Beyond Fields: Unveiling the Dynamics of Agripreneurship and Agri-Startups in India’s Agricultural Landscape

Akriti Sharma (), Satinder Singh (), Amarjeet Singh (), Neeru Bhooshan () and Aditya Korekallu Srinivasa ()
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Akriti Sharma: ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Satinder Singh: ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Amarjeet Singh: ICAR - Indian Agricultural Research Institute
Neeru Bhooshan: Indian Council of Agricultural Research
Aditya Korekallu Srinivasa: Humboldt-Universitat Zu Berlin

Journal of the Knowledge Economy, 2025, vol. 16, issue 5, No 28, 16365-16393

Abstract: Abstract Agripreneurship is traditionally studied within the framework of “farm or rural entrepreneurship” where farmers take up entrepreneurial activities. However, the emergence of agri-startups, where entrepreneurs, who are not necessarily farmers, are trying to solve different complex problems in agriculture necessitates a distinction between agricultural entrepreneurship and farm entrepreneurship. The study aims to assess the constructs of agripreneurship theory from the lens of agri-startups. The data of agripreneurs primarily collected by “Pusa Krishi Incubator” for their incubation programs in 2016–2017 and 2022–2023 was used to investigate the evolving landscape of agripreneurship. A mixed-method approach was employed where the quantitative and qualitative data were analyzed through summary statistics and content analysis, respectively. The results indicate a dominance of young people with higher education venturing with agri-startups, who are driven by passion for their core discipline and focusing upon its convergence with agriculture. The urge to contribute to the society was found as a major determinant of agripreneurship. The startups evolve through experiential learning along with their interaction with ecosystem agents. On the basis of the findings, an agripreneurship framework consisting of antecedents, enablers, inhibitors, and impact of agripreneurship was prepared. This study extends the application of agripreneurship theory to the specific context of agri-startups in developing economies like India by examining existing constructs. It challenged some of the existing constructs which did not align by considering agri-startups as agripreneurs including their focus during the evolution, profit as a major motive for entrepreneurship and lack of entrepreneurial mindset. It can assist policymakers in fostering entrepreneurship in the agriculture sector by creating formal institutional networks, ensuring entrepreneurship exposure through educational institutions, providing better technology deployment options that support agripreneurship.

Keywords: Agricultural entrepreneurship; Agri-startup; Agribusiness incubation; Agripreneurship framework; Antecedents (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1007/s13132-024-02457-z

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