Sustainable farming entrepreneurship in the Sunraysia region

Abstract

Purpose

Sustainable entrepreneurship is crucial for the ongoing viability and growth of rural economies. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the role of farm entrepreneurs in the sustainable development of rural regional areas by focusing on the Sunraysia farming community in Australia.

Design/methodology/approach

The theoretical framework of evolutionary economics is utilized to understand the process of sustainable entrepreneurship for entrepreneurs in rural areas and a case study design is utilized to build theory linking place attachment, innovation legitimacy, and coopetitive behavior to sustainable farm entrepreneurship. The case studies are analyzed using an inductive approach to make theoretical contributions to rural and sustainable entrepreneurship.

Findings

The key findings are that coopetition is necessary amongst sustainable farm entrepreneurs in order to induce a culture of innovation.

Research limitations/implications

This study focuses on the Sunraysia region of Australia so might be limited in scope and replication to other geographic areas.

Originality/value

This study focuses on the role of rural regional areas and the special entrepreneurial characteristics of the Sunraysia region due to immigration and location advantages.

Citation

Ratten, V. (2018), "Sustainable farming entrepreneurship in the Sunraysia region", International Journal of Sociology and Social Policy, Vol. 38 No. 1/2, pp. 103-115. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJSSP-02-2017-0013