Innovation and management of fish farming enterprises in the western mesoregion of Maranhão, Brazil

In Brazil, fish farming has been growing in recent years, with a highlight in production and innovation in the sector. The objective was to evaluate the innovation and management of rural enterprises in the fish farming sector in the municipalities of Buriticupu and Bom Jesus das Selvas, in order to generate information that can serve as a basis for implementing actions, both in the public and private sectors, for the development of the activity and generation of income and employment. The study was conducted over a period of eight months (September 2022 to March 2023), with six fish farmers from the municipalities of Buriticupu and Bom Jesus das Selvas, located in the western region of the state of Maranhão. Ten face-to-face meetings were held, eight individual and two collective. In terms of management control, it was observed that in the initial evaluation, the enterprises scored 1.67, and in the final evaluation, 2.33. In the final management control assessment, a score of 2.33 was obtained, indicating a 39.5% increase rate after the actions taken. Regarding the improvement of the production process, it was observed that initially the score was 2.26, which implies that the producers did not prioritize the effectiveness of the processes and activities to be developed, leading to inefficiency in working time and waste of raw materials. The fish farming enterprises showed improvements in management control and production processes. The actions and tools used in this study showed good applicability on the properties, promoting such improvements and advancements, albeit small ones.