Harnessing knowledge management to transform agricultural development through innovation and sustainability

Agricultural sectors in fragile and post-conflict countries often face fragmented knowledge systems, weak institutional learning, and limited access to innovative practices, constraining productivity, employment, and market performance. This study investigates how knowledge management (KM) maturity influences agricultural economic development in Iraq, integrating qualitative and quantitative evidence. A sequential mixed-methods design was implemented. Phase 1 involved directed content analysis of 88 publications (2007–2022) to identify four core KM components: Knowledge Acquisition, Knowledge Storage, Knowledge Distribution, and Knowledge Application. Phase 2 employed semi-structured interviews with 24 agricultural and KM experts to contextualize the framework and define four outcome constructs: Infrastructure Investment, Employment, Trade and Market Performance, and Productivity and Profitability. Phase 3 validated a 70-item survey using CVR and CVI. Phase 4 applied the survey to 261 employees of the Najaf Agricultural Directorate, with analysis using PLS-SEM4 and CB-SEM (AMOS26). Results indicate that Knowledge Acquisition (Mean = 3.38) and Knowledge Application (Mean = 3.28) are the most developed components, while Knowledge Storage (Mean = 2.80) remains a bottleneck. SEM analysis confirms that KM maturity significantly drives economic development (β = 0.66, p < 0.001), explaining 44% of variance. Trade and Market exhibits the strongest structural effect, followed by Employment and Productivity and Profitability; Infrastructure Investment shows a weaker effect. Knowledge Acquisition and Application primarily enhance productivity and employment, whereas Storage and Transfer are critical for market efficiency and institutional learning. These findings underscore that strengthening KM, particularly in applying and transferring knowledge, is pivotal for sustainable agricultural development in fragile contexts. The study provides an empirically validated framework for designing targeted KM interventions to maximize productivity, market integration, and economic resilience.