DOI: 10.36347/sjahss.2018.v06i04.019

Pages: 910-917

Farmers feed the nation. But they are not getting enough from their agriculture to feed themselves. Much of the value of their effort is pocketed by the middlemen between them and the final consumers of their produce. One remedy for the situation is, the agriculturists assuming the role of agro entrepreneurs or agripreneurs. This paper analyses the feasibility of transforming agriculturists to agripreneurs. This project was taken up among the farmers domiciled in the agrarian district of Idukki in Kerala state. The study approaches the problem through analysing four factors such as awareness level of the farmers regarding suitable entrepreneurial opportunities available to them, the extent of willingness of the farmers to become entrepreneurs, the amount of business skills possessed by them and the major issues and challenges hindering the transformation of farmers to agripreneurs. The result of the research shows that the farmers have willingness to become agripreneurs, but they lack proper awareness about the opportunities available to them as well as how to go ahead in that line. Further though they possess several essential entrepreneurial skills, they face some issues and challenges preventing them from exploiting the opportunities offered by agripreneurship.