The instability trap: How organizational instability as a constraint to circular value chain upgrading in smallholder waxy corn enterprises in Thailand

Membership instability in agricultural enterprises is commonly framed as a managerial issue, yet it also constitutes a structural constraint on sustainable agricultural development. This study examines how membership turnover undermines Thailand’s Bio-Circular-Green (BCG) economy through a case study of a waxy corn enterprise in Khon Kaen Province. Using a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design, survey data from 53 farmers are integrated with interviews from 12 key informants. The results indicate that membership instability may weaken adaptive capacity and organizational resilience, generating short-term decision-making that discourages investment in bio-, circular-, and green-economy practices. Statistical analysis further shows that farmers with more than ten years of experience are better able to navigate the operational demands of circular and green production systems. However, structural barriers to implementing the bioeconomy showed no significant variation with tenure groups. These findings suggest that policy responses should shift from technology dissemination toward institutional interventions that strengthen intergenerational knowledge transfer and cooperative infrastructure. Although based on a single case, the findings offer insights for smallholder systems where institutional fragility undermines sustainability transitions.