GREEN ENTREPRENEURSHIP IN AGRICULTURE: IMPACTS, ENABLERS, AND POLICY IMPERATIVES IN KARNATAKA

Agriculture in India is confronting a dual crisis: mounting ecological degradation and persistent farmer distress. Green entrepreneurship enterprises that integrate ecological sustainability with profitability has emerged as a promising pathway to reconcile these challenges. This paper presents an empirical investigation of green entrepreneurship in Karnataka's agricultural sector, examining its socio-economic impacts, environmental outcomes, institutional enablers, and barriers to adoption. Drawing on primary data from 480 respondents across six agro-climatically diverse districts including farmers, agri-entrepreneurs, government officials, and NGO representatives alongside structured secondary data, the study employs descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, ANOVA, regression analysis, and factor analysis. The findings confirm that green entrepreneurship significantly enhances farmer income, advances environmental sustainability outcomes, and is positively influenced by institutional support and market access. Organic farming clusters, millet-based enterprises, renewable energy ventures, and agri-tech startups constitute the dominant green entrepreneurial typologies in Karnataka. However, certification bottlenecks, high initial investment, weak supply chains, and inter-agency coordination failures constrain scaling. The paper concludes with a comprehensive policy framework for strengthening Karnataka's green entrepreneurship ecosystem.