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Scientific Article details

Title Inclusive business for rural development: New typology and differentiated value creation in the agri-food sector
ID_Doc 73209
Authors Weng, XX; Schoneveld, GC; Pokorny, B; Mutayoba, G; Fold, N; Gallagher, EJ; Ezekiel, E; van der Haar, S
Title Inclusive business for rural development: New typology and differentiated value creation in the agri-food sector
Year 2024
Published Business Strategy And Development, 7, 1
DOI 10.1002/bsd2.314
Abstract Inclusive businesses (IBs) resonate with policymakers seeking to leverage private capital in support of poverty alleviation and sustainable development. In the agri-food sector, which represents the largest segment of the base-of-the-pyramid (BOP) market and a key source of livelihood for the rural poor, there is limited evidence on their diversity and social value creation mechanisms. This prevents practitioners from identifying impactful IB types and design features. A statistical analysis of 46 cases in Tanzania and Ghana identified four IB types: (1) self-reliant agribusinesses, (2) domestic plantation companies, (3) social enterprises, and (4) locally-embedded Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Our findings suggest that socially-driven and localized IBs hold high impact potential but require significant external support, while more self-sufficient IBs adopt less socially innovative designs. This study demonstrates the utility of a data-driven approach to capture the complexity of real-world IBs, which yielded practical insights for more effective poverty alleviation through business means.
Author Keywords agribusiness; agricultural development; base-of-the-pyramid (BOP); inclusive business; rural development; social value; typology
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI)
EID WOS:001118141900001
WoS Category Business; Environmental Studies
Research Area Business & Economics; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
PDF https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirect/10.1002/bsd2.314
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