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The network effects of NGOs on social capital and innovation among smallholder farmers: a case study in Peru

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Abstract

The impact of non-government organizations (NGOs) on the local development of rural areas has rarely been explored empirically. Here, we employ methods from network science to evaluate the impact of an NGO’s activities on the social capital and innovation of three Peruvian farming communities between 2003 and 2018. Data were collected from in-depth interviews with farmers, including information about the farmers’ socioeconomic characteristics, types of interactions with the NGO, and innovations in processes, products, marketing, and organization. Our findings show that the NGO had a significant impact on the local social cohesion and innovation performance of the farmers. The NGO helped to connect farmers from different villages, provided access to external knowledge, and facilitated the establishment of a local productive organization. Yet, the NGO also changed the local power structure by becoming the most central agent in the local innovation system. The NGO’s centrality declined, though, at later stages of the development project as local agents took over the role of the NGO. Moreover, econometric results show that having a link with the NGO is associated with a significantly more central role of the farmers in the local network. However, only close cooperation with the NGO, such as membership in the local productive organization or active participation in technical training workshops, was associated with a significantly higher innovation performance. Finally, our study demonstrates that methods from network science can help to empirically evaluate and monitor the effects of NGOs on local development at different stages of their development interventions.

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Acknowledgements

DH expresses his gratitude for the financial support of the São Paulo Research Foundation (PROCESSO 2017/19842-2) as visiting scholar at the University of São Paulo. AA would like to express his gratitude for the collaboration of the Center for Studies and Promotion of Development (DESCO). All authors would like to thank Daniza Domínguez Rengifo and Blanca Guisgueta Sermeño for help with the interviews and data. Moreover, we appreciate advice from Andreas Pyka, Francisco J. Santos, and Michael Woolcock on social capital and innovation, and in-depth discussions with Gregorio Huaman Cayo, Maricarmen Verapinto Cruz, Omar Farfan, and Oscar Toro on the case region. Finally, we would like to thank the farmers of Chaparra for their cooperation in this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Innovation Economics, University of Hohenheim, Stuttgart, Germany

    Dominik Hartmann

  2. Fraunhofer Center for International Management and Knowledge Economy (IMW), Neumarkt 9, 04109, Leipzig, Germany

    Dominik Hartmann & Mayra Bezerra

  3. Department of Production Engineering, University of São Paulo, Avenida dos Trabalhadores São-carlense, 400 - Parque Arnold Schimidt, São Carlos, SP, 13566-590, Brazil

    Dominik Hartmann

  4. Center for Studies and Promotion of Development (DESCO), Huayna Cápac, 1372, Lima 11, Peru

    Atilio Arata

  5. Nova Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Campus de Campolide, 1070-312, Lisbon, Portugal

    Flavio L. Pinheiro

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  1. Dominik Hartmann
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Appendix: Correlations and linear regressions

Appendix: Correlations and linear regressions

Figure 6 presents the correlations between the different variables used in this study.

Fig. 6
figure 6

Correlation between the different variables used in the study. Red-colored cells indicate positive correlations and blue-colored cells negative correlations

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Table 5 shows results for the linear regressions explaining the closeness and innovation performance of the farmers. We can observe that participating in the productive organization and in the training workshops is more important for the innovation performance of the farmer than having only a simple link to the NGO DESCO. Having a direct link to the NGO, though, has a greater coefficient and explains more of the R2 of the closeness centrality farmers than the participation in the productive organization and the training workshops.

Table 5 Linear regressions on the effects of the NGO and network variables on closeness centrality and the innovation performance of the farmers
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Hartmann, D., Arata, A., Bezerra, M. et al. The network effects of NGOs on social capital and innovation among smallholder farmers: a case study in Peru. Ann Reg Sci 70, 633–658 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00168-019-00944-9

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