Abstract:
For a long period of time within different political systems cooperative societies have
served as farmer organizations to give credit and to disseminate agricultural inputs in order
to attain increased production and productivity of smallholders. However, dissemination of
agricultural technologies were forcibly transferred using top-down approaches with
minimum participation and giving less emphasis to the priority needs of the farmers. This
study examines farmer perceptions on the effectiveness of cooperatives in disseminating
agricultural technologies with emphasis on major factors that limit technology
dissemination in selected primary cooperatives in Adea district in Ethiopia. The study is
based on literature review, interviews and collecting data using semi-structured
questionnaire. A cross-sectional survey method was employed for the study. From the
sample frame, six cooperatives were selected purposively by setting specific criteria. From
each cooperative society 15 members and 5 non members were selected randomly and
purposively, respectively. In the study descriptive statistics like frequencies, mean,
percentage, chi-square test, correlation and t-test were employed to analyze the data using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The main finding of this study show that
cooperative have a serious shortage of working capital, work seasonally and focuses mainly
on input distribution during planting time and purchasing agricultural products from
farmers living in respective cooperative areas during harvesting time. This limitation is due
to poor planning and management, lack of credit, irregular extension service, loose linkage
with stakeholders, and lack of market information. Furthermore, survey results revealed that
empowerment of farmers through farmer organizations and farmer’s priority needs were
given less attention. Therefore, from the findings of the study it is recommended and insists
that policy makers and concerned institutions should design a system that can enable
cooperative to work all year round, improve market information, credit system, extension
service based on regular program, and priority needs of the farmers.
