Entrepreneurial Behaviour of Farmer Producer Organization Members: An Empirical Investigation

Abstract

In the context of Farmer Producer Organizations (FPOs), there is an imperative requirement for meticulous scholarly inquiry in the field of entrepreneurship due to the knowledge gap in comprehensive understanding of the psychological methodologies for quantitatively assessing entrepreneurship. Therefore, this research paper aims to assess the entrepreneurial behavior of FPO members, aiming to contribute to the existing body of knowledge in this field. An ex-post facto research design was used in the study. The study was conducted in Kerala. Districts from Northern, Central, and Southern Kerala having the maximum number of FPOs were selected for the study. Wayanad from Northern Kerala, Idukki from Central Kerala, and Trivandrum from Southern Kerala were purposively selected for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used for the selection of the FPOs based on discussion with National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD), Small Farmers Agribusiness Consortium (SFAC), and Krishi Vigyan Kendra (KVK). Two functioning FPOs were purposively selected from the three districts From each selected FPO, 20 farmer members were randomly selected. A total of 40 farmers were surveyed from each district. Thus, from six FPOs in three districts 120 farmer members were selected. Random sampling technique was used for the selection of the farmer members from each FPOs. Entrepreneurial behaviour was measured using Entrepreneurial Behaviour Index. The assessment of various dimensions of entrepreneurial behaviour such as risk taking, hope of success, persuasibility, feedback usage, persistence, self-confidence, knowledgeability, manageability, innovativeness and achievement motivation helped to gain a deeper understanding of the entrepreneurial characteristics within the FPO community. The findings of this study indicate that the majority of FPO members exhibit moderate levels of entrepreneurial behavior across different dimensions. Majority of the FPO members belonged to medium level of as risk taking, hope of success, persuasibility, feedback usage, persistence, self-confidence, knowledgeability, manageability, innovativeness and achievement motivation. This suggests that FPO members possess a balanced blend of entrepreneurial traits, demonstrating a proactive and enterprising approach towards their agricultural activities.