Reorienting Innovations for Sustainable Agriculture: A Study Based on Bean’s Traditional Knowledge Management

Abstract

Historically, innovation has been a milestone in achieving sustainable agriculture for small-scale producers. For several centuries, innovation has improved agricultural activity. However, there is still the challenge of introducing technologies pertinent to the knowledge and practices of small producers to achieve sustainability. Therefore, the present study explores the traditional knowledge embedded in the activities of Planting–Harvest and First Disposal circuit (PHFDc) of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) for its innovation involving the social, economic, and environmental context. Applying the methodology of roadmapping technology to 73 small-scale producers in Guanajuato, Mexico, combining the SDGs catalogue, in addition to statistical analysis, the results show access to government financial support; improving sales price, production, area, and profitability; having accessible tools; creating their inputs; in addition to having more excellent knowledge for plant care and advice as strategies to develop within economic sustainability. In this sense, based on the assertion that social and productive conditions are directly related to innovation, the proposal for reorientation is towards the creation of word credit, improving bean varieties, sustainable practices, mechanical seeders, bean corridors, and the connection with associations and institutes as the most pertinent ones that are developing in similar contexts. This research can be significant for small producers and the general population regarding food security, zero hunger, and the fight against climate change, as well as for researchers and politicians who support continuing new studies.

1. Introduction

The agricultural production of common beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) is considered an activity of economic importance; in addition to the fact that its cultivation benefits the environment and its consumption provides essential elements for human health [1,2,3], it constitutes a traditional activity and a superfood for achieving future sustainability [4]. Nonetheless, in today’s world, hundreds of millions of small-scale producers in Latin America, Africa, and Asia remain disconnected from innovation and technological development, exacerbating their social and economic inequalities and limiting production [5,6].

Historically, innovative strategies have improved the agricultural sector. For example, the Industrial Revolution introduced machinery that increased agricultural productivity [7]; the expansion of recombinant DNA patented by Stanford University and the University of California in the 1970s [8]; the use of global positioning systems (GPS) to recover data about pests and the application of fertilizer and pesticides [9]; or the adoption of robotic drones for capturing data and images of productive regions [10]. However, introducing technologies pertinent to small producers’ knowledge and practices remains challenging in achieving sustainability [11,12].

Traditional Knowledge (TK), as knowledge and practices developed, sustained, and passed on from generation to generation, has been the foundation for creating, developing, and using tools made of wood and stone as the empirical precedent of technology [13,14]. After this, various innovations have arisen, such as the introduction of iron and tractors, which have taken on an essential role in facilitating food production [15]. However, at some point in the evolution of innovation, TK began to be relegated, although it is a recognized source for advancing the sector. Today, it is called upon to serve as one of the pillars of sustainability [16,17].

In today’s world, innovation must synergistically involve organizational, technological, and social progress to improve products and services considering TK [12,18,19,20]. In this sense, aiming to produce more and better food and eliminate hunger, it is essential to analyze agricultural dynamics systemically.

TK is part of the dynamic of more than one billion agricultural producers producing around 35% of the world’s food [21,22]. In the literature, TK and technology studies are evident in investigations, such as [23], which explored the exchange of TK through the academic media. The authors of [24] expose the role of technology in revitalizing Indigenous TK, pointing out their full self-determination for creating technologies. The authors of [25] highlight the importance of relating TK to innovation, while [26] highlights the relevance of adopting innovations in traditional practices. In the context of the bean, ref. [27] describes productive limitations and the necessity of developing a formal seed system in addition to the research of evaluating four common bean varieties as resistant to storage and insects. The authors of [28] expose the importance of village-based advisors in technological adoption through incentive structure. The authors of [29] documented the management of organic crops using traditional practices for grain conservation. The above makes it necessary to investigate TK as an empirical expression embedded in agricultural dynamics, integrating technology, considering its social context [30,31,32].

Mexico, as an agricultural giant [33], is the principal possessor of various crops developed through TK of 5 million people [34]. The above is evident in the common bean crop (Phaseolus vulgaris L.), with around 150 species, equivalent to one third of the entire world [35,36,37,38], is cultivated by around 1.8 million people [39], and is being promoted as a part of the fight against hunger and poverty [40,41].

