Volume 12, Issue 1 (3-2025)
J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric 2025, 12(1): 49-63 |
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Ahmadvand M, Azizifar A. (2025). Explaining the Obstacles to the Development of Agricultural Entrepreneurship from the Viewpoints of Agricultural Graduates in the Kohgiluyeh Region. J Entrepreneurial Strategies Agric. 12(1), 49-63. doi:10.61186/jea.2024.402
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-402-en.html
URL: http://jea.sanru.ac.ir/article-1-402-en.html
1- Department of Rural Development Management, Faculty of Agriculture, Yasouj University, Yasouj, Iran
Abstract: (1648 Views)
Extended Abstract
Background: Today, one of the most important challenges in Iran is the unemployment crisis of university graduates, especially agricultural graduates. At the same time, the capacities of agricultural development and employment in it are significant and abundant. Therefore, taking into account the capacity of the agricultural sector in this country, the unemployment problem of agricultural graduates can be solved by promoting entrepreneurship. On the other hand, the development of entrepreneurship is faced with various and different challenges and obstacles, which are necessary to be identified and overcome. In this regard, it will be very important to identify and explain the obstacles to agricultural entrepreneurship. Therefore, the current research was conducted to investigate the views of agricultural graduates regarding the obstacles to the development of agricultural entrepreneurship in the Kohgiluyeh region.
Methods: The statistical population of the present study was agricultural graduates living in the Kohgiluyeh region (Choram and Dehdasht counties) in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, who were members of the Agricultural Engineering and Natural Resources Organization of the province (N = 300). Among them, 140 people were determined as the sample size and selected by the simple random sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire containing 47 items based on the literature review and a pilot study in the region in the form of seven dimensions, including market-economic, skill-individual, administrative-legal, inability to recognize opportunities, support barriers, management, and contextual and in the form of a five-point Likert scale from one (completely disagree) to five (completely agree). The content validity of the questionnaire was examined and revised using the opinions of subject experts at Yasouj University, the vice president of human resources development of the Jihad-e-Agricultural Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, and top entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. The reliability of the research instrument was assessed through a pilot study conducted in Basht County (outside the research community), where Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated for various challenges, resulting in values between 0.705 and 0.854. The data were collected, coded in SPSS23 software, and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests.
Results: The obstacles and challenges of agricultural entrepreneurship in the Kohgiluyeh region can be divided into seven categories, which are economic and financial challenges, support obstacles, managerial obstacles, lack of opportunity recognition, contextual, individual-skill, and administrative-legal ranked first to seventh, respectively. In addition, a higher than standard average was obtained for economic and financial, personal-skill, administrative-legal, support barriers, failure to recognize opportunities, managerial, and contextual barriers, which shows the high agreement of the studied graduates despite the mentioned obstacles. Based on the results of the Mann-Whitney test, no significant difference was observed between women and men in the view of obstacles to entrepreneurship. However, the research results show a significant difference between the education levels of agricultural graduates and individual-skill barriers. In addition, no significant difference was observed between economic and financial barriers, support, managerial, contextual, administrative-legal barriers, lack of recognition of opportunities, and the education levels of agricultural graduates.
Conclusion: Food security in the country under the conditions of drought, water scarcity, and cruel sanctions necessitates the development of entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Notably, the primary responsibility for fostering entrepreneurship in this sector lies with its graduates; however, there are numerous obstacles and challenges to be addressed along this path. Investigating the barriers to entrepreneurship among agricultural graduates in the Kohgiluyeh region reveals a range of challenges in this area. The most significant barriers to entrepreneurship for agricultural graduates, among the seven obstacles examined, are economic and financial barriers, followed by supportive barriers; in contrast, administrative-legal barriers rank last. Among the financial-economic components, the high costs of acquiring equipment and essential supplies for agricultural businesses and the low profit margins associated with such activities are considered prominent financial-economic obstacles. Additionally, the lack of interested and specialized individuals to start businesses and insufficient skills and experience for launching innovative enterprises are recognized as the main skill-related challenges. Furthermore, the existence of an import mafia, along with unfair competition and complex, cumbersome regulations within the realm of administrative-legal barriers, is significant. Moreover, the inadequate provision of services by relevant organizations and the absence of necessary training in this regard are deemed to be among the major supportive barriers. Weak management and the failure to adopt strategic decisions for developing the agricultural sector have also been identified as important factors in managerial barriers to entrepreneurship. The likelihood of idea theft and fear of failure in starting and developing businesses among graduates further hampers their engagement in entrepreneurial activities. Based on the research findings, it appears that addressing the barriers to agricultural entrepreneurship in the Kohgiluyeh region could have a positive impact on alleviating the unemployment issue faced by agricultural graduates. Given that these obstacles significantly affect the entrepreneurship of graduates, it is essential to devise educational and supportive programs aimed at enhancing individual and managerial skills, alongside creating suitable economic and legal frameworks within the agricultural sector. Ultimately, recognizing the substantial potential of the agricultural sector in Iran and the need to promote entrepreneurship in this area can play a crucial role in the employment of university graduates, particularly in agricultural engineering fields. The proposed measures could support young entrepreneurs in establishing startups and creating sustainable employment opportunities.
