Sustainability in Complex Agriculture Projects: A Study of Agile Agricultural Co-operative Institutions

Abstract

Agriculture projects directly affect the welfare of over half the world’s population and are a crucial component of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. The realisation of such projects and hence sustainability are often delivered through alternative institutions like Agricultural Co-operative Institutions (ACIs). Agriculture projects are highly susceptible to environmental, social, and economic pressures such as climate change, cyclical pandemics, market disruptions, and diminishing arable land. These issues are becoming increasingly vital in dint of the fact that population growth is placing increasing pressure on resources and sustainable priorities. However, recent reviews indicate a significant paucity in the extant literature on agriculture projects. The dispersion and disparity nature of agriculture projects and their stakeholder and the unique organisational form of ACIs highlight a pressing need for academic research to examine agriculture project management practices and their sustainability from an institutional perspective. Therefore, this research aims to respond to this gap in the literature by drawing on Institutional Theory through multiple case studies of contemporary ACIs in China, which are often viewed as valuable solutions to deliver agriculture projects benefiting communities, especially those in emerging markets. Initial findings from two rounds of fieldwork and a systematic literature review suggest that ACIs as value-based organisations embedded within institutional contexts help stimulate elements of agility in project management processes. This results in the successful delivery of sustainable outcomes for both ACIs and external stakeholders. ACI managers can also stimulate innovative outcomes across broader sustainable agriculture projects, especially with enhanced agility against disruptions. This paper generates a novel and interdisciplinary contribution to project management discourse and knowledge, and provides practice-based management and policy development for future application.