Competency of agripreneurs in Organic Farming: An Empirical Analysis on Palakkad District in Kerala
1
Keywords:
agriprenuers, Organic Farming, skills, competetenciesAbstract
Organic farmers mainly reliy on seasonal changes and ecological conditions in Kerala, as a result, entrepreneurs in the organic sector face several uncertainties in Kerala. Earlier research rarely analysed the skills and competencies of organic agripreneurs. The study analyses the dimensions of competency of organic agripreneurs in Palakkad district of Kerala. To accomplish this goal, a mixed-method approach was adopted. Primary data were collected through a structured interview schedule from 250 respondents in February 2026. The primary data were analysed using multinomial logit regression. The organic agripreneurs needed to improve their skill levels, which were reflected in their competency levels. It indicated that policy support mechanisms such as professional training, digital exposure and access to resources were essential for enhancing the competency levels of agripreneurs in organic sector.
References
Bahaw, P., Baboolal, A., Mack, A. J., & Carter-Rogers, K. (2024). Exposure to entrepreneurship education interventions reveal improvements to vocational entrepreneurial intent: a two-wave longitudinal study. Discover Education, 3(1), 145. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44217-024-00241-4
Bhuriya, R., & Gour, C. L. (2025). Entrepreneurial behaviour of vegetable farmers at Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh, India. Journal of Experimental Agriculture International, 47(6), 221–228. https://doi.org/10.9734/jeai/2025/v47i63483
Chopra, S., & Rathore, R. (2024). Entrepreneurial behavior of vegetable growers and determinants: A study in Ferozepur district of Punjab, India. Archives of Current Research International, 24(10), 8–15. https://doi.org/10.9734/acri/2024/v24i10903
Chouaibi, S., Chouaibi, J., & Rossi, M. (2022). ESG and corporate financial performance: the mediating role of green innovation: UK common law versus Germany civil law. EuroMed Journal of Business, 17(1), 46-71. https://doi.org/10.1108/EMJB-09-2020-0101
Cornejo, G. A., Lamiño, P., & Trejos, B. (2024). Climate change: Relationship between knowledge and perception in students of an agricultural-based university in Ecuador. Sustainability, 16(13), 5548. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/16/13/5548
Cronbach, L. J. (1951). Coefficient alpha and the internal structure of tests. psychometrika, 16(3), 297-334. https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02310555
Garcia, C. (2020). Sustainable Knowledge Economy Index. Journal of Educational and Human Resource Development (JEHRD), 8, 1-15.
Garima, Dhingra, A., Bishnoi, D. K., Lemma, H. R., & Lamba, R. (2023). Large and powerful or small and lovely: opinions of first-generation agricultural entrepreneurs on agribusiness success factors. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems, 7, 1194981. https://doi.org/10.3389/fsufs.2023.1194981
Gills R., Singh R. & Nain M.S. (2013). Extent of adoption and perceived reasons for organic cardamom production in Idukki District of Kerala. Journal of Community Mobilization and Sustainable Development, 8 (1),41-47
Gills R., Singh R. & Nain M. S. (2021). Sustainability and organic farming – A case of organic cardamom (Elettaria cardamomum) growers in Kerala State of India, Indian Journal of Extension Education, 57(1), 08-14.
