Entrepreneurial identity affects strategic cultivation decisions

Protein crops are important in enhancing sustainable and self-contained agriculture and food security in Europe. Individual farmers are key players in protein crop production. The article published in Journal of Rural Studies aims to understand how an entrepreneurial identity affects strategic cultivation decisions in the context of protein-rich crop farming.

In the study, entrepreneurial identity is defined to consist of a farmer's personal and entrepreneurial orientations. Data on 308 Finnish farmers were gathered and statistically tested. The findings clarify that entrepreneurial identity increases the probability of beginning protein-rich crop cultivation, especially if the farmer in question is innovative, a risk-taker and highly educated. The article contributes to the understanding of agricultural entrepreneurship and strategic cultivation decisions made by different kinds of farmers. The authors further claim that profitable but risky and demanding crops have tempted farmers with a high entrepreneurial identity for the most part, which would not suffice for protein crops to become mainstream.

Entrepreneurial identity and farmers' protein crop cultivation choices, Suvanto, H., Niemi, J. K. & Lahdesmaki, M., huhtikuuta 2020, julkaisussa : Journal of Rural Studies. 75, s. 174-184