Co-Operative Society As Instrument For Improving Cassava Production

1.0 INTRODUCTION
The cooperative has been defined by different schools of throughout but the various is the degree of emphasis on one aspect or the other.
The school of thought describes cooperative as business undertaking owned and operated by voluntary association in order to provide themselves with work and wages or with goods and services.
But the international cooperative Alliance (ICA) defined cooperative as an autonomous association of persons limited voluntary to meet their common economic social and cultural needs aspiration through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise.
According to Berko (1987) defined cooperative as a voluntary and democratic association of persons with variable membership and variable capital whose members pooled themselves and their resources together on mutual and self basis to form a business enterprise which seeks to solve the socio- economic problems of these members by recently providing goods and services to them in their capacity as either the owned customer or owner employees of the cooperative enterprise.
The role of cooperative in agricultural is an important topic of study but already much has been done by cooperators to justify its prime role of scare economic and political development particularly in developed countries like England know for consumer cooperative France know for credit cooperative, cooperative movement is would wide phenomenon, it has developed from simple traditional from of mutual institution to modern formally organized institution.
This institution gained worldwide acceptance because the great role.

1.1 BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY
In Arondizuogu farmers most inhabitants survive main occupation is substantial farming which attracted the interest many cooperative societies both existing ones and new initiated ones.
Improving the food production was their main target and interest and at the same time lifting the level of its individuals improvement target was both in size and qualities were poor and could not be marketed most of the crops having pest scales and most couldn’t grow well in other to produces as expected.
The products that were severally affected were yam tubers cassava stems and tubers cocoa yams vegetables.
It has been playing in the economic development of various countries particularly in the developing countries.
This improvement of agricultural or cassava production through cooperative management being standard better yields which in turn yields better living standard better education for members and the families.
Type of farming in cooperative and had failed to produce enough cassava for our teeming population thereby farcing the country to be involved in impartation of large quantify of cassava with huge percentage decline cassava exports.
This call for urgent re- examination of the role of these agricultural cassava production sure its aim, of facilitating the attainment of self- sufficiency in cassava and making agriculture to take its prime position in the natural economy of this country in danger.

1.2 STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEMS
Despite the role cooperative societies play in improving cassava production in Nigeria they still encounter some problems in production of cassava
(1) Insufficient capital accumulation
(2) Inadequate access to credit
(3) Deficient accounting system
(4) Lack of members participation
(5) Storage problems
(6) Poor supervision
Cassava farms are of basic staple foods consumed in well over 90% of the entire house holds in Nigeria.
Production is not to have been completed until produced cassava get to the final consumers.
The absence of processing machine make the processing to be more difficult to the producer.

1.3 STATEMENT OF PROBLEMS
Nigeria had embarked on various programmes and policies costing hundreds of millions of naira aimed at reviving the depressed agricultural sector.
In view of this agricultural cooperative was were still involved in manual labour.
Type of farming in cooperative and had failed to produce enough cassava for our teeming population thereby farcing the country to be involved in impartation of large quantify of cassava with a huge percentage decline cassava exports.
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 Ugent re- examination of the role these agricultural cassava production sure aim of facilitating the attunement of self- sufficiency in cassava and making agricultural to take its prime position in the natural economy of this country in danger.

1.4 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY
The general purpose of this project report is to undertake a study of the existing farmers cooperative societies and their effects in improving the development of agricultural specify.
Finally, the study has the following objectives.
(a) To examine the impact of the farmers cooperative societies.
(b) To investigate the problem facing the farmers cooperative.
(c) To suggest pragmatic and means for enhancing the effectiveness of these societies man attempt to be as cassava production and assist in further research into contemporary issues on the matter.

1.5 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
A hypothesis may be viewed as a conjectural proposition an informed intelligent guess about the solution to a problem.
It is an assumption whose validity reliability is to be established.
Hypothesis are guides for researchers in the process of research.
As much as possible, researchers should be open minded persistent and objective in formulating and testing hypothesis.
H0: Cooperative society is not an instrument for in proving cassava production in Nigeria.
H1: Cooperative society is an instrument for improving cassava production in Nigeria.

1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF STUDY
Cassava is so significance in order to sustain any economy. Moreover, cooperative using the agricultural sector thus any effort geared towards carrying out research aimed at improving the cassava production should be considered work while any suggestion of the improvement of agricultural cooperative should have bearing on the sector.
This is therefore the most appropriate time to study the agricultural sector concerning the prevailing economic condition of Arondizuogu farmers
Presently, our farmers are not adequately remunerated despite the fact they the trying to make the state sufficient and self- reliant in cassava production.
They cannot compete with their counter parts in Nigeria not to talk of the other parts of the world.