Like almost all plants, beans are susceptible to climatic changes such as the lack of rainfall or excess temperature [42]. In Mexico, the Guanajuato entity has presented worthy environmental changes and significant economic and social limitations on the people in charge of producing beans. Regarding maximum temperatures, a change of (+) 3.48° Celsius degrees in a range of 24.52° to 28° was recorded; in the minimum, a variation of (+) 1.26° in a scale of 8° to 9.26° and a difference of (+) 2.37° in average among 16.24° to 18.61° were recorded, exceeding already the projected 1.5 degrees in temperature increase as an established measure to avoid problems for humanity [43]. Regarding water precipitations, a variation of (−) 96.14 mm, going from 667.52 mm to 571.38 mm from 1991 to 2022, was recorded, below the country’s annual average established at 725 mm [44].

The bean area passed from 93,717.35 to 69,335.10 ha. and the production from 51,292.22 to 48,765.88 tons during the last decade, reducing −26.02% and −4.93%, respectively [45], while the poverty is estimated at 51.9% of their population under this situation in the municipality with the highest production in Guanajuato: San Felipe [46].

Therefore, this study aims to contribute to the literature by developing a study for the innovation of the dynamic of Planting–Harvesting and First Disposal circuit (PHFDc) of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) from the management of TK, involving the social, economic, and environmental dimensions, through the following objectives:

• To explore social, economic, environmental, technological, and productive elements involved in the PHFDc dynamics of bean production based on the TK management of agricultural producers.
• To determine social, economic, and environmental sustainability based on the TK management of agricultural producers.
• To propose innovations into the dynamic of PHFDc for the sustainability of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) based on the TK management of agricultural producers.

This study explores the context of bean production to propose innovations for the sustainability of beans (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) in Guanajuato, Mexico, based on TK management. The findings indicate the reorientation of innovation into the PHFDc dynamics presented in the following structure. Section 1 exposes the introduction. Section 2 describes the hypothesis. Section 3 shows materials and methods. Section 4 presents the results and discussion of the study. Section 5 displays the conclusions.

2. Hypotheses Development

Therefore, under the relevance of investigating TK as an empirical expression embedded in PHFDc of bean, integrating productive elements and social context, the first hypothesis is as follows:

H₁. 

The productive and social elements statistically correlate with the strategies emanating from TK.

Due to the worthy environmental changes, besides significant economic and social limitations on the people in charge of producing beans, the second hypothesis is raised as follows:

H₂. 

The environmental, economic and social dimensions around the PHFDc of beans in Guanajuato, Mexico, are equitable.

For the above, and based on the assertion that social and productive conditions are directly related to innovation, the third hypothesis is formulated as follows:

H₃. 

Some innovations have been implemented in productive and social conditions similar to those of bean producers.

The hypotheses were tested using the following materials and methods.

3. Materials and Methods

This study was carried out with 73 bean producers from the communities of El Carreton and Emiliano Zapata in the municipality of San Felipe; La Cebada, Santa Brígida, San Ernesto, Santa Anita, La Huerta, Mesa Escalante, San Isidro, and Vista Hermosa belonging to San Luis de la Paz; Los Hernández, Santo Domingo, La Ordeña, Los Cenizos, Unión de Liebres, El Coecillo, Guadalupe, La Soledad, Barrón, La Esperanza, and Loma de Ancón corresponding to Salamanca, Roque in Celaya; and Pozos in Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosas. Twenty-three communities from five municipalities in Guanajuato, Mexico, were included, representing 36.1% of the state’s total surface area, equivalent to 22,159 ha, and 34.11% of the production corresponding to 17,622.27 tons, involving around 30 thousand people [35,45].

Producers were contacted in their localities to obtain a natural behavior, increase confidence, and reduce bias of the research and at events of regional organizations during April–July 2022. The interviews were conducted through face-to-face open-ended questions and field visits, asking if they wanted to participate and explaining the study’s objective, activities, data confidentiality, and informed consent, according to Article 3 of the United Mexican States Political Constitution [47]. Information was gathered in three phases.

