أثر الجمعيات التعاونية الزراعية على التنمية الريفية(حالة جمعية حلة كوكو التعاونية الزراعية- ولاية الخرطوم – السودان ))

Abstract

The study was carried out to know the effects of the Agricultural Cooperation on Rural Development. Hilat Kuku Agricultural Cooperative Society is investigated as a case study. The Social Survey method was used through a questionnaire administered to collect primary data from a random sample of (40) respondents selected to represent the population of (160) remembers (25%).Personal interviews, discussions and direct observations, supplemented the questionnaire as sources of primary data. For secondary data, reports, textbooks and other relevant documents on cooperation and rural development, were consulted. The Collected data was analyzed statistically to calculate frequencies and percentages which are presented in tables, explained discussed and interpreted. The important results of the study are as Follows: 1. All members of the sample are males in the active age-group (30-50) years, generally married to one wife each and only (17.5%) have more than one wife. Half of the respondent are uneducated and more than 1/3rd of them have experienced animal rasing as individuals before Joining the cooperative society. 2. The farm sizes vary between (5) feddans to more than (10) feddans. The majority (95%), however, have farms between (5) and (10) feddans and (90%) of them own the land they are operating, and Joined the society for more than (15) years. The modal Production is Barseem and Abu (70) fodders for their own animals and to sell the surplus, if any. 3. The monthly income earned by most members ranges between (20,000) and (30,000) Dinars which is rated by (67.5%) of them as insufficient. 4. The sources of technical information are many and vary from the office of the Society (37.5%) to relatives and friends (52%) and only (5%) of the respondents receive information from the extension services. 5. The members claim that the society contributed effectively towards developing the area and its people, through the created socio-economic institutions and the provision of essential services. Working together as a group in the society gave them strength and bargaining power when buying inputs and for selling their products. 6. In spite of the low income and its inadequacy to meet their needs, the members, surprisingly, expressed satisfaction with the performance of Hilat Kuku Cooperative Society, as reflected in their (100%) positive response to the specific question asked in the questionnaire. Based on the results, the following recommendations are drawns: 1. To analyze the organizational structures of the a agricultural cooperative societies to reveal the most commonly applied successful structures to use the results of the analyses to solve the problems of Hilat Kuku cooperative society which retard its development. 2. To remove all fees charged on the society gradually and encourage it to depend on itself through training on marketing its products in a strong competitive style. 3. To intensify the extension services to offer new and improved information and technology. 4. To organize training courses on subject-matter and extension subjects to disseminate knowledge and skills and at the same time to back-up the efforts of the leaders of the societies. 5. To encourage adoption of the cooperative principles as bases for rural development and to establish specialized production cooperative societies. 6. To promote financial support for the cooperative societies and in particular the starting cooperatives through provision of loans from suitable lending institutions.