Gendered lens on agripreneurship: Key influencers of entrepreneurial behaviouramong women in Bihar

Introduction

The contributions of women are crucial for emerging nations like India, as they make up about half of the population. Until the status of women is improved, a nation cannot grow. Women play a variety of intricate roles in the growth of the economy, most notably in the home and in different agricultural pursuits (Singh et al., 2012) [3] . The bulk of households in rural areas, which make up 70% of the Indian economy, depend on agriculture and related industries for their livelihoods. It is evident that these households have no alternative sources of income. Women's contribution is major in agriculture, taking care of cattle, dairying etc and have become the head of the family due to migration of male member to find a job in the cities so majority of the decision which is 51% taken by women entrepreneur (Kavita, 2016) [4] . In all aspects of traditional farming, women have a leading role. They make significant contributions to homemaking and the agro-processing of different crops (Majumdar and Shah, 2017) [2] . Women's entrepreneurship was primarily driven by the desire to provide financial security for their families and children, the success of other business owners, and the knowledge that hard effort and family support are essential for success in the workplace (Mogilicharla, 2003) [5] . About 80% of the people in the eastern Indian state of Bihar are employed in agriculture, making it one of the most productive agricultural states in the nation. The region's female agricultural workforce was estimated to be 19.32%, and its agricultural workers to be 19.48%and 14.01 percent for rural and urban areas, respectively. Since agribusiness creates jobs for a large number of people, it is crucial for the growth of both rural and urban areas. Therefore, the only option to employ a large number of women who work in agriculture in both rural and urban areas, enabling them to become self-sufficient and elevate their status, is through agribusiness. Organic farming, mushroom cultivation, goat rearing, poultry farm management, lac bangle production, textile shop management, pickle and papad production, various bakery and confectionery establishments, dairy industries, etc. are all activities that women in Bihar engage in. A number of them operate their businesses independently, while others do so in teams.

Objective

To ascertain the factors influencing Agripreneurship behaviour of women.

Methodology

The study was carried out in Samastipur and Muzaffarpur districts of Bihar. These two districts were selected purposively as Dr. Rajendra Prasad Central Agricultural University's main campus and sub-campus are situated in Samastipur and Muzaffarpur respectively. Samastipur consists of 20 blocks out of which 2 blocks namely Pusa and www.extensionjournal.com Kalyanpur were selected for study and Muzaffarpur consists of 16 blocks out of which 4 blocks i.e. Saraiya, Bochaha, Sakra and Muzzafarpur town areas were selected blocks purposefully to complete the study properly. The study was conducted in both rural and urban areas. Total sample of 120 women agripreneurs were taken from different sectors. From table2 it was revealed that out of 120respondent's 66.67 percent of women agripreneurs were taking financial decision related to enterprise with their husband,24.17 percent were taking decision independently, and9.17 percent of women agripreneurs financial decisions were taken by whole family members. Regarding marketing of products70 percent of women agripreneurs ways of marketing of the products were decided with their husband, 30 percent of women agripreneurs took independent decision, and none of them took decision with their family members related to marketing. While deciding selling area 65 percent of women agripreneurs decided the selling area with their husband, 29.17 percent took the decision it independently and only 5.83 percent decided it with their family members.

Socio-personal variables of women agripreneurs

Regarding launching of new products55% of women agripreneurs took decision with their husband, 34.17 percent took decision independently and 10.83 percent took the decision with their family members. Awareness level .144 **significant at 1 percent level, *significant at 10 percent level Table 3 represents the correlation coefficient between dependent variable decision-making behaviour and other independent variables. So, from the above table it was known that education is positively correlated with decision making behaviour of women agripreneur and was found significant at 10 percent level which means more the education level of women agripreneur more the decision taken by her independently. It was also known that idea got about the enterprise is positively correlated with decision making behaviour of women agripreneurs and was found significant at 1 percent level which means when she gets the idea; she is able to take decision. Restriction faced was found negatively correlated with decision making behaviour of women agripreneurs and was found to be significant at 1 percent level, which means more the restriction faced by women agripreneurs less the decision is taken by her.

Factors influencing decision making behaviour of women agripreneurs

Conclusion

The family's financial need was the main driver for the establishment of the business by female agribusiness owners. Therefore, a major element that drove women agripreneurs to launch their businesses was their need for money. However, the factors that influenced the behavior of agripreneurs were education and knowledge of the business, which were found to be positively associated and significant at the 1 percent level with the decision-making behavior of female agripreneurs.

References

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