First, to explore social and productive characteristics, gender, age, number of relatives living in the household, process, organization, actors involved, the destination of the production, crop location, years producing, cultivation system (irrigated or temporary), production level, cultivated area, and selling price (kg) were collected, following the proposition of [48,49,50,51,52,53] in the Mexican agriculture context, based on the assertion that social and productive conditions are directly related to innovation [54,55]. The questions were:

(S1)

Social: As a bean producer, what is your gender, age, and number of relatives living in your household?

(P1)

Productive: What is the process, organization, people involved, production destination, crop location, years producing, cultivation system, production level, cultivated area, and selling price (kg)?

Economic, environmental, and technological information was also collected based on income level, the impact of nature, and available technology.

Second, to determine social, economic, and environmental sustainability, the variables on relevance and measurement of the zero-hunger objective [56,57,58] were followed, interrelating and classifying the catalogue of 11 criteria of SDGs against the responses of the strategies obtained. The strategies were obtained by applying the roadmapping methodology [59], establishing the situation during the last production and expectations of bean producers based on previous studies conducted in Mexican agriculture [48,49,50,51,52]. The questions were:

(R1)

Situation: As a bean producer, what are your main problems when carrying out your activities?

(R2)

Expectations: How would you like bean farming to be in the future?

(R3)

Strategies: What strategies can you develop to achieve expectations from the current situation?

(SD1)

Social: Were decent employment, food security, and land tenure considered?

(SD2)

Economic: Were land productivity, profitability, and resilience contemplated?

(SD3)

Environment: Were soil health, water use, risks derived from pesticides, biodiversity, and risk of contamination from fertilizers reflected?

This catalogue evaluates the proportion of agricultural areas where sustainable agriculture is practiced and facilitated [58] as part of indicator 2.4.1 and the zero-hunger objective.

Third, to reorient innovation, the tools and new tools required in the PHFDc dynamics were explored and statistically compared against strategies, following the recommendations of [48,49,50,51,52]. The proposal was supported by the usability of other agricultural activities, considering bean producers’ social and productive characteristics. The questions were:

(T1)

Tools: As a bean producer, do you have the tools to develop your agricultural activity?

(NT2)

New Tools: Do you need equipment, materials, or practices to improve agricultural activity?

(I3)

Innovation: Which technologies can be reoriented for the sustainability of the PHFDc of bean (Phaseolus vulgaris L.) based on TK’s strategies?

(U4)

Usability: Is the innovation proposal based on social/productive characteristics similar to those of bean producers? (Figure 1).

The analogy of a medical consultation to stimulate the management of TK was used. In this sense, disease in the plant was the current situation, the need to keep it healthy was an expectation, and the actions to follow were the strategy to achieve its health. The use of analogies works to stimulate the emergence of knowledge, and they have already been applied in the agricultural context of Mexico [48,49,50,60].

Information, Analysis, and Validation

The results were analyzed, recorded, tabulated, sorted, and categorized according to frequency of appearance (from the most to the least chosen) of the current situation, strategies, and expectations, based on the recommendations of the Oslo Manual and Vaisrub [19,61]. This structure allowed for an in-depth study and a statistical analysis to explore the normality of the data and the correlations between strategies and social/productive characteristics.

People from agricultural organizations and other bean producers validated bean producer identification.

Furthermore, it is essential to mention the possible systemic errors of the study, which range from a lack of understanding of the analogy to stimulate TK management to the lack of representativeness of the sample, which could give different results. However, it was attempted to reduce these to a minimum.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1. Social, Economic, Environmental, Technological, and Productive Elements Around the PHFDc of Bean

Within the bean-producing regions, the localities show social, economic, environmental, technological, and productive vicissitudes in each community.

1.

San Felipe:

➢

El Carreton is located at longitude 100°58′52.377 W, latitude 21°37′45.787 N, and an altitude of 1870 m.a.s.l., with a population of 2369 people. This study included 1139 men and 1230 women. Around 1229 people live in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, hailstorms, and forest fires.

