ENTREPRENEURIAL INTENTION OF THE VEGETABLE FARMERS

Abstract

Executive Summary Vegetable production is one of the promising sectors of entrepreneurship development in rural areas. As an enterprise, vegetable production is increasingly being recognized and could play a more constructive role in promoting rural welfare and reducing poverty by generating employment at farm level. The purpose of this research was to assess entrepreneurial intention among vegetable farmers and investigate factors influencing their entrepreneurial intention. The study was carried out in the selected areas of Rajshahi district. Primary data were collected through a survey using a researcher-administered questionnaire as the data collection instrument and the individual farmer as the unit of analysis. The important findings of the study were: majority (51.47) of farmers had medium entrepreneurial intention while 44.61% had high and only 3.92 % had low level of entrepreneurial intention. The empirical results showed that relative advantage, perceived behavioral control, risk-taking ability and innovativeness had positive effects on farmers’ entrepreneurial intention and complexity had significant negative effect on entrepreneurship. The entrepreneurial intention of farmers is an under-researched area of study, particularly in the Bangladesh context. The results of this study could help agricultural extension service providers to make appropriate policies for promoting entrepreneurship among farmers.