Strategic Alliances in the Agri-Food Industry: Co-creation of Economic, Social, and Environmental Value from the Local Level within the Framework of SAMExperience
Strategic Alliances in the Agri-Food Industry: Co-creation of Economic, Social, and Environmental Value from the Local Level within the Framework of SAMExperience
Strategic Alliances in the Agri-Food Industry: Co-creation of Economic, Social, and Environmental Value from the Local Level within the Framework of SAMExperience
As part of the European SAMExperience project, the Faculty of Business Studies at Mondragon Unibertsitatea has explored the transformative potential of strategic alliances in the agri-food industry, particularly in local contexts
This reflection is grounded in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement, which outline urgent social challenges such as eradicating hunger, ensuring food security, improving nutrition, and promoting sustainable agriculture by 2030.
Beyond its primary role of feeding people, the agri-food industry plays a crucial role as a source of employment for nearly 2 billion people worldwide. It also strengthens social cohesion in rural areas and helps preserve cultural traditions and heritage. These dimensions make it a strategic sector—not only economically, but also socially and environmentally.
New Strategies for New Challenges: Shared Value and Co-opetition
From an academic standpoint, various strategic theories have addressed how businesses can respond to social challenges without sacrificing profitability. Two particularly relevant approaches are:
- Shared Value Strategy, which views social challenges as opportunities to generate both economic and social value simultaneously.
- Co-opetition Strategy, which proposes collaboration among competing companies as a way to create collective benefits in local markets.
These theories are especially useful in the agri-food industry, where local businesses often compete in the same markets and face shared challenges—from promoting responsible consumption to protecting the cultural identity of their products.
An Opportunity for Differentiation and Sustainability
Creating alliances among companies in the agri-food sector opens the door to redesigning business models that are not only profitable but also have a positive impact on their environment. Promoting the culture behind each local product and encouraging conscious consumption can create a new market niche, where consumers value the product’s social impact and are willing to pay a fair price for it.
This economic attractiveness of social impact could motivate companies—even competitors—to collaborate in developing shared strategies based on sustainability, authenticity, and social responsibility.
In this way, alliances would not only enhance the competitiveness of the local business ecosystem but also actively contribute to the development of a Sustainable Food System, aligned with United Nations standards:
- Economic sustainability: long-term profitable business models
- Social sustainability: widespread benefits for the community
- Environmental sustainability: positive or neutral impact on natural resources
Territory, Purpose, and Alliances: Toward a Fairer and More Resilient Agri-Food System
At Mondragon Unibertsitatea, we are committed to promoting research and educational projects that foster this kind of sustainable alliance in key sectors such as agri-food. The approach of the SAMExperience project demonstrates that it is possible to co-create economic, social, and environmental value at the local level with global impact.
Implementing alliances based on shared value and co-opetition in the local agri-food industry will not only boost business competitiveness, but also contribute to ensuring food security and nutrition for all, without compromising resources or fairness for future generations.