Effectual behaviour and frugal innovations: learning from women cocoa farmers in South West Cameroon

Women's entrepreneurship is on the rise in Africa although the obstacles they face in setting up new businesses and in running these businesses are significantly higher than those faced by men. Women usually decide to become entrepreneurs out of an economic necessity, and at the same time, out of a lack of other options. But academic literature on women entrepreneurs also states that some specific qualities of women are very crucial for their success as entrepreneurs despite their significantly harsher circumstances. In order to understand women entrepreneurship strategies, this article presents the study of women entrepreneurs in a male-dominated cash crop industry, in cocoa production in Cameroon. The results demonstrate that women, despite all the additional obstacles they face, adopt effectual behaviour to develop solutions adapted to their respective situations, through frugal innovations. Our results demonstrate that women's innovative capacities reduce the risks of the negative effects of shocks and disasters on their households. The highlights of the study are as follows: 1) women are significantly disadvantaged regarding their access to resources; 2) innovations by women entrepreneurs are driven by effectual behaviour; 3) effectual behaviour drives the development of various frugal innovations.