Study on the role of agricultural production cooperatives in improving farmers’ technical knowledge: a case study on sugar beet growers in Fars Province

Document Type : Scientific - Research

Authors

1 Assistant Professor of Economics Group, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Zabol,Iran

2 Associate Professor of Economics Group, Department of Agricultural Economics, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

3 Assistant Professor of Department of Agronomy, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

4 Instructor of Department of Agronomy, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

Abstract

A strength of agricultural production cooperatives is improving the technical knowledge of their members which is along with their function in large-scale development. One of the main obstacles to the success of cooperatives is their inability in improving the technical knowledge of their members. The current study evaluates the role of production cooperatives of Fars province, Iranin improving sugar beet growers’ technical knowledge level. Questionnaire was used for information collection. The questionnaire was validated after some revisions following consulting with professionals and experts. To realize the reliability of the questionnaire, Cronbach’s coefficient α was calculated as to be in the range of 0.71-0.82 for different sections of the questionnaire which was a proof of its high reliability. The data were collected from 148 questionnaires filled out by member and non-member sugar beet growers in production cooperatives. The farmers were selected by multi-stage stratified random sampling method. Factorial analysis of variance was used for analyzing the data. Results showed that personal factors including literacy level, age and field size did not impact farmers’ technical knowledge improvement. Furthermore, membership in cooperatives did not by itself affect technical knowledge improvement, whereas the effect of region and the interaction between region and membership in cooperatives were significant on farmers’ technical knowledge level. However, using extension services was not the reason for the superiority of sugar beet growers’ technical knowledge index in different cities. Therefore, the driving force of extension services did not efficiently work in improving technical knowledge level in all cities.

Keywords


Abdelrahman AH and Smith C. Cooperatives and agricultural development: A case study of groundnut farmers in Western Sudan. Community Development Journal 1996; 31(1):13-15.
Ahmadi Firouzjaei A, Sedighi H, and Mohammadi Mohammad A. Measuring and comparing social capital components of members and non-members of rural production cooperatives. Social Welfare 2007; 6(23):93-111. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Amini AM, Zeinal Hamedani A and Ramezani M. Evaluating of most important inter organizational factors in success of poultry farmers cooperation in Tehran. Journal of Science and Technology of Agriculture and Natural Resources 2008; 43: 285-295. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Anonymous. Agricultural statistic of Fars province. Fars Provovince Jihad-e-Agriculture Organization; 2008. (in Persian)
Azar A and Memarian MA. AHP, A new technic for group decision making. Management Science 1995; 27 & 28: 22-23. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Azari LA, Houshmand M and Naghavi SS. Measuring satisfaction from the activities of border settlers cooperatives in Khorasan Razavi Province of Iran. Roosta va Towse' E 2009; 12(2):87-111. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Azkia M and Firouzabadi SA. Social capital, land use systems, and peasants cooperative production. Nameh-ye Olum-e Ejtemai 2008; 16(33):77-98. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Ebrahimi HR, Analysis of selecting the various irrigation approaches (M.Sc. thesis). Agricultural College, Shiraz University; 1997. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Ekpe, E. Major factors affecting development of farmers' cooperative in selected local government areas of Ogun State. Journal of Rural Development and Administration 1994: 26(2): 21-32.
Haiati D. Economic-Social and Farming-Producing Factors affecting the Technical Knowledge, Sustainable Agricultural Knowledge, Sustainability of Farming System among Wheat Farmers in Fars Province (M.Sc. thesis). Agricultural College, Shiraz University; 1995. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Hooman HA. Statistical inference in behavioral research. Parsa Publishers, Tehran; 1995. (in Persian)
Jong PC. The role of agricultural cooperatives in strengthening marketing extension services for small-scale farmers: with special reference to the Korean case. Extension Bulletin ASPAC Food and Fertilizer Technology Center 1992; 356.
Kanda M. Cooperative movement in Andhra Pradesh-review of policies and programs. Journal of Rural Development (Hyderabad) 1994; 13(3): 295-307.
Karami A and Rezaei Moghadam K. Effects of cooperative production in the producing. Eqtesad-e Keshavarzi va Towse'e 2005; Special issue: 1-30. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Khana J. Cooperative versus non-cooperative behavior: the case of agricultural research. Review of Economics and Statistics 1993; 75(2): 346-352.
Ladele AA, Olowu, TA and Igodan, CO. Socio-economic impact of agricultural cooperative organizations: Empirical evidence from Nigeria. Journal of Rural Development and Administration 1994; 26(1):1-15.
Latifian A. Studying the turnover of agricultural cooperative in Khorasan province. Daneshvar Raftar 2006; 61-84. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Le Vay C. Agricultural cooperative theory: A review. Journal of Agricultural Economics 1983; 34(1):1-44.
Mohammadi Mohammadi H and Sadr Alashrafi SM. A study of economic efficiency of production cooperatives in Qomrood plain, using stochastic frontier and data envelopment analysis. Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2006; 11(4): 15-29. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Nikooie AR and Torkamani J. Application of factorial analysis of variance method in studying motor type, irrigation method, and farm size effects on irrigation costs: a case study on wheat in Shiraz city. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2001; 32(1) 131-146. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Oustapassidis K. Economies of scale in agricultural marketing cooperatives: the case of the Greek Unions. Journal of Rural Cooperation 1992: 20(2): 127-138.
Paudyal DP. Deedar: A success story in cooperative village development. Community Development Journal 1992: 27(3): 274-284.
Pezeshki-Raad Gh and Kianmehr H. Role of rural production cooperatives in improving the technical and economic status of wheat farmers in Sabzevar. Eqtesad-e Keshavarzi va Towse'e 2001; 34: 343-362. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Rouhani S. Productivity calculation of input factors in cooperation of rural production in Hamedan province. Iranian Journal of Agricultural Sciences 2000; 31(2): 261-267. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Saaiehmiri A, Taghavi M and Saiehmiri K. Calculating and comparing productivity among cooperative and private producers (case study: Ilam province). Pajouheshname-e Eghtesadi 2008; 31: 241-263. (in Persian, abstract in English)
 Sadi HA. Evaluating agricultural production cooperatives of iran: a case study in Kaboudarahang county of Hamedan province. Roosta Va Towse' E 2007; 10(2): 137-163. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Shahroudi AA, Ahmadi Firouzjaei A and Chizari M. Factors influencing the yield and quality of saffron production: a case study in Torbat-heydarieh township. Iranian Agricultural Extension and Education Journal 2007; 3(1):143-158. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Shahroudi AA, Chizari M, Pezeshkirad GhR. The influence of water users’ cooperative on farmers’ attitudes toward agricultural water management: a case study in Khorasan-Razavi province, Iran. Journal of Economics and Agriculture Development 2009; 22(2):71-85. (in Persian, abstract in English)
Shojakhani M. Problems and prospects of cooperative movement in rural India. In Co-operative movement in India. New Dehli, India: Renaissance Publishing House 1994.
Sidhu JS and Sidhu RS. Case studies of successful and unsuccessful primary cooperative service society and milk producers' co-operative society in Punjab. Indian Journal of Agricultural Economics 1990; 45(3): 367-373.
Stiglitz JE. Cooperative credit in agriculture - the Israeli experience. In: The economics theory, practice and policy. Y. Kislev, Z. Lerman, P. Zusman, K. Hoff and A. Braverman (Eds.), 214 - 227. Oxford University Press 1993.
Taherkhani M and Heidari Sareban V. The role of production’s cooperative in rural development (case study: Meshkin shahr city). Geographic Research 2004; 49: 113-124. (in Persian, abstract in English)