A preliminary investigation of personality traits and characteristics of young agropreneurs

Agricultural entrepreneurship (agroentrepreneurship) plays a crucial role in Malaysia's agricultural industry, with the agricultural sector being a key driver of the nation's economic development and poverty reduction. Through a literature review, this study identifies three key personality traits that may predict the success of young agroentrepreneurs: individual dynamic capabilities, entrepreneurial orientation, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. These traits are vital to agroentrepreneurs, as they need to adapt to rapid market changes, discover and seize opportunities, deal with challenges, innovate, take calculated risks, and maintain a competitive edge. Thus, this study examined agroentrepreneurs’ scores on these traits and characteristics. This study used a questionnaire to measure individual dynamic capabilities, individual entrepreneurial orientation, and entrepreneurial self-efficacy. Data were gathered from 54 participants during training sessions by the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (MARDI) and the Federal Agricultural Marketing Authority (FAMA). The results indicate that agroentrepreneurs scored relatively high on most of these traits and characteristics, suggesting potential success in the sector. Of all traits and characteristics, passion, perseverance, and innovativeness had the highest mean scores. The government can support the development of high-potential agroentrepreneurs by creating programs that develop entrepreneurial qualities, encouraging youth to become agroentrepreneurs, improving education and training programs, and offering financial assistance, such as grants or loans, to young agroentrepreneurs.