Networks in Argentine agriculture: a multiple-case study approach Redes en la agricultura argentina: un estudio de caso múltiple Redes na agricultura argentina: um estudo de caso múltiplo

Argentina is among the four largest producers of soybeans, sunflower, corn, and wheat, among other agricultural products. Institutional and policy changes during the 1990s fostered the development of Argentine agriculture and the introduction of innovative process and product technologies (no-till, agrochemicals, GMO, GPS) and new investments in modern, large-scale sunflower and soybean processing plants. In addition to technological changes, a "quiet revolution" occurred in the way agricultural production was carried out and organized: from self-production or ownership agriculture to a contract-based agriculture. The objective of this paper is to explore and describe the emergence of networks in the Argentine crop production sector. The paper presents and describes four cases that currently represent about 50% of total grain and oilseed production in Argentina: "informal hybrid form", "agricultural trust fund", "investor-oriented corporate structure", and "network of networks". In all cases, hybrid forms involve a group of actors linked by common objectives, mainly to gain scale, share resources, and improve the profitability of the business. Informal contracts seem to be the most common way of organizing the agriculture process, but using short-term contracts and sequential interfirm collaboration. Networks of networks involve long-term relationships and social development, and reciprocal interfirm collaboration. Agricultural trust fund and investor-oriented corporate structures have combined interfirm collaboration and medium-term relationships. These organizational forms are highly flexible and show a great capacity to adapt to challenges; they are competitive because they enjoy aligned incentives, flexibility, and adaptability. La Argentina está entre los cuatro mayores productores mundiales de soja, girasol, maíz y trigo, entre otros productos agrícolas. Los cambios institucionales y políticos que ocurrieron en la década de 1990 fomentaron el desarrollo de la agricultura argentina y la introducción de innovaciones de productos y tecnologías (siembra directa, mayor uso de agroquímicos, cultivos transgénicos, GPS) y las nuevas inversiones en plantas de crushing en soja y girasol. Además de los cambios tecnológicos, una revolución silenciosa tuvo lugar en la producción agrícola: de la agricultura de autoproducción o propiedad a una agricultura basada en el contrato. El objeto en este trabajo es explorar y describir la aparición de redes en el sector de producción agrícola en Argentina. Se presentan y describen cuatro casos que actualmente representan