Institutional pillars and entrepreneurial orientation in farmers in the state of Aguascalientes: the mediating role of collaboration networks

Entrepreneurial orientation is crucial for farmers to carry out their economic activity with greater growth. The institutional environment and collaboration play an important role in developing entrepreneurial skills. The objective of this study was to determine the mediating effect of collaboration networks in the relationship between institutional pillars and the entrepreneurial orientation of peasants. The neoinstitutional theory, the theory of social capital and the theory of resources and capabilities are taken as a theoretical basis. It is an empirical study based on a structural equation model. An information survey was carried out with 192 agricultural producers located in the state of Aguascalientes. Relevant results were obtained on the involvement of the entrepreneurial stance, taking into account that the dimension of proactivity is more important than taking risks or being more innovative to cover the market in greater depth. An important finding was that the mediation of collaborative networks between farmers helps lower the costs of regulations and overcome the lack of knowledge about the institutional context and agricultural activity management.