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Article
Publication date: 7 October 2020

Alexandra Pliakoura, Grigorios Beligiannis and Achilleas Kontogeorgos

The purposes of this study are: first, to conceptualize entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education in agriculture; second, to highlight the role and necessity of…

Abstract

Purpose

The purposes of this study are: first, to conceptualize entrepreneurship and entrepreneurship education in agriculture; second, to highlight the role and necessity of entrepreneurship education in enhancing entrepreneurship; and third, to formulate relevant research proposals.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative data were collected through a survey (structured questionnaire) distributed to 412 agricultural enterprises in the region of Aitoloakarnania in Greece. The responses were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistical methods.

Findings

The findings of the study indicate that farmers/landowners have low levels of entrepreneurship education (only 30.6% have received relevant education) and thus have higher needs. The 50.2% of respondents declare that they are willing to pay in order to attend an entrepreneurship education program.

Research limitations/implications

Existing entrepreneurship education research is useful in delineating the body of knowledge of what, when and how farmers need it, giving policymakers and researchers the opportunity to evaluate and build on research findings.

Originality/value

Given the shortage of identified research data, particularly at national level, on the role of education in agricultural entrepreneurship, this study contributes significantly to this research field, as the recognition of educational needs that affect the effectiveness of “agri-business” appears to be a crucial event for the future of agricultural entrepreneurship.

Details

Education + Training, vol. 62 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0040-0912

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 18 December 2020

Hossein Mehdizadeh, Hesamedin Gholami, Nematollah Shiri and Mojgan Khoshmaram

Although extensive governmental efforts have taken place to promote entrepreneurship in Iran, based on global entrepreneurship monitor report, the rate of perceived opportunities…

Abstract

Purpose

Although extensive governmental efforts have taken place to promote entrepreneurship in Iran, based on global entrepreneurship monitor report, the rate of perceived opportunities among young people, especially those with university education, has dropped. Since the perceived entrepreneurial opportunities are the first and most important step in the entrepreneurship process, this study identified the factors affecting the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition in Iranian higher education.

Design/methodology/approach

The statistical population included 127 senior undergraduate students in all majors of agriculture at Ilam University. The sample size was determined by using the Krejcie and Morgan’s (1970) sampling table to be 100 senior undergraduate agriculture students at Ilam University, Ilam province, Iran, selected through a stratified random sampling technique.

Findings

The results showed that the perceived entrepreneurial opportunity among students was moderately low. According to structural equation modeling, the alertness, human capital, social capital and environmental support variables had a positive and significant effect on the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.

Research limitations/implications

Regarding the research implications, the present study, with providing and testing a model for developing the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among students in a developing country (Iran) with diverse cultures and values, has improved the literature of entrepreneurship in higher education.

Practical implications

Based on results instructors in higher agricultural education can use active teaching and learning methods, such as creating ideas, experiential and service learning, teamwork and practical work, critical thinking and problem-solving in education. Also, financial, technical and consultative support of instructors and managers in agricultural colleges to implement, launch and commercialize agricultural students' entrepreneurial ideas and projects is needed.

Originality/value

The findings indicated the importance of alertness, human capital, social capital and environmental support on the entrepreneurial opportunity recognition among students. Findings showed that ecological approach could be used to develop students' entrepreneurial opportunity recognition.

Details

Journal of Applied Research in Higher Education, vol. 13 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2050-7003

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 February 2024

Zhuang Zhang and You Hua Chen

Numerical literature shows that agricultural insurance can affect pesticide investments, but few of them are devoted to explain how agricultural insurance affects farmers’…

Abstract

Purpose

Numerical literature shows that agricultural insurance can affect pesticide investments, but few of them are devoted to explain how agricultural insurance affects farmers’ selection on green or traditional pesticides. This paper aims to develop a theoretical model about how agricultural insurance influences on green pesticides selections and tests our conclusions by using the data from China land economic survey (CLES) from 2020 to 2021.

