Agripreneurship Innovation and Inclusive Development in Tanzania: A Systematic Literature Review Approach
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.56830/WRBA07202603Keywords:
Agripreneurship innovation, inclusive development, Tanzania, systematic literature review, rural developmentAbstract
Agripreneurship innovation has emerged as a critical pathway for advancing inclusive development in agrarian economies. In Tanzania, where agriculture constitutes the primary livelihood source for the majority of the population, agripreneurial initiatives are increasingly promoted as mechanisms for addressing unemployment, poverty, and social exclusion, particularly among youth, women, and smallholder farmers. This study undertakes a systematic literature review to synthesise existing evidence on the relationship between agripreneurship innovation and inclusive development in Tanzania. Guided by the PRISMA 2020 framework, peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2000 and 2024 were retrieved from major academic databases, including Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar, and ScienceDirect, and screened using predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. A total of 48 studies met the eligibility requirements and were included in the final analysis. The findings indicate that agripreneurship innovation contributes to inclusive development by creating employment, diversifying income, improving market access, empowering marginalized groups, and enhancing food security and community resilience. Key innovation pathways identified in the literature include digital agriculture, agro-processing and value addition, cooperative entrepreneurship, innovative financing mechanisms, and climate-smart agricultural practices. However, the review also identifies persistent structural and institutional barriers such as limited access to finance, infrastructure deficits, regulatory complexity, land tenure insecurity, and skills gaps that constrain the scalability and sustainability of agripreneurial initiatives. The study proposes an integrative thematic framework linking agripreneurship innovation, enabling ecosystem factors, and inclusive development outcomes, and concludes with policy recommendations to strengthen agripreneurial ecosystems and foster inclusive and sustainable rural transformation in Tanzania.
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