Business ecosystem embeddedness, adaptive capacity and supply chain resilience in agro-food processing SMEs

Purpose This paper investigates how business ecosystem embeddedness and adaptive capacity influence supply chain resilience (SCRES) in agro-food processing SMEs in Uganda, a context where supply chains face significant environmental and market disruptions. Design/methodology/approach Survey data were collected from 189 agro-food processing SMEs within Uganda’s Greater Kampala Metropolitan Area and analyzed using PLS-SEM. Findings The results reveal that business ecosystem embeddedness plays a critical role in enhancing both adaptive capacity and SCRES. Embedded firms benefit from stronger access to resources, knowledge and network-based capabilities, which enable them to better anticipate, absorb and adapt to disruptions. Although adaptive capacity alone did not show a direct linear effect on resilience, the analysis highlights its contingent role, shaped by unobserved organizational and environmental factors. This emphasizes the importance of relational and contextual enablers in building resilience, moving beyond traditional views focused solely on internal capabilities. Research limitations/implications This study provides actionable insights for managers, policymakers and researchers. Managers are encouraged to actively embed their firms within business ecosystems to enhance SCRES by leveraging collaboration, shared resources and value co-creation. Policymakers should promote the development of supportive ecosystem structures through targeted incentives, regulatory frameworks, and policies that encourage inter-firm cooperation and adaptive innovation. For researchers, the study highlights the need to explore the complex, often hidden dynamics through which adaptive capacity contributes to resilience outcomes, offering fertile ground for advancing both theoretical models and practical interventions in the evolving field of SCRES. Practical implications Practically, SME managers should intentionally cultivate embeddedness within their ecosystems by fostering trust-based relationships with suppliers, customers, associations and regulators. These ties are not merely relational assets but serve as strategic buffers and sources of adaptive knowledge during disruptions. Moreover, managers must conceptualize adaptive capacity not as a standalone capability but as one that is deeply intertwined with external ecosystem and institutional support. Efforts to build resilience should therefore adopt a holistic approach that integrates both internal responsiveness and external connectedness. Originality/value This study makes a novel contribution by applying social-ecological systems (SES) theory to the examination of SCRES in agro-food SMEs, a sector where resilience is inherently linked to both social and ecological interdependencies. The research demonstrates that business ecosystem embeddedness not only enhances resilience directly but also influences the development of adaptive capacity that enables firms to respond effectively to uncertainty and change. In doing so, the study extends the field beyond traditional efficiency-based perspectives and offers both theoretical insights and practical guidance for building resilient and adaptive agro-food systems in resource-constrained contexts.