Structural Equation Modelling of Agripreneurship and Sustainability: The Mediating Role of Digitalization

This research aims to define the key aspects of agripreneurship and explore the causal relationships between agripreneurship, digitalization, and sustainability, while examining the mediating role of digitalization. A sample of 200 agripreneurs in Thailand was collected through electronic questionnaires sent via email. Exploratory factor analysis was employed to identify observable traits of agripreneurship and establish a proper construct of agripreneurship. The structural equation model was used for testing hypotheses. Findings reveal six new dimensions of agripreneurship: (1) agripreneurial innovation, (2) agripreneurial opportunities, (3) agripreneurial operations, (4) agripreneurial venturing, (5) agripreneurial adaptability, and (6) agripreneurial marketing, all aligned with statistically significant empirical data. Evidence showed that agripreneurship had a positive direct effect on digitalization and sustainability. It also had a positive indirect effect on sustainability through digitalization. Finding, digitalization is a mediator in the relationship between agripreneurship and sustainability. The empirical results reveal that digitalization plays a role in using digital technology as a tool to connect the six dimensions of agripreneurship, which serve as strategies for escaping the economic constraints of the middle-income trap and unequal development for achieving economic, social, and environmental sustainability in agribusiness.