Entrepreneurship

Controlling Regular monitoring of activities and 
comparing performance and results 
against planned expectations 
Knowledge
Understand the value of control and its 
influence on profits.
Skills
Monitoring and comparing
Keeping accurate records
Behaviour
Attention to detail
Methodical
Evaluating
assessing the outcomes of the farm 
business and the impact of decisions
Knowledge
Understand the impact of each area of the 
farm business on profits
Skills
Identify which actions give which outcomes
Behaviour
Objective and methodical
Farmer-entrepreneurs 
need capacity skills to  
monitor and evaluate 
the farm business

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Entrepreneurial competencies
Initiative
Ambition
Problem solving
Critical thinking
Taking risks
Technical competencies
Managing inputs
Managing production
Managing marketing
Entrepreneurial qualities
Confident
Creative
Determined
Innovative
Competitive
Managerial competencies
Diagnosing
Planning
Organizing
Flexible and
 adaptable
Interpersonal skills
Networking
Learning
Goal-driven
High energy
Positive
Motivated
Leading
Controlling
Evaluating
The farmer-
entrepreneur
66                                                  
Entrepreneurship in farming
INTEgRaTINg ComPETENCIES
It is easy to talk about the individual competencies of a 
successful market-oriented, entrepreneurial farmer. But 
success  as  a  farmer-entrepreneur  comes  through  the 
ability of the farmer to combine these competencies in 
practice. It is the interaction between these competencies 
and the farmer’s other resources that enable him to take 
advantage  of  changes  in  the  market  and  production 
methods  to  improve  the  performance  of  his  farm 
businesses. 
 
It is in combining and integrating these qualities 
and  competencies  that  the  farmer-entrepreneur  finds 
and  chooses  responses  to  change,  leading  to  greater 
chances of success and profitability.
Figure 7