Title: Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Balancing Effectual Experimentations and Causal Planning for Green Innovations in Tanzania.
Authors: Yohana Tweve
Volume: 9
Issue: 5
Pages: 261-270
Publication Date: 2025/05/28
Abstract:
Sustainable entrepreneurship has emerged as a critical pathway to addressing ecological crises while fostering inclusive development, yet its success hinges on crossing the tension between adaptive innovation and structured planning. This study examines how entrepreneurs in Tanzania's Iringa region reconcile effectual experimentation characterized by iterative, resource-driven strategies with causal planning rooted in predictive goals, to advance green ventures. Through a mixed-methods case study involving 162 respondents, including entrepreneurs, policymakers, and community stakeholders, the research explored the interplay of strategic approaches, contextual challenges, and cultural dynamics shaping sustainability outcomes. Findings revealed that entrepreneurs predominantly relied on effectual methods, such as bootstrapping and local partnerships, to address immediate resource constraints and market uncertainties. While 78% embraced iterative experimentation, only 42% adopted formal business planning, showing systemic gaps in technical capacity and institutional support. Financial barriers, regulatory complexities, and infrastructural deficits further constrained scalability, with micro-enterprises disproportionately affected. Cultural integration, however, emerged as a strength: 75% of ventures incorporated indigenous knowledge (e.g., agroecology), and 88% engaged communities in co-designing solutions, enhancing social legitimacy and adoption. The study also highlighted misalignments between global sustainability agendas and local realities. Though 70% of ventures linked activities to SDGs, policy implementation gaps such as fragmented training and limited subsidies hindered impact. Entrepreneurs often bridged these voids through NGO partnerships, yet systemic inequities persisted. The research concludes that sustainable entrepreneurship in contexts like Iringa thrives when rooted in cultural relevance and adaptive resilience but requires institutional innovations to scale. It advocates for hybrid strategies that harmonize grassroots ingenuity with structured support, emphasizing decentralized policies, inclusive financing, and technology-embedded traditional knowledge. By illuminating the synergies and frictions between global frameworks and localized practices, this study contributes to debates on equitable green transitions in resource-constrained settings.