Impact of agricultural cooperatives on farmers’ livelihoods; case study: Kisiita Agricultural Cooperative Enterprise

Abstract

This study sought to empirically examine the impact of agricultural cooperatives on farmers’ livelihoods in Kisiita Kibaale District. It specifically looked at the influence of provision of improved farm seeds, market development services, value addition and storage services on the farmers’ livelihoods. The study adopted a cross sectional design involving a statistical approach to establish the relationship between the variables. The data was collected using a structured questionnaire and an interview guide that captured quantitative and qualitative data from the respondents. The data was analysed at three different levels, that is, univariate, bivariate and multivariate. At univariate, the descriptive properties of each variable were established. At bivariate analysis, the relationship between the dependent variable and each independent variable was established. At multivariate level, a binary logistic regression model was used to ascertain the magnitude of the impact for each independent variable on the dependent variable. It was concluded from the study that agricultural cooperatives have a positive impact on farmers’ livelihoods, with provision of improved farm seeds, value addition and market development services having a significant impact. Provision of storage services had a positive albeit insignificant impact on farmers’ livelihoods. It is recommended that focus be placed on all the services provided by agricultural cooperatives with more sensitization required regarding the importance of proper storage services.