From governance to market access: What drives village fishery agribusiness performance in frontier, remote, underdeveloped small islands region of Indonesia?

This study examines how governance and institutional support, infrastructure, human capital, technology and innovation, market access, community collective involvement, and sustainable environment contribute to agribusiness village performance in Tual City, Indonesia. Using PLS-SEM on survey data from 430 respondents across 30 villages, the analysis shows that governance functions as an indirect enabler rather than a direct driver of performance. Governance significantly strengthens market access, sustainable environment, technology adaptation, and community collective involvement, but its direct impact on performance is not significant. Market access emerges as the strongest determinant of performance, as value-chain connectivity allows producers to secure better prices and stabilize income. These findings align with global evidence that governance improvements initially enhance markets and coordination, thereby supporting sustainable livelihoods. Results are context-specific to small-island rural settings; further research should explore other socio-economic contexts. This study is the first to model the performance of fishery agribusiness villages in a small-island region.