In the State of Rio Grande do Sul, agribusiness plays a key role. All activities related to this sector, from the producer to the industry, generate approximately 45% of the economic wealth produced in the State. However, Brazil still figures as a country that focuses its activities on the production and sale of commodities and products with low added value.

The sector presents relevant challenges, among which the dynamics of value aggregation and innovation stand out. Innovation in agribusiness carries characteristics of the organic product derived from agriculture and livestock, besides the territorial advantages of certain regions and localities and the transformation of the primary product into something desired by the consumer.

The theoretical understanding of the process of aggregation of value in agribusiness has followed two strands, the approach of the coordination of productive chains and the approach of innovation. The present research project proposes an integrative approach that aims to identify the paths of innovation of the gaucho agribusiness from a unique conceptual model, here called the Dynamic Chain of Innovation. The aim is to describe how the current innovative dynamics of the agribusiness of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, to verify alternatives of value aggregation, and to identify ways to transform the sector into an activity that seeks and realizes socioeconomic value through innovation.

Included in this project are the chains of meat, milk and dairy products, grains, fruits and vegetables and wine. The results of this research will be important, since they will provide information so that public and private decision makers can optimize their decisions, whether of public policy or business strategy respectively, in order to add greater value to the Gaucho agribusiness.