Examination of the profile of women entrepreneurs in organic agriculture: Example of Turkey

Organic agriculture, is a form of production which gained importance in recent years prohibits the use of harmful substances in agricultural production and prioritizes the health of the soil. The main purpose of organic farming is to protect human health and the ecological system. Entrepreneurship is needed for the further development of organic agriculture. Entrepreneurship is the conversion of a person's capital into an investment, taking into account a certain risk. The efforts of women entrepreneurs towards this direction both contribute to the production process and give them self-sufficiency from a socio-economic point of view. It is worth noting that the number of women entrepreneurs in organic agriculture is increasing every day. The main purpose of this study is to determine the entrepreneurial tendencies of women entrepreneurs engaged in organic farming activities in Turkey. Quantitative research was conducted as a method in the study. Judgmental sampling method was used in the data collection process. In this context, a survey was conducted on 532 women entrepreneurs. In the study, it was determined that women's general agricultural entrepreneurship tendencies and organic agriculture entrepreneurship tendencies were at a good level. This study includes the consequences of being women entrepreneurs and the research findings related to the problems they face in this process. Finally, suggestions for increasing women's entrepreneurship in organic agriculture have been listed. Considering the hypotheses of the study, it was determined that there was a significant difference between age and education variable and organic farming tendency. This study aims to raise awareness in organic agriculture, encourage women entrepreneurship, draw attention to the problems encountered at both points and make suggestions for solving these problems. The study wishes to contribute to the literature on the respective issue.