Innovation is an important strategy for enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of agri-food value chains, especially in developing countries where it significantly contributes to rural development. Innovation is increasingly viewed as a cooperative process involving various actors. However, few studies examine cooperation within extended agri-food value chains, which include both the actors within the chains and supporting organizations. Therefore, this study explores and compares cooperation for innovation among actors in two extended value chains: one in Nicaragua (dairy milk) and another in Paraguay (corn), using proximity theory, which considers non-spatial dimensions such as institutional, cognitive, social, and organizational factors. Additionally, a method for measuring personal proximity is proposed. Data from 157 participants across the two chains are analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results highlight the significant roles of social and institutional proximities in promoting cooperation and demonstrate how such collaboration accelerates innovation. The study discusses both theoretical and practical implications
Daniel Esteban Ramírez Cárdenas (Tue,) studied this question.