The role of Agricultural Cooperatives in rural development: A case study of Kakamega District
Abstract
This study was prompted by the low level of cooperative
development in Kakamega district. The generally weak
c60perative movement in the area stands out as an obstacle
to the success of rural development in the district.
The study examines the role played by the agricultural
cooperatives in the development of the area first by considering
the use of agricultural cooperatives in development
from different countries compared with the current
cooperative development policy in Kenya. This review
establishes the role of agricultural cooperatives in rural
development in general.
The development background of the study area is considered
in establishing the existing development problems that can
best be answered by cooperative development. Before
considering the role of cooperatives in the development of
the area, the development of agricultural cooperative societies
in the district is given by analysing the factors which
have influenced their growth and how the cooperatives are
functionally and spatially organised in the
district.
The study then looks at agricultural cooperatives in the
light of their performance. The current role of cooperatives
in the area is established against the background of development
needs in the district. This has shown that agricultural
cooperatives are limited in their performance in the area
due to a variety of problems. It is seen that cooperatives
are poorly distributed/most of the existing cooperatives
are weak and cover only small number of members. The
cooperatives are administered by two different ministries.
Their management has remaiined poor partly due to the existing
education pattern for the movement.
Citation
M.ASponsorhip
University of NairobiPublisher
University of Nairobi Department of Planning