THE ROLE AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN ENHANCING FOOD SECURITY IN KADUNA STATE A CASE STUDY OF SOME SELECTED COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN CHIKUN LOCAL GOVERNMENT – KADUNA STATE

This study investigates the role of agricultural cooperatives in enhancing food security in rural Nigeria using a mixed-method approach with a sample size of 48 respondents. The research employed frequency distribution, mean statistics via the Likert scale, and regression analysis to explore the contributions, strategies, and challenges of cooperatives. Findings revealed that cooperatives significantly contribute to improved market access (mean = 4.02) and household income (mean = 4.06) through collective marketing and value addition. Strategies for strengthening cooperatives such as access to capital (mean = 4.23) and investment in rural infrastructure (mean = 4.19) were widely supported by respondents. The regression model highlighted financial constraints (p = 0.023) as a statistically significant challenge negatively affecting the cooperatives' impact on food security. Other variables such as infrastructure limitations (p = 0.058) and external factors (p = 0.066) were also near-significant, indicating their critical but secondary role. Governance and management issues (p = 0.104) were less significant but still relevant. The study concludes that with targeted policy interventions—especially in funding, infrastructure, and partnerships—agricultural cooperatives can serve as powerful drivers of rural food security and economic empowerment in Nigeria.