Analysis of Agricultural Entrepreneurship Ecosystem in Kermanshah County

This mixed study was conducted to analyze the agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem in Kermanshah County. The statistical population consisted of three groups: agricultural entrepreneurs, rural communities, and managers of banks and financial institutions, who were sampled by simple randomization and three-stage cluster sampling methods. Data were collected using a questionnaire, semi-structured interviews, and a focus group. According to the results, in the policy subsystem, many dimensions of the entrepreneurial ecosystem have not been considered in Iran's macro documents. In the financial subsystem, entrepreneurs have faced many problems in accessing the required financial capital. Social capital is good for male entrepreneurs but low for female entrepreneurs. In the subsystem of human capital, the educational status and entrepreneurial experience of entrepreneurs were desirable, but entrepreneurs were weak in some entrepreneurial competencies. Culture is not supportive of entrepreneurial activity and sometimes even acts as a barrier. In the supportive sector, the level of awareness of entrepreneurs and their satisfaction regarding various support organizations (public and private) and the services provided by them was low. Also, in the market dimension, agricultural entrepreneurs faced political, technical, and economical obstacles. In total, the agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem is not desirable in Kermanshah County. Therefore, for the optimum performance of the agricultural entrepreneurship ecosystem in this county, all subsystems are recommended to grow together in order to improve the capability of the ecosystem through synergy.