COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AND SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURAL INNOVATION: THE ROLE OF NON ABSORPTIVE INTERMEDIARY ACTORS. THE CASE OF INDUSTRIAL HEMP AND FLAX SECTORS IN FRANCE

Industrial hemp and flax have many uses (paper for hemp, textile for flax, but also fibre incorporation in biocomposites or lime blocks). They are facing great technological expectations with the "Green Future" objectives, both because of sustainable end-uses of hemp and flax and because of their respective sustainable cropping properties. With more than 8000 ha of hemp and 80 000 ha of flax cultivated, France is the biggest European producer. Innovation and hemp valorization is not really taking off (Garnier, Barbier et al., 2007). In order to understand this paradox, this communication proposes to establish a diagnosis, crossing a geographical account and a sociological account of facilities and relationships of innovation based on industrial hemp and flax fibres. From an empirical study on innovation in natural fibres valorization, it aims to stimulate discussion on the specific research approaches for sustainable innovation in agriculture. Among many issues triggered by the technical promise of sustainable innovation, we acknowledge for a lack of specific intermediaries (Howells, 2006) to set up organizational forms and combinative capabilities (Kogut and Zander, 1992) for innovative design. Based on interpretative analysis of the observed dynamics in socio-economic order of Natural Fibres Transformation (Aggeri and Hatchuel, 2003), our communication proposes a scientific discussion of --organizational innovation processes, contrasting with Cohen and Levinthal (1990). This type of actors seems to represent the missing link to entrepreneurships in new configurations of sustainable development.