ABSTRACT

This chapter contributes to the entrepreneurship and development studies literature by demonstrating that Entrepreneurial Orientation (EO) does not have a universal relationship with performance where conditions of poverty are present. It explores the relationship between EO, levels of poverty and performance. The chapter discusses relevant models of development and then the developing country context. In order to understand the relationship between EO, level of poverty and performance, a survey of smallholder farming households was undertaken within the factor-driven economy of Kenya. A questionnaire was constructed using a mixture of questions relating to the farming household, farming performance, EO and common indicators for poverty. Drawing on a primary dataset of 560 households, the chapter explored the impact of EO and level of poverty on performance within the important and neglected context of smallholder farming households operating within conditions of poverty. EO within conditions of poverty may hold a different and context-specific profile compared with developed industrial contexts..