Design/methodology/approach

We employ probit model to capture the effects of agricultural insurance on green pesticides adoption.

Findings

We indicate that green pesticides have a stronger effect on stabilizing yield and increasing income than traditional pesticides, but there are still risks disturbing farmers’ decisions on green pesticides usage. By providing premium subsidies after the farmers are affected by natural risk, agricultural insurance improves the farmers’ expected income and encourages farmers to use green pesticides. Further, we further confirm these conclusions by considering different scenarios such as climate risks, farmers’ entrepreneurship and credit constraints. We find that the effects are more salient if croplands are under higher natural risks and, farmers are equipped with entrepreneurship and formal credit. This paper implies that the agricultural insurance decoupled with green technologies also have salient positive effects on agricultural pollution control.

Originality/value

The potential contributions of this paper can be outlined in three aspects in detail. Firstly, this paper aims to revel the effects of agricultural insurance on pesticide selection by structuring a general theoretical model. By using the CLES data from 2020 to 2021, we confirm that agricultural insurance increases the probability for adopting green pesticides. Secondly, this paper discusses the effects of farmers’ characteristics on the results and finds that if farmers have entrepreneurship, the effects of agricultural insurance on green pesticide usage will be more salient. Thirdly, it uncovers some practices in China, which will supply experiences for other developing countries. For example, this paper further demonstrates that “insurance + credit” plan the present Chinese government carried out will be an important measure for strengthening effects of agricultural insurance on green pesticides usage. Moreover, it shows that decouple agricultural policies will also guide farmers to use green technologies eventually if the technologies are reliable and farmers can afford.

Details

Kybernetes, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0368-492X

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 17 July 2019

Nozomi Kawarazuka and Gordon Prain

This paper aims to explore ethnic minority women’s gendered perceptions and processes of agricultural innovation in the Northern uplands of Vietnam. The key research question asks…

2112

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to explore ethnic minority women’s gendered perceptions and processes of agricultural innovation in the Northern uplands of Vietnam. The key research question asks how women develop innovations and learn new agricultural practices within patriarchal family structures.

Design/methodology/approach

In-depth interviews including life histories were conducted with 17 female and 10 male farmers from different socio-economic groups; participant observation and key informant interviews were also carried out.

Findings

Women’s innovation processes are deeply embedded in their positions as wives and daughters-in-law. Their innovation tends to be incremental, small-scale and less technological, and they use innovation networks of women rather than those of the formal agricultural institutions, including bringing innovation knowledge from their birth family to the patrilocal household. Unlike men’s perceived innovation, women’s innovation is strongly linked to small-scale entrepreneurship, and it is a powerful approach in the sense that it strengthens the position of women in their families while improving the household economy.

Research limitations/implications

Identifying socially constructed innovation processes helps policymakers to rethink the introduction of ready-made innovation packages, both in terms of content and delivery, and to facilitate innovation for women, as well as men, in marginalized positions.

Social implications

Understanding the gendered processes of innovation instead of measuring gender gaps in innovation outcomes sheds light on women’s interests and preferences, which can inform policies for supporting women’s innovation and thereby lead to social change, including gender equity.

Originality/value

This paper contributes to the understanding of gendered innovation processes and entrepreneurship associated with agriculture in rural areas in non-Western ethnic-minority contexts, which is an area that past and current research on entrepreneurship has relatively ignored.

Details

International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, vol. 11 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1756-6266

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 13 September 2021

Alexandra Panagiotis Pliakoura, Grigorios Beligiannis and Achilleas Kontogeorgos

Literature contributions to agricultural cooperative (AC) entrepreneurship model are fragmented and show some significant limitations. The purpose of this paper is to identify the…

Abstract

Purpose

Literature contributions to agricultural cooperative (AC) entrepreneurship model are fragmented and show some significant limitations. The purpose of this paper is to identify the existing important barriers to this entrepreneurship model as well as to group them into respective themes.

