Farmers empowerment? Connecting agricultural entrepreneurship to citizen participation in a post-revolution rural context

Purpose This study aims to examine the extent to which agricultural entrepreneurship resources – embedded within citizen empowerment (CE) initiatives – contribute to fostering civic participation among farmers in a post-revolution rural context. Design/methodology/approach Using a qualitative abductive approach, the authors evaluate the impact of the youth empowerment and sustainability (YES) programme, a CE initiative funded by the United Nations Democracy Fund and implemented in rural Tunisia between 2017 and 2022. Data were collected through a combination of focus group discussions and individual interviews, yielding 26 testimonies from beneficiaries of the programme. Findings The findings indicate that while the programme resources enhanced farmers’ awareness of participatory democracy (PD), levels of actual civic engagement at local level remain limited. This is attributed to both the suboptimal configuration of entrepreneurial support mechanisms within the programme and the persistence of structural and contextual barriers impeding agricultural entrepreneurship and civic participation in post-revolution rural areas. Research limitations/implications The study is based on a retrospective evaluation conducted at the end of the programme and relies primarily on participants’ self-reported experiences and perceptions. Methodological constraints that include limited field access and logistical challenges resulted in small focus group sizes, averaging two to three participants per session. Moreover, the relatively small sample size means that generalisability of the results to the wider farming population was limited. Practical implications The study offers useful insights for development practitioners and policymakers aiming to enhance PD through entrepreneurship-driven initiatives. It identifies the main enablers and barriers affecting civic engagement in rural areas, providing guidance for the design of more effective strategies to empower farming communities and support sustainable agricultural entrepreneurship in post-revolution or transitional settings. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first empirical study to explore the intersection of agricultural entrepreneurship and civic participation within a CE framework targeting rural farmers. The inclusion of both entrepreneurship and citizenship dimensions offers a new lens to evaluate democratic consolidation processes in transitional rural contexts.