. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/innovation_agro_costa_rica.pdf

Chicago

Orozco, Jeffrey, and Carlos Murillo. Innovation in the Agro-Industry Sector in Costa Rica. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2007. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/innovation_agro_costa_rica.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Orozco |first1=Jeffrey |last2=Murillo |first2=Carlos |title=Innovation in the Agro-Industry Sector in Costa Rica |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=August 2007 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/innovation_agro_costa_rica.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{orozco2007innovation, author = {Orozco, Jeffrey and Murillo, Carlos}, title = {{Innovation in the Agro-Industry Sector in Costa Rica}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2007}, month = aug, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/innovation_agro_costa_rica.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }