Concept of Agricultural entrepreneurship
Agricultural entrepreneurship or Agriprenuership
As the name implies Agricultural entrepreneurship which is often shortened as Agriprenuership. Is the ability of an individual to identify business opportunities, and be able to manged the potential risk in agricultural sector. The individual who is practicing Agriprenuership is called Agriprenuer.
Factors affecting Agricultural entrepreneurship
The agricultural sector: Historically, the agricultural working setting did not necessarily reduce entrepreneurial behaviour. Over the last 50 years, in many western countries. Agriculture became a highly specialized domain. And it is focused on efficiency and productivity (Vander Ploeg et al.2002). For instance, in Europe, post-war agricultural modernization was very successful for its original aims, to provide food security. However, this system did not stimulate diversification and innovative entrepreneurship. Farmers were trained to be craftsmen. They produce food and fibers. The development of an entrepreneurial identity, skills, and behaviour are, consequently, not self-evident (Vesala et al. 2007).
Other factors
The direct farm environment: Farms are strongly regionally embedded. A convenient geographical location is an important factor for entrepreneurial opportunities. And The opportunities to develop new activities are much bigger when the family farm is in attractive region. Like Where there are other businesses or is also close to urbanized areas (providing a market), with good infrastructure and a well-developed supporting network (Wilson 2008).
The family firm: Agriculture is dominated by small family farms (Gasson et al.1998). But The family farming culture and associated logic influences agricultural entrepreneurship. So, Unlike general entrepreneurs, Farming families have less ideas of growth and profit maximization. However, They give Higher priority to survival. And They preserve their family heritage, autonomy, rural lifestyle by passing through a healthy farm on to the next generation (Jervell,2018). Moreover, the families pass on their farms through, from father to son. And This selection process creates communities lacking heterogeneity. They are with a strong tension toward conformity. Therefore, The presence of other generations in the farm. And or in combination with a conservative mentality does not particularly stimulate change and innovative thinking (Jervell 2001).
Gender: Farm women play an important role in agricultural entrepreneurship. Because Farm women are, in many cases the ones who initiate and develop new on-farm business activities (Bock 2004). Also, The initial entrepreneurial behaviors of farm women are characterized by “fitting in and multitasking.” So, farm women start by fitting their new activities into the existing farm and combine entrepreneurship with existing farm and family duties (Bock 2004). However, farm women change their strategy over time and develop themselves as more expert entrepreneurs, investing in further development, taking risks and identifying, and presenting themselves as entrepreneurs (Bock 2004).
Difference between Agriprenuership and entrepreneurship
Agripreneurship and entrepreneurship are not different in terms of opportunities scouting, self-motivation, risk-taking and the need for achievement. But the first has its unique distinctiveness specific to agricultural sector (Díaz-Pichardo et al., 2012; Lans et al., 2020; McElwee, 2008; Pindado and Sánchez, 2017). So, Given the uniqueness of the sector, an understanding of the agripreneurial process and evaluation of the reasons why and how agripreneurs identify opportunities is essential (Shane, 2007).
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