➢

Emiliano Zapata, located at a longitude of 100°57′42.722 W and a latitude of 21°37′53.178 N, at an altitude of 1894 m.a.s.l., has 652 people. This study included 313 men and 339 women. A total of 338 people were in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, hailstorms, and forest fires.

The communities registered 9.17 years for men and 9.25 for women of formal education (meaning a high school grade without finishing), speaking indigenous languages and Spanish, and having public Internet, pay television, and cell phones as available technologies [46,62,63,64].

2.

San Luis de la Paz:

➢

La Cebada is located at a longitude of 100°32′00.460 W, latitude of 21°06′23.840 N, altitude of 2052 m.a.s.l., and population of 117 people. The inhabitants are 55 men and 62 women. Approximately 60 people live in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, or hailstorms.

➢

Santa Brígida is located at a longitude of 100°27′55.027 W, latitude of 21°13′50.368 N, altitude of 2160 m.a.s.l., and has a population of 24 people. It registers 11 men and 13 women. Around 12 people live in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, or hailstorms.

➢

San Ernesto is located at a longitude of 100°32′38.093 W, latitude of 21°08′25.181 N, and altitude of 2035 m.a.s.l., with a population of 748 people. The inhabitants are 349 men and 399 women. Approximately 382 people live in poverty. The environment records damage due to drought, frost, hailstorms, and pest damage.

➢

Santa Anita is located at a longitude of 100°33′54.087 W, latitude of 21°17′12.576 N, altitude of 1982 m.a.s.l., and population of one person. Obtaining an economic situation is impossible, owing to the number of people. The environment records the damage due to drought.

➢

La Huerta is located at a longitude of 100°32′59.777 W, latitude of 21°06′27.729 N, and altitude of 2004 m.a.s.l., with a population of 330 people. It has 154 men and 176 women. Around 169 people live in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, or hailstorms.

➢

Mesa Escalante, located at a longitude of 100°28′29.871 W, latitude of 21°21′01.160 N, and altitude of 2321 m.a.s.l., has a population of 160 people. It registers 75 men and 85 women. In total, 82 people are in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, or hailstorms.

➢

San Isidro is located at a longitude of 100°32′47.488 W, latitude of 21°22′30.251 N, and altitude of 2090 m.a.s.l., with a population of 1058. It has 493 men and 565 women. About 541 people lived in poverty. The environment records damage caused by drought, frost, or hailstorms.

➢

Vista Hermosa is located at a longitude of 100°37′36.572 W, latitude of 21°19′14.907 N, altitude of 2004 m.a.s.l., and has a population of 90 people. The inhabitants are 42 men and 48 women. A total of 46 people were living in poverty. The environment records damage due to drought.

The communities have 9.66 years of formal education for men and 9.63 for women (meaning a high school grade without finishing), speak indigenous languages and Spanish, and have cell phones, pay television, and the Internet as available technologies [46,62,63,64].

3.

Celaya:

➢

Roque, located at a longitude of 100°49′36.845 W, latitude of 20°34′46.001 N, and altitude of 1765 m.a.s.l., has a population of 102 people. The inhabitants were 49 men and 53 women, speaking indigenous languages and Spanish. Approximately 41 people live in poverty; there is no environmental damage.

Technologies include cell phones and open/pay televisions. The level of formal education in men is 10.95 years, while that in women is 10.56, meaning a high school grade, although without finishing [46,62,63,64].

4.

Salamanca:

➢

Los Hernández is located at a longitude of 101°08′10.354 W, latitude 20°41′28.659 N, and altitude of 1856 m.a.s.l., with a population of 571 people. It registers 275 men and 296 women. In total, 212 people live in poverty. The environment records the presence of frosts and hailstorms.

➢

Santo Domingo is located at a longitude of 101°13′41.204 W, latitude of 20°30′55.235 N, altitude of 1714 m.a.s.l., and has a population of 591 people. It has 285 men and 306 women. Around 219 people live in poverty. The environment records contamination from smoke, odor, and garbage in rivers and lakes.

➢

La Ordeña is located at a longitude of 101°07′02.463 W, latitude of 20°41′23.398 N, altitude of 1811 m.a.s.l., and has a population of 1255 people. The inhabitants are 605 men and 650 women. Around 466 people lived in poverty. The environment records garbage contamination in rivers and lakes.

