Strategic Analysis of Sustainable Agriculture with Entrepreneurial Approach (Case Study: Khuzastan Province)

The growth-oriented agricultural policy making and the failure of these policies and market led to the emergence of social, economic and environmental unsustainability in this sector, so sustainable agricultural development was emphasized. Based on entrepreneurial literature, this failure is the source of creating opportunities for sustainable entrepreneurs to make profitability and create environmental and social values. In this framework sustainable entrepreneurship development in agricultural sector facilitates the achievement of the goals of sustainable agricultural development, in particular the wealth and well-being of humans and ecosystems. Achieving this goal requires recognizing effective strategies based on the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats of each region. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is the strategic analysis of sustainable agriculture development with an entrepreneurial approach in Khuzestan province. This is an applied and survey research. The data gathering tools were documentary analysis, observation and questionnaire. The validity of the questionnaire was confirmed by academic experts and the specialists of the organization of jahad-agriculture in Khuzestan Province and its bureau in county level. The reliability was confirmed by Cronbach's alpha test (more than 0.7). The statistical populations of the study consisted of experts and farmers (116656 persons) in the province. Sampling of experts was done purposefully using snowball method (39 people). The sample size of farmers was determined by the Cochran formula (495 people). Selection of samples at village level was done by random stratified sampling method. According to SWOT analysis, the defensive strategy (internal factor 2.25; external factor 2.22) was determined to transition from the current to desired situation. In this regard, 9 strategies introduced and prioritized. Among these, the first three strategies, including the promotion of financial support and facilities, improving economic stability and the reduction of uncertainty and the development of infrastructure, emphasized the improvement of the economic situation. Therefore, it is recommended to focus on improving the economic situation of the country in order to accelerate the sustainable agriculture development with an entrepreneurial approach in Khuzestan province.