Design/methodology/approach

A systematic literature review (SLR) of peer reviewed journal articles was carried out by the authors in well-known databases, such as Scopus, Emerald, ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, IDEAS/RePEc search and Web of Science. In total, 78 articles from 26 different countries during 2010–2019 were collected.

Findings

A large number of important barriers are identified in the literature and meaningful dimensions of these barriers are also revealed.

Practical implications

The study has important implications regarding the ways to improve the effectiveness of AC model. Researchers and practitioners can use the results presented in this study for further development of this model.

Originality/value

This study presents the important barriers in AC model in global scope analytically and groups them into meaningful themes, which significantly differentiate the present SLR study from those published so far.

Details

International Journal of Social Economics, vol. 49 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0306-8293

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 9 March 2020

Henry Adobor

This article extends the literature on agricultural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial failure in Ghana, a country in sub-Saharan Africa by exploring failure in a cohort of…

1168

Abstract

Purpose

This article extends the literature on agricultural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial failure in Ghana, a country in sub-Saharan Africa by exploring failure in a cohort of firms. As engines of economic growth, the performance of micro, small, and medium-sized firms is important. Agro-based enterprises, in particular, are vital because entrepreneurial failure in agribusiness affects food security, and is disruptive to social and economic stability.

Design/methodology/approach

Using qualitative data from interviews, we identified reasons for the failure of a group of entrepreneurs associated with a novel agribusiness activity in an otherwise economically attractive market in an emerging economy. The data for the study came from 69 respondents who started and exited aquaculture, a form of agribusiness within a period.

Findings

The results of this study show that there can be negative effects of social structure on entrepreneurial behavior and outcomes. The strong social ties that emerged among the farmer-entrepreneurs led to excessive peer-to-peer copying and knowledge sharing, leading to premature closure of the search for nonredundant ideas. One consequence of that was the narrowing of the pool of available knowledge, which if broadened, may have improved the chances of success of these businesses. Also, the results demonstrate that a lack of institutional support in the form of training in the appropriate management of a new technology adversely affected the farmer-entrepreneurs and their businesses. It is important for governments that introduce a new economic activity to provide the scaffolding, including an understanding of the value chain, to enhance the chances of the economic success of ventures. Entrepreneurs for their part need to broaden their search for new ideas outside their peer groups to increase their chances of accessing non-redundant knowledge.

Research limitations/implications

The sample size is small, limiting the generalization of findings and the recollection of events may fade with the passage of time, especially since most of the farmers did not keep written records.

Practical implications

First, entrepreneurship and economic development, long held as a panacea for moving developing countries out of poverty, may require consistent government support. Second, entrepreneurs venturing into business need to understand the particular challenges associated with a novel activity. Finally, entrepreneurs need to recognize that interconnectedness should not necessarily lead to the convergence of ideas and behavior.

Originality/value

The study extends and contextualizes the literature on agricultural entrepreneurship and entrepreneurial failure. Besides, the study focuses on entrepreneurial failure in Sub-Saharan Africa, an under-researched setting.

Details

Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, vol. 27 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1462-6004

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 March 2024

Xiu-e Zhang, Liu Yang, Xinyu Teng and Yijing Li

Based on the attention-based view (ABV), this study examines the mechanism of external pressure and internal managerial interpretation affecting the promotion of green…

Abstract

Purpose

Based on the attention-based view (ABV), this study examines the mechanism of external pressure and internal managerial interpretation affecting the promotion of green entrepreneurial orientation (GEO) of agricultural enterprises.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on data collected from 208 agricultural enterprises in China, the conceptual model was tested by using hierarchical regression.

Findings

The results show that managerial interpretation can affect the promotion of GEO. Command and control regulation, market-based regulation and green market pressure are important external pressures that affect the promotion of GEO. In addition, managerial interpretation mediates the relationship between command and control regulation and GEO, market-based regulation and GEO, as well as green market pressure and GEO.