➢

Los Cenizos, located at a longitude of 101°09′49.400 W, latitude of 20°39′50.904 N, and an altitude of 1745 m.a.s.l., has a population of 388. It registers 187 men and 201 women. In total, 144 people live in poverty. The environment records pest damage and contamination in the rivers and lakes.

➢

Unión de Liebres is located at a longitude of 101°10′57.139 W, latitude 20° 38′32.536 N, and altitude of 1716 m.a.s.l., with a population of 474 people. It has 229 men and 245 women. Approximately 176 people lived in poverty. The environment records the contamination of rivers and lakes.

➢

El Coecillo, located at a longitude of 101°08′07.953 W, latitude of 20°37′03.916 N, and altitude of 1736 m.a.s.l., has a population of 963 people. The inhabitants are 464 men and 499 women. A total of 357 people live in poverty. The environment records bad smells from local industries.

➢

Guadalupe is located at a longitude of 101°09′27.500 W, latitude of 20°37′30.051 N, and an altitude of 1716 m.a.s.l., with a population of 417 people. The inhabitants are 201 men and 216 women. Around 155 people live in poverty. Environmental records indicate that the contamination of rivers and lakes is caused by industry and garbage.

➢

La Soledad is located at a longitude of 101°09′35.833 W, latitude of 20°37′ 32.217 N, altitude of 1715 m.a.s.l., and has a population of 443 people. It has 214 men and 229 women. In total, 164 people were in poverty. The environment records the contamination of rivers and lakes and pest diseases in crops.

➢

Barrón is located at a longitude of 101°05′01.248 W, latitude 20°40′38.420 N, and altitude of 1862 m.a.s.l., with a population of 1959. The inhabitants are 945 men and 1014 women. Approximately 727 people lived in poverty; there was no damage to the environment.

➢

La Esperanza is located at a longitude of 101°09′29.701 W, latitude of 20°36′ 42.285 N, and altitude of 1712 m.a.s.l., with a population of 197 people. It has 95 men and 102 women. Nearly 73 people were in poverty, with no environmental damage.

➢

Loma de Ancón, located at a longitude of 101°07′24.048 W, latitude 20°39′02.175 N, and an altitude of 1747 m.a.s.l., has a population of 215 people. Inhabitants are 104 men and 111 women. Around 80 people live in poverty. The environment records damage due to drought, frost, or hailstorms.

The communities had 10.55 years in men and 10.11 in women of formal education (meaning a high school grade but without finishing), speaking indigenous languages and Spanish. Available technologies include the Internet, cell phones, open/pay television, and monetary services [46,62,63,64].

5.

Santa Cruz de Juventino Rosas:

➢

Pozos, located at a longitude of 100°53′42, latitude of 20°37′10, and altitude of 1761 m.a.s.l., has a population of 3167. Inhabitants were 1543 men and 1624 women. Around 1907 people live in poverty, with no environmental damage.

Technologies use electrical energy. The level of formal education in women is 7.48 years, while, in men, it is 7.69 [46,62,63,64], meaning a grade of middle school (Figure 2).

The social and productive characteristics of 73 small-scale bean producers reflect that over ¾ of the producers are men, while almost ¼ are women; ages fluctuate around 50 years; the average number of members per family is above four people; nearly 50% of sales are with intermediaries; the years of production are almost 25 years; the cultivation system is almost 70% rainfed; the production level is in the range of 1 to 12 tons and the area is between 1 and 5 ha; and the sale price is of MXN 5 to 13.4 (Mexican pesos), over USD 0.25 per kilogram (USD 0.29–0.78).

The gender in bean production is similar to that reported by [67], finding a higher proportion of men performing the activity in Cuba. Regarding age, the results align with [68], the report that cotton producers from sub-Saharan Africa are 50 years old and over. The sale of almost 50% of intermediaries is in line with [69], which was 46%, while the age of 25 years in agricultural activity is analogous to the antiquity of bean producers in Chihuahua, Mexico [70]. The cultivation system was shown to be 68.49% rainfed, as [71] reported, with 70% throughout the Mexican territory. The production level is 600 kg above the national average, registering 1800 kg p/ha of yield in Mexico in the verdin variety [72]; the surface is equal to that reported in Mexico, 71% of units of up to 5 ha [73], while the price p/kg is MXN 11 (USD 0.63) inside the range of the study [74] (

Table 1. Social and productive characteristics of 73 bean producers.

