Abstract
Organizations interact with different actors, some are part of the endeavor and others form part of the external environment and form networks with providers, consumers, political and social actors that give a meaning to their existance, and allow them to optimize resources, and take advantage of the knowledge and resources that are transferred from other partners within the network. This type of interaction allows rural enterprises to have distinct orientations of their productive actions and the ways in which they seek economic support with institutions and also guidance on how to commercialize their stock. The purpose of this research was to determine how social networks can contribute to the development of rural enterprises and their function as a key to obtaining different types of resources, as well as the reflection of this type of structure on the growth and permanence of these enterprises in Mexico. Results indicate that the first network is developed by family members and friends: knowledge is usually transferred from generation to generation, or among friends. Also, through professional networks technological, administrative, and marketing knowledge is transmitted, while contacts with other entrepreneurs, participation in trade fairs, knowledge exchange and access to new markets is attained while forming part of an institutional network. Universities share technical, specialized and management knowledge, among others. Government institutions also support entrepreneurs with financial resources, and Internet has become an intermediary for commercializing products