Practical implications

This study proposes a key path for promoting the adoption and implementation of GEO by agricultural enterprises. The research results provide experience for emerging and developing countries to promote the GEO of agricultural enterprises, which is helpful to alleviate the environmental problems caused by the development of agricultural enterprises.

Originality/value

For the first time, this study introduced the ABV into the research of GEO. The research results enrich the theoretical perspective of GEO and expand the research field of the ABV. In addition, this study fills the research gap that existing research has not paid enough attention to the internal driving factors of GEO and opens the black box between the external pressure and GEO.

Details

Management Decision, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0025-1747

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 4 August 2020

Hesamedin Gholami, Amir Alambeigi, Mohammadreza Farrokhnia, Omid Noroozi and Mostafa Karbasioun

This study aims to investigate the role of social capital in Iranian agricultural students' acquisition of generic skills. For this purpose, the effect of various social capital…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the role of social capital in Iranian agricultural students' acquisition of generic skills. For this purpose, the effect of various social capital dimensions on students' generic skills development was examined.

Design/methodology/approach

A survey was conducted among 190 third- and fourth-year undergraduate students in one of the colleges of agriculture and natural resources in Iran. The partial least square method was used to examine the relationships among various social capital dimensions (i.e. social values, social trust, social networks, social cohesion, social participation, social communications and information sharing) with students' generic skills.

Findings

The findings showed that social networks and social participation are effective factors in the generic skills development of students. A model designed for the development of students' generic skills based on their social capital level predicted up to 33% of generic skills' variances. Furthermore, the multi-group analysis showed that males and females vary on how various social capital dimensions affect their generic skills. In this respect, the social participation dimension had a significantly greater impact on female students' generic skills, whereas the generic skills of male students were influenced more by the social cohesion dimension.

Practical implications

Developing generic skills through social capital can be considered as an effective strategy in countries that do not have formal programs for developing students' generic skills. Additionally, higher education policymakers should present a more supportive approach for developing generic skills of female students through social participation in the campuses.

Originality/value

So far, no study has examined the relationships among various social capital dimensions and students' generic skills in Iran. The picture is even more unclear when it comes to the differences between male and female students. The results of this study confirmed the importance of social networks and social participation in the universities to support students and to improve their generic skills and, consequently, their employability competencies. Furthermore, it could be inferred that male and female students have similarities and also differences in terms of the effect of social capital on developing generic skills that can provide a path for future studies.

Details

Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning, vol. 11 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2042-3896

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 6 October 2023

Alexandra Pliakoura, Grigorios Beligiannis, Athanasia Mavrommati and Achilleas Kontogeorgos

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perceptions of young agricultural entrepreneurs (agripreneurs, as a neologism, from now on), to understand what they consider as…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perceptions of young agricultural entrepreneurs (agripreneurs, as a neologism, from now on), to understand what they consider as determinants in achieving entrepreneurial success in accordance with their type of farming.

Design/methodology/approach

This study uses primary data collected through a questionnaire, among 222 young agripreneurs who are active in lowland, semi-mountainous and mountainous regions of western Greece.

Findings

The approach used provided a clear evidence that perceived characteristics, such as internal funding and level of education/training, have a significant relationship with the perception of young agripreneurs’ success (YAS). Also, the perception of young agripreneurs for success varies by the type of farming. Crop production agripreneurs have a significantly higher need for participation in Producer Groups than in livestock production ones. Alternatively, gender, presents a significant relationship only with livestock production agripreneurs’ success.

Practical implications

The results of this study could help to design appropriate policy instruments and at the same time, promote and foster entrepreneurship on the one hand and provide suggestions for young agripreneurs to create sustainable new ventures on the other hand.

Originality/value

This study is original and valuable in the sense that provides the practical implications for understanding the entrepreneurial success and sustainability in a very critical segment of the agricultural sector.

Details

Management & Sustainability: An Arab Review, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2752-9819

Keywords

11 – 20 of over 7000