Agricultural entrepreneurship: Going back to the basics

• Published in: Journal of rural studies 2019-08, Vol.70, p.125-138
• Main Authors: Dias, Claudia S.L., Rodrigues, Ricardo Gouveia, Ferreira, João J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Agricultural development; Agricultural economics; Agricultural research; Agriculture; Bibliometrics; Decision makers; Decision making; Diversification; Entrepreneurs; Entrepreneurship; Farmers; Farming; Farms; Literature reviews; Markets; Natural resources; Profits; Skills; Systematic literature review; Topics
• ISSN: 0743-0167; 1873-1392
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jrurstud.2019.06.001

Through a Systematic Literature Review, this study aims to analyse how the research in agricultural entrepreneurship is approached in the period until 2012 and compare it with the period 2013–2017, which was found by Dias et al. (2019). This comparison allows identifying which research topics are underlined in each period as well as examine different perspectives on the same topic in both periods. Based on articles from the Scopus database, this review identifies two main thematic areas in the period until 2012: “Entrepreneurial Skills and Income Sources”; and “Market and Resources”. Researchers state that farmers can be considered as entrepreneurs and as decision-makers who aim to maximize profits, developing various typologies of agricultural diversification, although conclude that entrepreneurial skills required for diversified farming are different from the ones required in conventional farming. Attending to the increasingly liberalisation of agricultural markets, the literature also focuses on the ways how farmers had recombined existing farm resources into new uses namely land, human, financial and natural resources. In both periods, we conclude that entrepreneurial skills are underlined but, in the period 2013–2017, new research topics were introduced. •This study is a Systematic Literature Review about agricultural entrepreneurship.•The period until 2012 is analysed and compared with the period 2013–2017.•The bibliometric analysis identifies two thematic areas in the period until 2012.•Entrepreneurial skills of farmers are examined conjointly with income sources.•Farmers use different resources to adapt to the changes in the agricultural markets.