Institutional and Social Drivers of Agropreneurial Intention: Unveiling the Mediating Role of Entrepreneurial Drive

Abstract

In agrarian countries, the "agropreneurship" phenomenon, that is the application of entrepreneurial practices in the agriculture field, is steadily and progressively gaining traction. However, agropreneurship remains a relatively less preferred domain among the younger generation. This makes investigating the influencing factors that could lead to increasing young individuals’ intentions to engage in agropreneurship as an imperative and worthwhile academic pursuit. In this vein, the current study sets out to determine those social, as well as institutional factors, that may enhance the agropreneurship intention among the young agricultural students, focusing specifically on the role of entrepreneurial drive as a mediator. A survey questionnaire was used to collect the primary data from final-year students pursuing degrees in agriculture and related fields at public sector Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in China and Pakistan. 330 responses in total, selected through proportional allocation method, were included in the study. For analyzing the data, the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) and the Process approach were employed. The results of this study indicate that institutional factors like perceived support from universities, social factors like subjective norms, perceived government support, and social networking are important determinants influencing agropreneurial intention of students studying agriculture. However, the curriculum and content of agropreneurship education were not found to have any significant impact. Furthermore, the results demonstrate that entrepreneurial drive significantly impacts agropreneurial intention of these students. Our findings further indicate that the relationship between institutional factors, social factors, and agropreneurial intention is mediated by the entrepreneurial drive construct. On the other hand, the entrepreneurial drive did not significantly mediate the relationship between the agropreneurship curriculum, social networking, and agropreneurial intention. These findings hold practical value for policymakers and academics interested in identifying key factors that can foster agropreneurship intentions among students in agricultural disciplines. Finally, this research acknowledges its limitations and provides suggestions for further studies.

Keywords: Agropreneurial curriculum, perceived university support, social networking, agropreneurial education, agropreneurial intention, subjective norm, perceived government support, entrepreneurial drive