Economic Outcomes of Differently Abled Food-Processing Entrepreneurs in Central Kerala

Abstract

Differently Abled Persons face persistent structural barriers to employment and livelihood opportunities, particularly in developing contexts (Jones & Latreille, 2011). Entrepreneurship, especially small home-based businesses, has emerged as a practical approach to economic inclusion (Cooney, 2008; Pagan, 2009). This study assesses the economic outcomes of people with disabilities involved in food-processing businesses in central Kerala (Palakkad, Thrissur, Kottayam, Ernakulam, and Idukki). Data were collected from 36 entrepreneurs using a structured questionnaire comprising 12 Likert-scale items measuring income change, financial stability, savings, and asset building. Reliability analysis showed excellent internal consistency (α = .912). Exploratory factor analysis (Principal Component Analysis with Varimax rotation) yielded a clear three-factor structure: income improvement and stability, financial security and risk management, and saving and asset building, which explained 78.54% of the total variance. The KMO (.672) and Bartlett's test (χ²(66) = 378.846, p < .001) confirmed the suitability of the data. Descriptive statistics showed positive economic outcomes across all dimensions, with savings and asset formation scoring the highest. The findings provide empirical evidence that entrepreneurship in food processing improves the financial independence, resilience, and long-term economic capacity of people with disabilities in central Kerala.