How Ecosystem Coordination and Social Entrepreneurship Strengthen Food Security in Bangladesh

Abstract

This article examines how social entrepreneurship and the coordination of entrepreneurial ecosystem actors (ecosystem coordination) enhance food security and rural resilience in Bangladesh by developing mechanisms through which coordinated support promotes sustainable livelihoods. A qualitative multiple-case study across three agro-ecological districts, Gaibandha, Bogra and Bhola draws on 25 in-depth stakeholder interviews analysed thematically using a resilience-cycle framework integrating sustainable production, livestock management and income diversification. Findings show that social entrepreneurship operates as an institutional bridge that builds trust, mobilises resources and restructures market access. However, outcomes depend on the degree of coordination across ecosystem actors. Where financial, policy and training systems are aligned, social enterprises catalyse sustainable production and reinvestment loops; when fragmented, they perpetuate vulnerability and debt dependence. This study advances social enterprise and ecosystem theory by conceptualising ecosystem coordination as a dynamic capability and offering design principles for trust-based interventions that support Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) 1, 2 and 8.