Characteristics	Description of 73 Bean Producers
Social	Men	Women
Gender	75.30%	24.70%
Age (years)	55.9	47.3
Family members	4.23
Productive
Destination	Sale to intermediary 49.31%
Years producing	24.4
Cultivation system	Rainfed 68.49%
Production level	1–12 ton
Cultivated area	1–5 ha
Selling price	MXN 5–13.4 (USD 0.29–0.78)

).

The process in the bean circuit resulted as follows:

(1) Land preparation; (2) fallow (Barbechar in Spanish); (3) dialing (Discado in Spanish); (4) sow; (5) weeding and irrigation; (6) fertilization; (7) harvest; (8) unsheathing; and (9) sell.

The people involved in the bean circuit are:

(a) Producers; (b) producers and employees; (c) producers and family members; and (d) family members.

The organization in the bean circuit is:

(i) Hydration of the land (waiting for the first rains in the rainfed system/well for irrigation); (ii) use of tractor or span to make the furrows; (iii) levelling the land and making the places to deposit the seeds; (iv) planting the seed; (v) grass removal and irrigation; (vi) fertilizer application; (vii) pod collection; (viii) pod removal; and (ix) sale to marketers (Figure 3).

The process and organization are analogous to the north-central bean region of Mexico, adding fallow (furrows), pod removal (unsheathing), and sale [75]. The people involved are similar in Africa, participating producers and employees [76], except for including families.

4.2. Social, Economic, and Environmental Sustainability Dimensions of PHFDc of Bean

According to the TK of agricultural bean producers, the status of PHFDc bean dynamics is as follows:

• The situation during the last production is (A) a lack of water; (B) the presence of pests; (C) high input prices; (D) lack of tools; (E) climate variation; (F) lack of financial support from the government; and (G) plant malnutrition.
• The expectations are (A) better tools; (B) greater production; (C) improved sales price; (D) access to water; (E) low input cost; (F) good marketing; (G) greater profitability; (H) government financial support; (I) conversion to irrigation; (J) mitigation of environmental conditions; (K) advisory; and (L) greater plating area.
• Strategies are (A) accessing government financial support; (B) improving the sales price, production, area, and profitability; (C) having accessible work tools; (D) creating inputs; (E) having advisory; and (F) better knowledge of plant care (Figure 4 and Figure 5).

The situation, expectations, and strategies are equal to those indicated by the FAO when establishing problems with pests and ways to mitigate them, price of supplies (such as water), ways to reduce it, water and strategies for its care, plant nutrition through its conversion of the cultivation system for its improvement, climate variation and its effects and strategies, lack of tools, the influence of economic development, and promotion of access to credit [5].

For the above, the interrelationships of sustainability dimensions against strategies are as follows.

In the economic dimension, bean producers have proposed strategies for improved production, surface area, profitability, sales, accessible tools, creation of inputs (specifically fertilizer), knowledge of plant care and advisory, and access to government support from communities.

No interrelationships in environmental and social components were recorded (Figure 6).

The emphasis on the economic dimension could be due to poverty in producing regions, which leads to an inclination towards strategies that generate profitability for the crop. This importance aligns with the FAO in that profitability and economic equity must be guaranteed to achieve sustainable agriculture [77].

4.3. Statistical Analysis

The statistical correlation of strategies and productive/social elements were evaluated to verify the reliability. Based on this and the small sample size, the comparison of two samples, and their organizations by hierarchies, the Kolmogorov–Smirnov test was applied to assess the normality of data. The results showed a non-normal distribution (p < 0.05), suggesting the application of Spearman’s Rho nonparametric test (−1 < rs < 1) [78,79].

