Social Entrepreneurship in Agriculture: Leveraging Cash Crops for Rural Transformation in Western Maharashtra

Abstract India's Western Maharashtra is a paradox of agriculture. High-value cash crops like sugarcane, grapes, and pomegranates are grown there, but its farmers struggle with a lack of water, unstable markets, and ongoing hardship. In order to leverage these very cash crops for comprehensive rural development, this paper contends that social entrepreneurship (SE) offers a revolutionary model. Agrarian social enterprises go beyond maximising profits to create inclusive value chains that support sustainable resource management, increase farmer income, and strengthen underprivileged communities. The operational models of a few social enterprises, such as Farmer Producer Companies (FPCs) and tech-enabled platforms, are examined in this research using a mixed-methods case study analysis in the districts of Pune, Satara, and Sangli. According to quantitative survey data from 200 farmers, SE-partnered farmers' net income increased by 25–40% as a result of improved price realisation and less intermediation. According to qualitative results from focus groups and interviews, women participants' economic agency, formal credit availability, and drip irrigation adoption have all significantly improved. But there are still issues like farmer resistance, unclear policies, and access to patient capital. In order to create a real path for rural transformation in Western Maharashtra, the study comes to the conclusion that fostering the ecosystem for agrarian social enterprises is not only advantageous but also necessary for accelerating the transition from exploitative cash crop systems to ones that are just, resilient, and sustainable.