Integrating Social Entrepreneurship and Smallholder Agriculture: A Faith-Based Development Model for Financial Sustainability in Eastern Zambia

Abstract

Faith-based organizations (FBOs) are among the most deeply embedded and socially trusted development actors in rural Sub-Saharan Africa; yet, their economic potential remains underexamined in development theory and empirical scholarship. While FBOs are frequently recognized for their contributions to education, health, and humanitarian assistance, limited attention has been given to their capacity to function as sustainable economic institutions capable of mobilizing local resources for long-term development financing. This study proposes a faith-based social entrepreneurship model that integrates smallholder agriculture with institutional financial sustainability and social welfare outcomes.