Collective innovation in value chain in Agricultural Production Cooperatives

Since the nature of cooperatives is based on collective action, the way we look for and manage innovations to enhance these entities should also be collective. Collective Innovation is a suitable approach to deal with current problems of the value chain in the Agricultural Production Cooperatives. This applied research was carried out using a survey research method. The statistical population of this research consisted of all members (shareholders) of the 13 agricultural production cooperatives in the Kurdistan province (N=3500), of which 346 were selected using a cluster sampling technique. A researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The validity of the questionnaire was determined based on expert's view and reliability was confirmed based on Cronbach's alpha coefficient for different scales (from 0.853 to 0.932). According to research findings, main collective innovations in the several components of value chain was described, including (1) New crop cultivation,(2) The use of new inputs, (3) The use of new planting techniques and techniques, (4) Use of resources and assets, (5) Human resource development,(6) Packing products, (7) Product processing, (8) Grading products, (9) Labeling in the form of a specific brand, (10) Development of a reliable distribution network for the supply of the product to the market, (11) Formation of capital and financing, (12) Development of new infrastructure for the production and supply of the product, (13) Purchase of new machinery and equipment, (14) Risk management, (15) Coherent interactions with partners, (16) Advertising on products and capacities of the cooperative, (17) Customer Relationship, (18) the use of new communication and Internet technologies.