Article
Institutional Support Towards Youth Engagement in Agricultural Entrepreneurship: Evidence from South Bihar, India
Rural youth can benefit from agricultural entrepreneurship if they are supported by institutions; however, their involvement and well-being might rely on this support. This current study looks at the relationship between Institutional Support, Youth Engagement in Agricultural Entrepreneurship and Youth Welfare among youth agricultural entrepreneurs of South Bihar, India. The study is based on institutional theory with quantitative research design. A structured questionnaire was used to collect the data from 397 young agricultural entrepreneurs of 17 districts in South Bihar. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was used to analyze the data in SmartPLS 4. The results show that Institutional Support has positive and significant effect on Youth Engagement (β = 0.252, p < 0.001). Youth Engagement has a significant positive effect on Youth Welfare (β=0.597, p<0.001). Institutional Support has a strong positive effect on Youth Welfare (β = 0.164, p < 0.001). The mediation analysis also demonstrates that Youth Engagement is a significant mediator between the relationship between Institutional Support and Youth Welfare (β = 0.150, p < 0.001). There are considerable direct and indirect effects, suggesting a partial mediation in a complementary manner. The model accounts for 43.2% of the variance in the Youth Welfare and positive values of Q²_predict signify predictive relevance. The findings reveal that institutional support has a positive impact on welfare outcomes of young entrepreneurs, if they are engaged in agricultural enterprises. The study highlights the importance of holistic support including financial, training, technical assistance, market linkage and information on government support. The study has an added value to the literature as it has provided an empirical linkage between institutional support and youth engagement and their welfare under the umbrella of agricultural entrepreneurship in South Bihar.