THE IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION THROUGH CO-OPERATIVE SOCIETIES.

CHAPTER ONE

1.0        INTRODUCTION

In Anambra State, most inhabitants survive through Agriculture and their main occupation is subsistence farming which attracted the interest  of many co-operative societies both the old and new ones.  Improving the Agricultural production was their main target and at the same time lifting the level of it size and qualities.  Most of the crop couldn’t grow well in  order to produce as expected.  The product that were several affected were yam tubers, cocoa yam, vegetable, cassava stem and tubers.

In the sixties, Anambra State economy had a mono-sectorial dependency on Agriculture as the main source of earning, and also the main source of employment.  Then we took one leaf from this dependency  on agriculture to a higher dependency on trade and white collar jobs.

Anambra state Agriculture is till completely preasentised,  hoe, cutlass economy with a large number of small-scale holder producers.  One can observe that Anambra state is still semi-substantial and their output from Agriculture production can neither feed the fearing population nor provide essential raw material for the agro-based industries.  The export of the state major cash crops which has in the past supported the economy has virtually stopped.

While a lot of observers dwell on the urgent need to reinitialize this sector, Omuma (1986) implied the adverse effects of no reinitialization  of the agricultural sector noted that under such conditions, all it needed was famine and kwashiorkor to be evident in the village.

Furthermore, one wondered why it is taking the state so long despite its abundant land and know-how to revitalize the agricultural sector and save the inhabitants of Anambra state who both underrated kwashiorkor stricken  and undernourished.  While emphasizing the importance of improving agriculture productions, through co-operatives.  Igbo (1996)  said, it is now on the government  the dependence on the external sources of food, because it has ties their state independence to the uncertainties of ridiculed.

According to Anambra state food journal (1991), Agriculture was the back bone of the state’s economy development to thousands of Anambra  state indigenes over 95%  of the labour force, mostly from rural areas.  Agriculture produces feeds for animals that provide proteins for man.

All these made the government to organize these present farmers into agricultural co-operative with view of having massive food production in the country.

1.1     BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

          Co-operative movement all over the world has been considered or taken as both mean and instrument  of development whereby individual as group of people with common social-economic come together mutually to take and solve their common socio-economic problems.  In our country today, sources of statements have been made in the newspapers and other news media, by scholars advocating the use of co-operative societies for the development and improvement of living standard of the rural people.

Meanwhile, many programmes have been launched by the federal government in support of this rural development, such as Agricultural Development Project (ADP), National Land Development Authority (NALDA), Directorate of Food, Roads and Rural Infrastructures (DFRRI), Better Life  {Programme (BLP),  etc.

Recently, the family support programme (FSP) which was launched by the federal government which aims at improving the life of the rural dwellers through the formation of co-operative movement.  Co-operative movement spans through many aspects of our economic life such as production, consumption, distribution, thrift, savings and the provision of rural infrastructures.

1.1        STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM

Nigeria has embarked on various programmes and policies, costing hundreds of millions of naira aimed at reviving the depressed agricultural sector.

In view of this, agricultural co-operative was instituted so as to organize the small-scale farmer who are still involve in manual labour type of farming in co-operative and had failed to produce enough food for our teaming population thereby forcing the country to be involved in importation of large quantity of food with a huge percentage decline in agricultural export.  All these government efforts have not actually had much significant improvement in this sector as much emphasis is now being placed on agriculture.  This  call for urgent reexamination of the role of these agricultural products, its aim of facilitating the attainment of self sufficient in agricultural and making agriculture to take its prime position in the national economy of this country.

1.2         PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

The general purpose of this project report is to undertake a study of the existing farmer co-operative societies has their efforts in improving the development of agriculture.

Also the study has the following objectives:

a)      To examine the organizational structure and the operations of co-operatives movement in Anambra state with particular reference to Aniocha Local Government Area.

b)      To examine the impact of the farmer co-operative societies.

c)      To investigate the problems facing the farmers co-operative societies.

d)     To suggest ways and means for enhancing the effectiveness of the societies and assist in further research into contemporary issue on this manner.

1.3        DEFINITION OF TERMS.

1.      Agricultural Productivity:

         The index of the ratio of the value of the total farm output to the value of the total                             

         input used  in farm production.

2.     Farm Management:

        The application of farming science and technology , the solution of the day-to-day          

         problems facing the farmers.

3.      Bye-laws:

         We mean the registered bye-laws made by a co-operative society which governs the  

         activities of  such society and which is made by a society in the exercise of any power

        conferred by the co-operative society law.

4.          Small-scale Individual farms:

       This implies a farmer whose total cultivatable counterparts the nation of Nigeria, not to talk of the world.  If they are organized in co-operative increased productivity enhanced the profit maximized to them, and their farming will once more look attractive.

5.  Auxiliary Co-Operatives:

           This type provides individual services to number the co-operatives’ main functions which provide credit supply and market and storage.  The co-operatives main functions are to provide credits supply, market and storage.  The co-operative has no  hand in the supervision and management affairs of member farm.

6. Productive Co-operatives:

     There is a full integration.  The co-operative absorbs all the members business

     enterprise that is members’  economic responsibilities are borne to be the co-operative which is found in Aniocha local government area.

     This is co-operative by integration; the farmer depends on society for his production

    activities.  There is a strong link between the co-operative and members in areas of

    management facing them.

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