The new EU innovation policy for farms and SMEs’ competitiveness and sustainability: The case of cluster agrifood marche in Italy

Nowadays, the agrifood is the second most important manufacturing sector in Italy and the one that, despite the current economic crisis, can boast a positive performance thanks to the “Made in Italy” brand. However, the agrifood sector is affected by the need of innovation that is the main driver of productivity growth and competitiveness. In this context, improving regional networks as clusters is therefore a way to gain innovation competence. This work aims to explore the needs for innovation in the Marche agrifood sector in Italy. The findings are drawn from a survey conducted within the members of the Cluster Agrifood Marche. The results show that agrifood SMEs need to adapt their strategies, focusing on different innovation aspects, in order to meet consumer requirements, to develop high quality food and to compete in the global market.