Development strategy of young agricultural entrepreneurs

Abstract

The agricultural sector is currently experiencing various problems such as the decreasing number of farm workers, the lack of interest of the young generation in the agricultural sector, and fewer agricultural jobs. Therefore, concrete efforts and policies are needed to overcome it. One of the efforts and policies undertaken by the government is to provide entrepreneurship education to the younger generation through the “Penumbuhan Wirausahawan Muda Pertanian (PWMP)” [Growth of Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs] Program. Entrepreneur development requires a strategy to facilitate success. The purpose of this research is to formulate a development strategy for young agricultural entrepreneurs. Data sources are PWMP participants in the provinces of Aceh, North Sumatra, West Sumatra, Jambi, South Sumatra, and Bengkulu. The data analysis method used is the SWOT analysis. The results of the research resulted in the formulation of strategies in the development of young agricultural entrepreneurs, namely by implementing aggressive strategies; 1) increasing the ease of access to capital assistance and financial stimuli by involving the banking sector; 2) creating several agro-tourism areas; 3) increasing the ease of access to information on business opportunities and business promotion; and 4) improving facilities for promotional events and awarding entrepreneurial achievements.

Narrative Insights Reveal the Motivations of Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs in Laos

“…Thus, agripreneurship has become well established as a development strategy to facilitate youth empowerment, particularly in Africa [7] and South America [8]. Despite the increasing interest of research on the agricultural sector's potential to provide sustainable, income-generating opportunities for rural youth in developing countries, the challenges of youth participation in this sector and the options for overcoming them [2,[8][9][10][11], and scientific literature on agripreneurship in developing countries has largely been neglected by mainstream research on entrepreneurship [12,13].…”

Perceptions of the Institutional and Support Environment amongst Young Agricultural Entrepreneurs in Laos

“…The agricultural sector's potential to serve as a meaningful source of livelihood opportunities for rural youth is internationally acknowledged in both literature and practice, and agripreneurship has been hailed as a powerful tool for achieving the socio-economic integration of young people and the key to avoiding rural depopulation [5][6][7][8][9]. However, scientific literature on agripreneurship has largely focused on developed countries [10], whereas developing countries have been neglected by comparison [11].…”