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This paper examines the link between the green economy and multifunctional agriculture. In particular, the paper uses the case of the Community Markets for Conservation (COMACO) initiative, an agro-based enterprise promoting a multifunctional agriculture model in Eastern Zambia, to examine how the potential of smallholder farmers can be harnessed to support a transition towards the green economy. The empirical data on which the paper is based were collected through questionnaire surveys and in-depth interviews conducted with farmers and other actors in the agricultural sector. The results of the study show that a number of elements underpinning the COMACO model including sustainable land management practices, conservation outreach, community markets, value addition, and conservation dividends have great potential to deliver benefits related to the green economy. However, to truly foster a transition towards a green economy, a number of constraints need to be overcome. These include lack of a supportive policy and institutional framework, technological backwardness, and lack of consumer awareness of environmental information instruments such as eco-labelling.

This study provides a science-based assessment of public-private partnership (PPP) mechanisms designed to improve agricultural leasing systems and support sustainable agricultural development in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. An analysis of sectoral conditions and emerging PPP practices reveals strategic interventions that strengthen the effectiveness of agro-leasing models. Empirical evidence from local farms and leasing institutions shows that efficient operational strategies can reduce production costs by up to 20%. whereas the integration of innovative technologies can increase agricultural productivity by 15-20%. These results emphasize the crucial role of well-structured PPPs and technological innovation in enhancing the efficiency, profitability, and sustainability of agriculture, particularly in ecologically fragile and underdeveloped regions.

Purpose Using firm-level data from small- to micro-sized agro-based enterprises located in developing Africa, the purpose of this paper is to employ a resource-based marketing model to explain financial and nonfinancial organizational performance outcomes. The moderating effect of firm size on the structural inter-linkages between customer retention orientation, eBrand promotion and the organizational performance outcomes is also explored. Design/methodology/approach Partial least squares path modeling approach was the analytical method for data analysis purposes. Findings The data support the assumption that marketing resources as well as the moderating influence of firm size play a strong role on the agro-based enterprise performance. Originality/value This study widens the context of inquiry on agro-based enterprise performance to include developing economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. The value of the paper rests in its intent to offer small- to micro-sized agro-based businesses in emerging markets more practical ways to enhance their performance.

The study was designed to examine access to credit markets and performance by small scale agro-based enterprises in the Niger Delta. A multistage sampling technique was adopted in selecting 264 and 96 agro-based enterprises that accessed informal and formal credit respectively through the use of structured questionnaire and oral interview. The logit model was used to examine the factors that had significant influence on credit access by the enterprises in the region. Results revealed that the factors that significantly influence informal credit access by small scale agro-based enterprises are Gender, Age and Social Capital, while factors that influence formal credit access are Education, Age, Enterprise size and Collateral. Majority of enterprises accessed informal credit but the few that accessed formal credit performed better. Government should ensure easy access to formal finance by small agro-based enterprises in the region as they are the engine of economic development.

This article describes how because of the rapid expansion of digital and online ‘bizscapes,' and ‘bizapps' resulting in small and medium-scale agribusinesses adopting and using online entrepreneurial technology innovations, information and communication technology has great potential to enhance the performance and efficiency of agribusinesses. The urge to understand factors that affect information technology innovations adoption and use by small and medium agribusinesses prompted this study, which involves the designing of a modified research model based on UTAUT perspective to determine the influence of cognitive, management characteristics and organizational structure factors on technology adoption. Factor analysis yielded a fit structural model, which was used to test the hypotheses. The article found performance expectancy, SMEs management creativity and innovativeness and SMEs organizational size significantly influence technology innovations use. This paper concludes that performance expectancy, management characteristics and organizational size affect technology adoption among agribusinesses critically.

Economic globalization has rapidly intensified the competition among businesses. Therefore, it is pivotal that SMEs follow competitive strategic positions and adopt strategic methods in order to confront the various challenges in this era. This study assessed the factors that determine the competitive strategic position of SMEs in the developing nations of Asia by considering the agro-based SMEs in Sri Lanka as a case study. By using primary data of 463 SMEs, the study estimated a binary logistic regression model to deal with the research subject. The findings revealed seven significant strategic variables: innovation in product and marketing, business exhibition in the local setting, gender, strategic market location, sustainable business practices, marketing efficiency, and business reputation and superior services. Moreover, the study identified and commented on seven insignificant variables: specialization in production, experience in the business field, experience in attending business exhibitions at overseas setting, credit market accessibility, provision of high-quality products, research and development, and strategic firm location, which are relevant in developed countries. Therefore, the government and policymakers must initiate measures to establish a more favorable business environment for SMEs to gain competitive advantage from these variables in the near future to permit an ameliorated and strong SME sector in Sri Lanka.

Every year, rural areas are experiencing dramatic demographic loss due to the added value they cannot create and a lack of integration with the industry and services sector established in urban areas. Ankara is one of the most prominent regions of Turkey in terms of advanced technology and per capita regional added value. However, the same success was not achieved in the peripheral districts of Ankara. The aim of this study is to determine the current situation of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in rural areas that are involved in the production and operation and to identify areas for intervention by identifying the challenges they encounter. In-depth interviews were conducted in the study with business founders and inheritors (78% and 22% respectively). As a result of the study, 93% of rural SMEs consider that businesses operating in rural areas have serious problems. The biggest obstacle in front of entrepreneurship was found finance, followed by technical staffing and administrative and legal obstacles. In order to get over these obstacles, what is most needed to be addressed is finance, machine-equipment support, marketing and promotional support. One of the most important components that will lead to added value increase in rural areas is export. 82% of the companies that participated in the survey stated that they do not export. Therefore, it is necessary to develop export-oriented industrial production in rural areas. As a result of this study, it has been found that the institutional capacities of rural enterprises are very low, and there is a need for a support mechanism in order to improve that capacity. There is also a need for efforts to accelerate the transfer of technology produced in the urban areas to the agriculture, tourism and service sectors in rural areas.