Diagnosis of the production chain of flowers, turfgrass, and ornamental plants: proposal for an innovation agenda

Abstract

Sectoral and Thematic Chambers are forums for dialogue created by the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock (MAPA), through which greater interaction with productive chains is sought, as well as the identification of opportunities and the definition of priority actions for developing Brazilian agriculture. The Thematic Chambers can contribute to the development of agriculture by identifying demands from the productive sector and linking them to proposals for research, development, and innovation by creating innovation agendas. For that, the analysis of productive chains and their practices allows a better understanding of agribusiness, which consequently enables the development of effective strategies to promote the growth and development of a sector. The objective of the agenda in Flower, Turfgrass, and Ornamental Plant is to present an analysis of the main problems and opportunities for innovation in the productive chains. A diagnosis of the current situation focusing on a vision for the future was required to prepare this Innovation Agenda. The methodological approach was divided and conducted through different analyses: a) Analysis of the evolution of the Flower and Ornamental Plant Market; b) Analysis of contributions, impact, and expectations of the links in the production chain; c) Mapping of human capital in Brazilian science with the potential to contribute to technological innovations for the market of flowers, grasses, and ornamental plants. The Innovation Agenda prioritizes the most relevant obstacles, establishes their level of importance, and identifies ten significant Innovation Challenges to be addressed by the public and private sectors of the country. Through the agenda, strategic actions are suggested for research, technology transfer, and public policies, which are essential for the technological development of the sector, without neglecting its socioeconomic and environmental sustainability. For each Innovation Challenge, Strategic Actions were suggested to be pursued, and Brazil has the technical competence distributed across the country, in nationally recognized universities and research institutes and enterprises.