Background: Today, one of the most important challenges in Iran is the unemployment crisis of university graduates, especially agricultural graduates. At the same time, the capacities of agricultural development and employment in it are significant and abundant. Therefore, taking into account the capacity of the agricultural sector in this country, the unemployment problem of agricultural graduates can be solved by promoting entrepreneurship. On the other hand, the development of entrepreneurship is faced with various and different challenges and obstacles, which are necessary to be identified and overcome. In this regard, it will be very important to identify and explain the obstacles to agricultural entrepreneurship. Therefore, the current research was conducted to investigate the views of agricultural graduates regarding the obstacles to the development of agricultural entrepreneurship in the Kohgiluyeh region.
Methods: The statistical population of the present study was agricultural graduates living in the Kohgiluyeh region (Choram and Dehdasht counties) in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, who were members of the Agricultural Engineering and Natural Resources Organization of the province (N = 300). Among them, 140 people were determined as the sample size and selected by the simple random sampling method. The data collection tool was a questionnaire containing 47 items based on the literature review and a pilot study in the region in the form of seven dimensions, including market-economic, skill-individual, administrative-legal, inability to recognize opportunities, support barriers, management, and contextual and in the form of a five-point Likert scale from one (completely disagree) to five (completely agree). The content validity of the questionnaire was examined and revised using the opinions of subject experts at Yasouj University, the vice president of human resources development of the Jihad-e-Agricultural Organization of Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad Province, and top entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector. The reliability of the research instrument was assessed through a pilot study conducted in Basht County (outside the research community), where Cronbach's alpha coefficient was calculated for various challenges, resulting in values between 0.705 and 0.854. The data were collected, coded in SPSS23 software, and analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests.
Results: The obstacles and challenges of agricultural entrepreneurship in the Kohgiluyeh region can be divided into seven categories, which are economic and financial challenges, support obstacles, managerial obstacles, lack of opportunity recognition, contextual, individual-skill, and administrative-legal ranked first to seventh, respectively. In addition, a higher than standard average was obtained for economic and financial, personal-skill, administrative-legal, support barriers, failure to recognize opportunities, managerial, and contextual barriers, which shows the high agreement of the studied graduates despite the mentioned obstacles. Based on the results of the Mann-Whitney test, no significant difference was observed between women and men in the view of obstacles to entrepreneurship. However, the research results show a significant difference between the education levels of agricultural graduates and individual-skill barriers. In addition, no significant difference was observed between economic and financial barriers, support, managerial, contextual, administrative-legal barriers, lack of recognition of opportunities, and the education levels of agricultural graduates.
Conclusion: Food security in the country under the conditions of drought, water scarcity, and cruel sanctions necessitates the development of entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector. Notably, the primary responsibility for fostering entrepreneurship in this sector lies with its graduates; however, there are numerous obstacles and challenges to be addressed along this path. Investigating the barriers to entrepreneurship among agricultural graduates in the Kohgiluyeh region reveals a range of challenges in this area. The most significant barriers to entrepreneurship for agricultural graduates, among the seven obstacles examined, are economic and financial barriers, followed by supportive barriers; in contrast, administrative-legal barriers rank last. Among the financial-economic components, the high costs of acquiring equipment and essential supplies for agricultural businesses and the low profit margins associated with such activities are considered prominent financial-economic obstacles. Additionally, the lack of interested and specialized individuals to start businesses and insufficient skills and experience for launching innovative enterprises are recognized as the main skill-related challenges. Furthermore, the existence of an import mafia, along with unfair competition and complex, cumbersome regulations within the realm of administrative-legal barriers, is significant. Moreover, the inadequate provision of services by relevant organizations and the absence of necessary training in this regard are deemed to be among the major supportive barriers. Weak management and the failure to adopt strategic decisions for developing the agricultural sector have also been identified as important factors in managerial barriers to entrepreneurship. The likelihood of idea theft and fear of failure in starting and developing businesses among graduates further hampers their engagement in entrepreneurial activities. Based on the research findings, it appears that addressing the barriers to agricultural entrepreneurship in the Kohgiluyeh region could have a positive impact on alleviating the unemployment issue faced by agricultural graduates. Given that these obstacles significantly affect the entrepreneurship of graduates, it is essential to devise educational and supportive programs aimed at enhancing individual and managerial skills, alongside creating suitable economic and legal frameworks within the agricultural sector. Ultimately, recognizing the substantial potential of the agricultural sector in Iran and the need to promote entrepreneurship in this area can play a crucial role in the employment of university graduates, particularly in agricultural engineering fields. The proposed measures could support young entrepreneurs in establishing startups and creating sustainable employment opportunities.
Keywords: Agricultural development, Agricultural entrepreneurship Extension, Entrepreneurial competencies, Entrepreneurship development, Kohgiluyeh
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