Development of Agricultural Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Jalaun District in Uttar Pradesh

Abstract

This paper explores the role played by farmer as entrepreneurs in making farming a profitable venture in Jalaun district in Uttar Pradesh. Agricultural entrepreneurship is often construed as a means for empowering the rural unemployed farmer. Agricultural entrepreneurship is often considered as a tool for enabling the rural unemployed people who have the capability of starting a venture and to exceed in the fields of agriculture and allied activities. In the context of Uttar Pradesh, the present paper attempts to understand the reasons for agriculture and entrepreneurship related with it a unprofitable avenue and the strategies used by the emerging agricultural entrepreneurs in promoting it as a profitable like any other business venture. It is based on key informant interviews with 50 agricultural entrepreneurs in the Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh. A multilevel sampling procedure is adopted in this study to select districts, block, villages, and agricultural entrepreneur. Results have shown that farmers in the Jalaun district have more potential in the farming sector than any other area but self-motivation and government attention is highly required. Most of the entrepreneurs are less educated and from the family background of farming. To promote the agricultural entrepreneurship in Uttar Pradesh government, officials have to be free from corruption and partiality based on their political influence. Middle man, illiteracy, less knowledge about the crops pattern, inefficient crop marketing, and most importantly un regulated demand and supply comes as a constraint in developing entrepreneurship in the agricultural sector.

      Results have also pointed that in Jalaun, Uttar Pradesh farmers are facing lots of problems including human-wildlife conflict, irrigation, and improved variety of seeds. To support the agricultural entrepreneur needs of the farmers, the government have to formulate some new skills which will be beneficial in the phenomenon of commercialization in field of agriculture also. The farmers should develop the farm plans with the help of other farmers and also, coordinate with various farmer organizations from other groups to the enterprises. Giving entrepreneurship a better prestige as a good mode of earning is most important for developing entrepreneurship.

KeyWords- Entrepreneurship, Agricultural entrepreneurship, Respondent, GSDP (Gross State Domestic Product)