The strategies showed a positive correlation with sale price rs > 0.929, new tools rs > 0.540, cultivated area rs > 0.497, cultivation system rs > 0.431, destination rs > 0.341, years producing rs > 0.166, production level rs > 0.155, and tools rs > 0.040 as productive elements, while there was correlation with gender rs > 0.782, family members rs > 0.244, and age rs > 0.211, as social components, so H₁ is accepted (

Table 2. Statistical correlation between strategies against productive and social elements.

Social/Productive Elements	Strategies
Sale price	0.929
Gender	0.782
New tools	0.540
Cultivated area	0.497
Cultivation system	0.431
Destination	0.341
Family members	0.244
Age	0.211
Years producing	0.166
Production level	0.155
Tools	0.040

).

The correlations between age, production level, and family members against strategies to achieve better production, access to government support, and profitability of the present study are opposite to the study of [80], revealing that age and productivity in Korean producers are contradictory and that subsidies hurt agricultural efficiency, while family size has a relationship. This difference could be due to the average age of Korean farmers, which is 66.7 years old (+10.8 men; 19.4 women) and the grants to the historical debate on the implementation of actions that were not requested by the agricultural sector.

In this sense, the results align with [81] when exposing the positive correlation between destination and sales price, which, under the poverty scenario in producing countries, becomes necessary, although it might not be so for those in developed countries.

Regarding the gender and cropping system, the results align with the study of [82], which shows an association with improving productivity, while the years producing the grain are opposite to the study of [52]. These results may be due to the difference of 16.8 years between bean and coffee producers from Guanajuato and Oaxaca, Mexico. This could mean an increase in the number of younger producers in several countries joining the activity despite having less experience.

Despite the above correlations, there are limitations to the application of Spearman’s Rho statistical test. For example, there could be different results with a larger sample or with a joint analysis of variables, so the appropriate selection is left open according to the size and distribution of the sample.

4.4. Innovations for the Sustainability PHFDc of Bean

Based on the statistical correlation of the strategies such as access to government financial support from communities; improving the sales price, production, area, and profitability; creating inputs; having accessible work tools; and having an advisory and better knowledge of plant care, the following proposal proposes innovations in products and services that could improve the dynamics of the PHFDc of bean:

• Innovation A: Credit to the word can be an option to facilitate access to government financial support. For one third of male bean producers, over 55 years old, living in poverty, with increasingly limited physical mobility, and a lack of knowledge of the operating methods of credit institutions, dialogue and word are configured within the empirical nature of traditional-knowledge small-scale producers.

Bangladesh has successfully implemented a similar scheme, providing microcredits to poor people in rural communities without collateral [83].

• Innovation B: Improved bean varieties [84] are an established service for greater production, profitability, area, and sales. This proposition benefits the producer’s economy and reduces environmental impact.

Its application has benefited South African producers, obtaining an increase in the sales price per kilogram during the period 2001–2014, going from ZAR 5.79 to 12.58 [85] on an area of 0 to 4 ha, equivalent to MXN 5.34 to 11.61, being within the range of the current sale price (5 to 13.4) and cultivated surface (1 to 5) in Mexico.

• Innovation C: Sustainable agricultural practices that take advantage of bean bio inputs could be an affordable option for bean producers to create their inputs. Bio inputs generate compost from the fermentation of various wastes and their subsequent application in the plant, reducing input cost, which reduces environmental impact, improves soil health, and provides resistance to pests and diseases [86]. This action can help take advantage of the bean pod in activity 8.

This strategy has generated positive interest in Pé Ejutla, Oaxaca, and Mexico producers who want to apply it to their crops, thereby increasing future production and reducing fertilizer costs [87]. Considering its hand-made activity, bean producers in this region have an average age of 52, and most are men [39], so its usability could be positive.

• Innovation D: Versatile precision mechanical seeders for conservation agriculture could benefit producers by providing accessible and better tools, supporting water capture, and reducing soil erosion. Developed by the Instituto Nacional de Investigaciones Forestales, Agrícolas y Pecuarias (INIFAP acronym in Spanish), the technology deposits the seed 6 centimeters deep in beds of four to six rows while applying fertilizer, reducing production costs. This machinery could be helpful in activity 4 of the process.

