UNVEILING SUSTAINABILITY DIMENSIONS IN APPEALS-SUPPORTED AGRIBUSINESSES IN CROSS RIVER STATE: AN EXPLORATORY FACTOR ANALYSIS

Abstract

This study explored the sustainable dimensions of agribusinesses supported by Agro Processing Productivity Enhancement and Livelihood improvement Support (APPEALS) project in Cross River State, Nigeria, using Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) as well as describe the sustainability activities undertaken by the business operators. The results yielded a ―Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO)’’ value of 0.658 and a Bartlett’s test of sphericity value of 1407.936 (p < 0.001), confirming the suitability of the data for factor analysis. Seven factors were extracted from an initially conceptualized twelve based on the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) theory and they accounted for 56.32% of the total variance. The extracted factors include Social Safeguards, Local Support Policies, Grievance Redress Mechanism, Production Technology, Stakeholders/Institutions, Marketing Strategies, and Production Management. These were categorized under social, environmental, and economic sustainability dimensions. Social dimension of sustainability accounted for the highest cumulative variance (25.2%), followed by environmental (18.13%) and economic sustainability (13%). Out of 86 proposed variables, only 22 met the factor loading threshold of 0.5, confirming construct validity. Descriptive mean analysis of the 5-point Likert scale showed weighted mean of 4.14. Twelve of the variable mean values were above weighted mean which indicated the activities frequently undertaken by the business operators for sustainability. The study recommends that, donor initiatives should continue to strengthen stakeholder collaboration and promote structured sustainability frameworks to ensure long-term integration of sustainable practices among agribusiness enterprises.