Role of rural cooperatives on agricultural development in zaria local government area of Kaduna State, Nigeria

Abstract

This study assessed the role of rural cooperatives on agricultural development in Zaria Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Multistage followed by purposive sampling procedures and the proportionate selection of cooperators at 25% were used from the sample frame of 442 Co-operators to give a sample size of 111 respondents. The data for the study was collected by the use of structured questionnaire and a five points Likert type scale. The data was analyzed using both descriptive (frequency, percentage and mean) and inferential statistics (Chi-square). The findings from the study revealed four different types of co-operative societies in the area. Most (63%) of the cooperators were at their productive stage of life with the mean of 24 years and majority (97.2%) of the co-operators had attended formal school. It was also, found that majority (92.8%) of the co-operators were active members of co-operative societies and had positive perceptions towards supports and services provided by the cooperatives. The findings from Chi-square analysis further revealed that age, marital status, educational level and household size were significantly associated with cooperative participation of members. Late distribution of inputs, and poor leadership were the major constraints faced by the cooperative membership. The study, therefore, recommends timely and adequate distribution of farm inputs to co-operators.