THE ROLE OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVE SOCIETIES IN IMPROVING FOOD PRODUCTION IN GASSOL LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF TARABA STATE
Abstract
The study examines the role of agricultural cooperative societies in enhancing food production, focusing on their contributions, challenges, and overall impact. The research design used in this report is descriptive design, utilizing questionnaire method to obtain information from the respondents for this project. A total of 400 (four hundred) respondents were selected for this study to represent the entire population of the study. Primary data were collected from the primary source which questionnaire was used as an instrument of data collection while secondary data were sources from textbooks, journals, newspapers and the internet were employed. The data were presented on a descriptive statistics, specifically mean and standard deviation, to answer the research question. The findings from the analyzed data indicate that cooperative societies play a crucial role in increasing agricultural productivity through access to credit, inputs, training, and collective bargaining. Farmers involved in cooperatives reported significant improvements in yield, income, and market access compared to non-members. However, challenges such as inadequate government support, poor infrastructure, and limited access to modern technology hinder their effectiveness. The results also highlight the need for stronger policies to enhance cooperative operations, ensuring their sustainability in the agricultural sector. The study concludes that strengthening cooperative societies can contribute significantly to food security and rural development. Based on the findings, it was recommended that agricultural cooperative societies should be strengthened through improved governance and transparency to ensure effective management and equitable distribution of resources. Also, cooperative societies should invest in better storage facilities and transportation networks to reduce post-harvest losses and ensure efficient market access for farmers.
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