Goretzko, D., & Ruscio, J. (2024). The comparison data forest: A new comparison data approach to determine the number of factors in exploratory factor analysis. Behavior Research Methods, 56(3), 1838-1851. https://link.springer.com/article/10.3758/s13428-023-02122-4
Gupta S. K. Nain M.S., Singh R., Mishra J R., & Lata A. (2023). Exploring the entrepreneurial climate and attributes of agripreneurs and its determinants. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 59 (2), 93-97. http://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2023.59220
Ismail, S., Potgieter, I. L., & Coetzee, M. (2023). Self-regulatory employability attributes and competency: the strengthening role of grit. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1298299. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1298299
Kademani, S., Nain, M. S., Singh, R., & Roy, S. K. (2024). Analysis and profiling of agri-entrepreneurship promoting institutions. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 60(1), 35-40 https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2026.62202
Kademani S., Nain M.S., Singh R., Dhull S.K., Parsad R., Sharma D.K., & Roy S.K. (2026). Personal and institutional determinants of an effective entrepreneurial intervention, Journal of Agricultural Science and Technology,28(1), 87-101. https://doi.org/10.48311/jast.2026.16843
Kerala Economic Review (Various Years). Kerala State Planning Board, Government of Kerala. https://spb.kerala.gov.in
Kesari, S., Pradhan, H., & Mukhopadhyay, S.D. (2024). Entrepreneurial behaviour of farmers: A review in Indian perspective. International Journal of Agriculture Extension and Social Development, 7 (7), 79-88. https://doi.org/10.33545/26180723.2024.v7.i7Sb.777
Kiran, Pathania, A., & Vikash, Meena, S. S. (2025). Constraints faced by rural youth for opting entrepreneurship as career: A case study of Haryana. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(1), 99-103. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.611RN01
Klerkx, L., Jakku, E., & Labarthe, P. (2019). A review of social science on digital agriculture, smart farming and agriculture 4.0: New contributions and a future research agenda. NJAS: Wageningen Journal of Life Sciences, 90(1), 1-16. https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1016/j.njas.2019.100315
Ključnikov, A., Civelek, M., Kupec, V., & Badie, N. B. (2025). Breaking down entrepreneurial barriers: exploring the nexus of entrepreneurial behavior, innovation, and bank credit access through the lens of the theory of planned behavior. International Entrepreneurship and Management Journal, 21(1), 13. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11365-024-01025-w
Kobba F., Nain M.S., Singh Rashmi, Mishra J.R. (2021). Determinants of entrepreneurial success in farm and non-farm sectors: A comparative analysis. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 91(2), 269-73. https://doi.org/10.48311/jast.2026.16843
Kumar, A., Singh, R., Gupta, R., & Sinha, P. K. (2025). Entrepreneurial competencies influence subjective well-being of subsistence entrepreneurs: Examining the mediating role of business performance. Journal of Small Business Management, 63(2), 819-848. https://doi.org/10.1080/00472778.2024.2358878
Luthans, F., & Youssef-Morgan, C. M. (2017). Psychological capital: An evidence-based positive approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4, 339-366. https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113324
McElwee, G., & Bosworth, G. (2010). Exploring the strategic skills of farmers across a typology of farm diversification approaches. Journal of Farm Management, 13(12), 819-838. https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/3994/
Mukharjee, M., & Ghosh, S. (2025). Behavioural Determinants of Secondary Agriculture-based Entrepreneurs in Assam. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(4), 90-95. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.61415
Nain M. S., Singh R., Mishra J. R. & Sharma J. P. (2018).Scalability of farmer led innovations (FLIs): A study of perceived determinants and required capacities. Indian Journal of Agricultural Sciences, 88 (8), 1312-1315. https://doi.org/10.56093/ijas.v88i8.82582
Raina, V., Bhushan, B. H. A. R. A. T., Bakshi, P., & Khajuria, S. (2016). Entrepreneurial behaviour of dairy farmers. Journal of Animal Research, 6(5), 1-7. https://irep.ntu.ac.uk/id/eprint/3994
Siddiqui, A., & Rokade, V. (2026). Entrepreneurial orientation, competencies, and access to finance in MSMEs: a PLS-SEM analysis of business innovation and performance. Future Business Journal, 12(1), 158. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-026-00868-9
Suman, S., Deb, A., & Prusty, A. K. (2025). Constraints and strategic suggestions for enhancing integrated farming systems among Bonda tribal family farms. Indian Journal of Extension Education, 61(3),132-136. https://doi.org/10.48165/IJEE.2025.613RN05
Toledo-López, A., Díaz-Pichardo, R., Jiménez-Castañeda, J. C., & Sánchez-Medina, P. S. (2012). Defining success in subsistence businesses. Journal of Business Research, 65(12), 1658-1664. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0148296312000380
Trivedi, M. Y. P., & Patel, B. I. (2024). A study on the impact of agri-entrepreneurship in the development of the agricultural sector resulting in upliftment of the Indian economy. The International Journal of Commerce and Management, 4(2), 37-47. https://doi.org/10.56360/DIJCM/4.II.2024.2404
Yi, H., Meng, X., Linghu, Y., & Zhang, Z. (2023). Can financial capability improve entrepreneurial performance? Evidence from rural China. Economic research-Ekonomska istraživanja, 36(1), 1631-1650. https://doi.org/10.1080/1331677X.2022.2091631
Submitted
Published
Data Availability Statement
Primary survey
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Indian Society of Extension Education, Division of Agricultural ExtensionICAR- IARI, New Delhi

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
- The manuscripts once accepted and published in the Indian Journal of Extension Education will automatically become the property of the Indian Society of Extension Education, New Delhi. The Chief Editor on behalf of the Indian Journal of Extension Education holds the copyright.