Networking Behaviour of Agri-entrepreneurs and Systematic Challenges.

Networking helps entrepreneurs in opportunity identification, resource acquisition, overcoming barriers and ensuring sustainability and growth. However, agri-entrepreneurs are locally embedded, and networking can provide limited options to respond to challenges. In a developing economy, agriculture has various systemic risks such as disasters, policy changes, market fluctuations and government policies. Given the large employment and emerging concerns in agriculture, managing such systemic challenges becomes significant. While the literature broadly indicates that the networking behaviour of entrepreneurs helps, little is known if such behaviour helps in mitigating challenges. This study responds to the literature gap by identifying the association between networking behaviour and systemic challenges faced by one of the less developed regions of India. The study considered 14 systematic challenges from the PESTEL framework and 15 levels of networking from the literature. Entrepreneurs from the agriculture sector (N = 402) were contacted for their responses. Findings suggest that networking behaviour is significantly associated with various systematic challenges faced by entrepreneurs in the agriculture sector. The networking behaviour also varies with the demography of the entrepreneurs. The study contributes to social networking theory, structuration and risk management theory. Networking happens under a social structure, and social networking helps in managing systematic risk. Entrepreneurs, policymakers and educators can understand and facilitate such networking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]