Entrepreneurial pathways: Identity, behavioural heterogeneity and sustainable agriculture among smallholders in the Philippines

Existing studies commonly explain farmers’ choices in terms of structural and contextual factors such as resources, infrastructure, or credit. My thesis shows that these factors alone do not explain why some smallholder farmers adopt sustainable agricultural practices while others do not. Using survey data from 2,541 farmers in Cotabato Province, Philippines, I examined behavioural heterogeneity: systematic differences in farmers’ cognitive traits and values. The analysis reveals that entrepreneurial traits - innovativeness, proactiveness, and risk-taking - together with a collective environmental attitude shape adoption patterns, income outcomes, and participation in contract farming. This behavioural perspective demonstrates that policy and programme outcomes depend on cognitive diversity among farmers, underscoring the importance of targeted and inclusive support to achieve more sustainable agricultural development.