1.7 STATEMENT OF HYPOTHESIS
In the course of carrying out this research work, various hypothesis were formulated in order to arrive at a conclusion.
(1) H0: Cooperative society is not an instrument for improving cassava production in Nigeria
H1: Cooperative society is an instrument for improving cassava production in Nigeria
(2) H0: There is no significant different between cassava production and cooperative society
H1: There is significant different between cassava production and cooperative society.
If they are organized in cooperative increased productivity hence the profit maximized to them and than farming will once move look attractive.
Based on the finding of this study and suggestions proffered it is strongly believed that the policy makers/ government would encourage our peasant farmers to voluntarily join the cooperative societies moreover healthy programmes and policies on cooperative and development would be mounted in addition it would enable the managers of cooperative and organization to adequately organization the cooperative farmer for increased cassava production.
Furthermore college of cooperative school and researchers who wish to carryout research in this filed have been provided a springboard from where they can take off.

1.8 SCOPE OF THE STUDY
This study will attempt examine the policies of Arondizuogu Local government area farmers cooperative limited Ideat South in Imo State on agricultural development are over charging and the significance of cooperative using our small scale farmers for increased cassava production the constraint in achieving the desired development in agriculture and proffering of possible solution to overcome them some also be examine in this project report.
However in preparing this report the researcher and been handicapped by inadequacy of time to take a more detailed researcher.
Also within the time available it has not been easy to contact most of the members of the cooperative and the state cooperative apexes whose view would have helped in encouraging a broad based approached as literature on the topic is rather scanty.
Moreover, most of the workers who were contacted do not keep up to data statistical records which would have been useful in the analysis of the data collected.
Some members of cooperative are largely, if not totally, ignorant of what the cooperative involves.
Now are they familiar with it’s modus operand hence most of the information supplied by the could be incorporated in this study.
Financial constraints coupled with lack of hardly transport also reviewed my mobility rather limited.

1.9 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
(i) In preparing researcher had been handicapped by inadequacy to take a good detailed research work.
(ii) It has not been easy to contact most of the members of cooperative and state cooperative apexes whose view would have helped in encouraging a broad based approached as literature on the topic is rather scanty.
(iii) Most of the workers who were contacted do not keep up to data statistical records which would have been useful in analysis data collected.
(iv) Some members of cooperative society in this regard are very largely if not totally, ignorant of what cooperative involves.
(v) They are not familiar with its modus operand hence most of the information supplied by them could be in cooperative in this study.
Finally, constraints or problem so fat couple with lack of hardly transport also prevented mobility

1.10 DEFINTION OF TERMS
Most of the terms words or phrase that are used in this projects report may be unfamiliar or may have peculiar meaning and connotation these terms includes.
(1) AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTIVITY: The index of the ration of the value of the total input used in farms production.
Important aspect of food processing is that it permits greater diet diversity giving consume.
Also help overcome the consequences of seasonal fluctuation in the supply of agricultural products which create market instability of gluts and scarcity a phenomenon captured in micro- economics as the cost was theory.
(2) FORM MANAGEMENT: The application of farming science and technology the solution of the day to day problems facing the farms.
Two types of small farmers are easily recognizable in this sector.
The first is the middle aged illiterate food crop farmers employing traditional implements matchet hoes diggers e.t.c. He has instinctive knowledge of crop rotation but is often handicapped by land availability and his land is invariable over cropped.
(3) BYE- LAWS: We mean the registered bye laws made by a cooperative society which government the activities of such society and which is made by a society in the exercise of any power conferred by the cooperative society law.
The bye- law of a cooperative society is the single most important document of the cooperative complex because it states the conditions for association between the cooperative and her members.
The bye law is the legal document where the name of the cooperative is proclaimed.
(4) SMALL- SCALE INDIVIDUAL FARMS: This implies that a farmer whose total cultivable farm land is not more than lectures and whose farm labour requirement are largely supplied by his family.
He sells are goods in a localized market he requires law initial capital investment farms on small holdings with simple technology and at least 60% of his annual income from agricultural.
(5) COOPERATIVE SOCIETY: It is a farm of organization where by people voluntarily associate together as human beings on the basis of equality for promotion of the economic interest of themselves.
(6) AUXILIARY COOPERATIVE: This type provide individual services to members.
The cooperative main function are to provide credit supply and market and storage.
The cooperative has not land in he supervision and management affairs of member farm
(7) PRODUCTION TYPE: Here there is a full integration the cooperative absorbs all the members business enterprise that is members economic responsibilities are bone be the cooperative.