Do linkages between farmers and academic researchers influence researcher productivity? The Mexican case

A growing body of literature is focusing on how the collaborations researchers engage in affect their productivity. Most authors have focused on linkages among academic researchers, measuring productivity by the number of papers published in ISI journals. In contrast, the impact of interactions between academic researchers and the business sector on research productivity has been less analyzed. The aim of this paper is to analyze how broadly defined research productivity (papers, new recommendations and new techniques) in agriculture-related fields is affected by the nature of academy-farmers interactions. This latter was approached through two dimensions: the breadth of linkages and their intensity, measured by the duration, in two different modalities (R&D activities and consultancy). Based on original micro data obtained through a survey of researchers working in universities and PRCs in agriculture-related fields, we built three models, one per output, to identify the effect of the nature of interactions on research productivity. The models were estimated with a negative binomial distribution using Maximum Likelihood estimators. We found a positive relationship between interaction with farmers and publishing of papers when interactions are carried out through the R&D modality. We also found that the impact of the nature of interactions on research productivity differs according to the type of research output. The impact is broader in the case of new recommendations than in the other outputs. The production of new recommendations is positively influenced by both the breadth of linkages and their duration through both modalities of interaction (R&D and consultancy).

► We estimate how research productivity is affected by academy-farmer interactions.
► Nature of interactions was approached through breadth and intensity of linkages.
► Three research outputs are considered: papers, recommendations and techniques.
► Interactions will increase research productivity for all products.
► Impact of the nature of interactions on research productivity differ according to the type of research output.