tci2013 metropolitan food clusters: the strategic capacity of regional economic clusters
DESCRIPTION
By Alwin Gerritsen, Wageningen University, Netherlands, presented at the 16th TCI Global Conference, Kolding 2013.TRANSCRIPT
Metropolitan Food Clusters: The Strategic Capacity of Regional Economic Clusters
Alwin Gerritsen, Roald Plug, Remco Kranendonk (Wageningen UR) & Arnoud Lagendijk (Radboud University Nijmegen)
TCI Global Conference, 4 September, 2013, Kolding, Denmark
Research focus
Clusters as regional ecosystems
●Fixed attributes and generic outcomes
● Globalization
● The region as a strategic opportunity
Cluster development as a strategic, relational and visionary activity
●How does cluster development function in this approach?
Metropolitan Food Clusters (MFC)
●6 examples (Netherlands, China, India & Mexico)
The Metropolitan Food Clusters concept
Development of a sustainable and efficient agro and food systems in regional clusters
●Growing middle class, urbanization & rural collapse
●Climate change
●Diminishing stock of natural resources
Industrialisation, economies of scale and intensification
Farmers Collection Points
Collection Centres
Primary processing Centres
Distribution
Domestic markets
Export markets
Retail
Metropolitan Food Clusters
Primary \production
鬲湖Gehu Lake
Eco-Agro sightseeing district (Agropark)
Central residents and service district
Green environment industrial district
Ecological recreation district
WAZ-Holland Park, Changzhou, China
MFC as a system innovation
1. Resource use efficiency
● Industrial ecology
2. Intelligent agro logistics
3. Vertical integration
4. Horizontal integration
● Plant & animal
5. Institutional
● Governance
● Knowledge management
Vertical integration in ‘New Mixed Company’
Horizontal Integration in ‘Biopark Terneuzen’
Agricultural production through industrial ecology connected to agro-industry
Focus on sustainable bio-energy production
In operation
Yara fertiliser production
200 ha Greenhouses
Nedalcobio-ethanol
Heroswastewatercleaning
BiomassaUnie
co-digester
Roosendaal Energy Biodiesel
Pro
ces & w
astewater
Proces & wastewater
heat
heat
Proce
s & w
aste
wat
er
CO2 CO2
Biomas
s was
te
Biomass waste
Bio
ma
ss w
ast
e
Sub
stra
te
Pow
er
Heat
The concept in practice
A coalition of government agencies, businesses and/or knowledge holders start a cluster initiative
MFC as a strategic, guiding and unifying concept
External organizations (KENGi) are drawn into the regional processes
●To empower and to organize cluster development activities
●Knowledge, technology, and facilitation capabilities
Activities
‘Road shows’: awareness raising
Feasibility studies
Masterplanning (co-design)
Community formation: engagement, alignment and creativity
Joint fact finding: excursions
Establishing connections with other trajectories
Network meetings for matchmaking (B2B)
Implementation and investments
Reflexive action: making adjustments ‘on the way’
Strategic coupling with MFC communities
EIP Agricultural productivity and sustainability
●EU
●Operational Group on MFCs
Climate KIC MFC Community (EU)
MFC CoPs in the Netherlands and Mexico
Regional attributes matter
Path dependencies
●Evolution
Social & institutional foundations
●Absorptive capacities
●Values and actor relations
Conclusions
Strategic clustering is about a strategic decision and about establishing cluster factors to become a ecosystem
●Strategic coupling with external networks and trajectories
●Engaging in a reflexive visioning process
●Building on the existing attributes and foundations
‘Strategic capacity’ as a guiding principle for cluster policies
●Enhancement by facilitation and knowledge activities
●Reflexive action
Thank you for your attention!
Questions / comments?