Agripreneurship and Food Security in Afghanistan: A Question of the Triple Bottom Line

This paper examines the interrelationship of agricultural entrepreneurship (‘agripreneurship’) and food security in Afghanistan – an overlooked country in terms of political stability and natural resources – through the lens of the Triple Bottom Line (TBL) model. Using a ‘bottom-up’ approach of examining 28 stakeholders from diverse backgrounds ranging from farmers to experts primarily at the lower ends of the infrastructural hierarchy, they were interviewed to seek insights into the agricultural and entrepreneurial constraints imposed upon them. The research finds an imbalance between trying to achieve food security and promoting environmental sustainability, among other important issues. For example, access to food had been prioritized by agricultural entrepreneurs over global environmental concerns, questioning the validity of the TBL. We argue that western approaches for dealing with grand challenges, such as sustainability with the TBL are a luxury, as for Afghanistan, and it is now time to rethink what a bottom line should be.