Quantifying support for agripreneurs: a multidimensional scale development and analysis of institutional mechanisms

This research presents the Institutional Support for Agripreneurship Development Scale (ISAD-S), a multidimensional instrument developed for assessing institutional support in agripreneurship. Addressing the critical need for standardized assessment tools, the ISAD-S was developed through a three-stage process that includes; item collection, item selection, and statistical analysis. The scale was tested on a diverse sample of 341 participants undergoing exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to refine its structure and confirm its psychometric properties. The final 24-item scale captures four essential dimensions of agripreneurial support-technical, financial, legal and bureaucratic, and production and marketing—demonstrating high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.829) and strong content validity (Content Validity Index and kappa statistic exceeded the benchmarks). Key findings highlighted notable strengths in production and marketing support, particularly in market linkages and product development initiatives, reflected in a high-dimension score of 3.60. By contrast, financial support, scoring 2.76, emerged as the weakest dimension, underscoring critical gaps in credit facilitation and funding accessibility. Legal support was commendable for raising awareness of quality standards, whereas technical support showed promise in project formulation and implementation. The ISAD-S offers a robust framework for identifying gaps, enhancing institutional frameworks, and shaping targeted policy interventions. By providing a standardized assessment mechanism, it fosters sustainable agripreneurial ecosystems, supports resource optimization, and contributes to the advancement of rural and agricultural development.