Social Innovation in Olive Oil Cooperatives: A Case Study in Southern Spain

Juan Antonio Parrilla-González and Diego Ortega-Alonso
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Juan Antonio Parrilla-González: Department of Economics, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain
Diego Ortega-Alonso: Department of Didactics of Artistic Expression, University of Jaén, 23071 Jaén, Spain

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 7, 1-13

Abstract: Recent years have witnessed a notable increase in the implementation of social innovation strategies for creating products with major social impact. Despite the lack of conceptual clarity still surrounding the term, social innovation, as a participatory research method, is finding scope for growth in agricultural cooperatives, whether in the areas of R&D and knowledge transfer, or in the commercialization of innovative products. Society has underscored the need for change in the environment and the implementation of new projects that help improve socioeconomic living conditions, promoting territorial development through social transformation. In the case of cooperativism in the olive oil industry in southern Spain, cooperatives are responsible for 70% of the oil produced there. As such, the actions carried out under their influence have a huge impact on the population and serve as tools that anchor people to their municipalities. This article analyses a case study from an olive oil cooperative, exploring the development of a social innovation project involving knowledge transfer and public awareness-raising through the label of an early harvest olive oil called “Primer Día de Cosecha” (First Day of Harvest). It also assesses the impact of the project on the population of the Andalusian municipality of Bailén (Jaén).

Keywords: social innovation; cooperativism; territorial development; olive oil sector; commercialization; scientific communication (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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