This technology is introduced in the central-northern region of Mexico, where almost 60% of its municipalities live in conditions with droughts and frosts as a part of their environment [88].

• Innovation E: Creating bean corridors could be a functional strategy to increase sales. This idea is to market the grain, which includes the value chains of the region in several countries on the African continent. This action could be helpful in activity 9 of the process [59,89].

The bean corridor scheme is the articulation between small producers and private companies to market the grain physically or through business platforms [89].

• Innovation F: Knowledge of plant care and advisory, connecting associations and institutions to provide extension services, environmental care, and increase producers’ income. This strategy is similar to the Chilean and Chinese experience for providing advisory services and better knowledge of plant care, in addition to linking and bringing agricultural producers closer to organizations [90]. These actions could be helpful in activities 1 to 9 of the process.

Through their experience, IICA and INDAP developed a similar action: “Performance, vision, and strategy for technical advisory services and rural extension”. Chilean producers are mostly over 46 years old, with a family size of approximately 2.6 and an area below 10 ha [91] (Figure 7).

Regarding the innovations, it is essential to mention that infrastructure restrictions and institutional barriers could limit their implementation; however, prior to this, one of the common causes is the rejection towards bureaucracy and the handling of documentation by small producers. Thinking about innovation before satisfying basic needs is something challenging to develop.

For the above reasons and given the complex scenario of agriculture, many people live in extreme poverty, which forces them to think about improving their economies to support their families. For this, and although there is no statistical representativeness, the strategies must focus on producers’ economic well-being. These results could be comparable to those of rural regions, where the priority is to obtain economic income before considering social or environmental needs.

Historically, the starting point for a sustainable world is the environmental dimension. However, there is a concern that a poor relationship with the environment could affect countries’ social and economic spheres. This is possibly one reason why the weight of the components should be equal [92]; nonetheless, based on the results of this study emphasizing the economic dimension, H₂ is rejected.

In this sense, the highest statistical correlation is found in the sale price, followed by gender and new tools. Given this, the strategies and the proposal for reorienting innovation, such as word-of-mouth credit, new bean varieties, sustainable practices, mechanical seeders, bean corridors, and connecting associations and institutions, are proposed as successful actions considering the situation of poverty, cultivated area, age, environmental damage, small-producers scale, and the empirical nature of traditional knowledge similar to those shown in this study.

Future research directions include implementing innovations and using methodological structures for reorienting innovation. Nonetheless, the results must be taken with caution due to the lack of statistical representativeness. More research is necessary on other crops for a better understanding of TK. However, identifying the sustainable dimensions of PHFDc bean can be significant for small producers and people in terms of food security, zero hunger, and combating climate change, as well as for researchers and politicians who support the continuation of new studies.

5. Conclusions

To feed 10 million people by 2050 [93], Latin America needs to promote the transformation of agriculture as a common bean, which is considered a superfood, in addition to combating climate change [94].

From the particularities of TK embedded in the PHFDc of beans of this study, sustainability must take into account the economic situation of small producers in the region first, starting with the following innovations: (1) credit to the word for paying the cost and employees; (2) improved bean varieties before the bean circuit beginning; (3) sustainable agricultural practices from the pod removal; (4) mechanical seeders for planting; (5) bean corridors for selling bean to marketers; and (6) linkage with associations and institutes for improving the knowledge care/advisory in the bean circuit. All these are to obtain greater production, surface area, profitability, and sales; accessible tools; creation of inputs; knowledge and advice to care for the plant; and access to financial support from the government.

Based on the assertion that social and productive conditions are directly related to innovation, the recommendations are to consider gender, age, economic situation, increasingly limited mobility, and the lack of operating financial methods, contemplating the empirical nature of TK. In addition, it is suggested that the sale price, cultivated surface, environmental conditions such as drought and frost, production level, and family members be considered for the intervention of the bean circuit, so H₃ is accepted.

Nonetheless, the results of this study must be taken with caution due to the lack of statistical representativeness. Involving a more significant number of bean producers and researching other varieties and crops is essential for the orientation and implementation of innovation. These can be significant for small producers and people regarding food security, zero hunger, and combating climate change, as well as for researchers and politicians who support continuing new studies.