Factors that describe a successful rural entrepreneur. / Caracterização dos fatores relacionados ao sucesso de um empreendedor rural.

AUTOR(ES)
DATA DE PUBLICAÇÃO

2002

RESUMO

In order to identify the factors that describe a successful rural entrepreneur, three focus groups were conduced with farmers and extension agents of the Wheat Cooperative of Alto Jacui – Cotrijal at Não-Me-Toque, Rio Grande do Sul State. Several variables were suggested as playing important roles in explaining why a farmer is considered successful or not, besides their ability to produce profits. Among these variables are: (1) the farmer competence as shown by his technological knowledge, his ability to implement production and trading processes, and by his attitudes in conformity with the values of the Cotrijal’s social group; (2) farmer’s constant search for new technical and economical informations; (3) farmer attendance of courses and events that will enhance its technical qualifications; (4) farmers willingness and ability to promote partnerships, associations and group production; (5) farmers ability to diversify their activities as strategies to reduce risks; (6) farmers willingness to adopt knew ideas, technologies or production systems; (7) farmers ability to organize production and their farms; (8) the existence of a system of expenditure and receipt control; (9) how they plan production and other farm activities; (10) farmers that have freedom to travel and to set their own time to work; (11) farmers that have their families involved with the farm business; (12) their ability to provide for children formal education and to give their family higher levels of consumption; (13) farmers involvement with the community subjects; and finally, (14) farmers that are seen as persons that preserves the environment and as model for other farms. A questionnaire with 37 statements were applied to 140 farmers of Cotrijal. The statements were based on the focus group suggested characteristics and organized according to the four management functions (planning, organizing, direction, and control), on two strategic levels (strategic and operational) and on the four firm’s working areas (finance, production, commercialization, and human resource). The huge amount of data were condensed by defining eight factors (from multivariate factor analysis) that comprised 62.3% of the sample total variance: (1) financial, (2) commercial planning, (3) communication and information, (4) personal planning, (5) human resource management, (6) production organization, (7) dealing with new opportunities, and (8) previous commercial experience. Three linear regression equations were estimated with attributed grades for farmers entrepreneurship ability as the dependent variables. Grades were attributed by the farmers (themselves), by other interviewed farmers, and by the extension agents of Cotrijal. Equations show that four factor were statistically significant in explaining the grades: financial, communication and information, personal planning, and dealing with new opportunities. Other three general variables also were statistically significant in explaining the grades: personal satisfaction, product quality, and physical and financial control. Although the equations explained only a small part of the variations in the grade attributed to the farmers entrepreneurs ability (from 14 to 27% explanation measured by the adjusted R2 coefficient) they showed high significant levels as measured by the F statistic test.

ASSUNTO(S)

administração agrícola produtor rural farmer empresa agrícola farm management farm firm farm propriedade rural

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