From Beans to Business: A Rise of Coffee Preneurs in Kodagu, Karnataka
摘要
Coffee is the world's third most consumed beverage after water and tea. India stands at the 7th position as the largest coffee exporter globally, with a significant contribution of 72.5% from Karnataka and 33% from Kodagu alone. This region plays a crucial role in the country's coffee industry, making it a vital component of India's economy, and 80% of the residents of Kodagu rely on coffee cultivation for their livelihood. Coffee farming is considered an annual crop that requires the generated income to be cycled to the subsequent year's coffee cultivation. Planters face numerous challenges during their production, which forces them to sell or convert their agricultural lands into concrete lands (buildings) or convert them into resorts, thereby changing their occupation, which makes coffee sustainability questionable. Therefore, coffee farmers have recently adopted an entrepreneurial approach to augment their income sources and support their livelihoods and occupations. This study aims to assess the key drivers of coffee farmers opting for entrepreneurial activities to assist coffee farming in Kodagu, Karnataka. This study has revealed that additional income, passion for farming, business skills, available resources, opportunity, satisfaction, innovation, creativity, unfair market prices, education, and socialising platforms are the key determining factors for coffee farmers to choose entrepreneurship.