1.0 Introduction
Cooperative society and cooperative that engage in the processing, marketing and distribution of agricultural product. Therefore all the cooperative societies that operate in eth agricultural sector are engaging in the different operations along to the group of cooperative society.
An important form of cooperative society in Nigerian is the group farming society (GFS) members of this society engage in the production of a variety of crops while they also arrange for the marketing of such crops. Some other cooperative societies are devoted to the cultivation of single crop and such societies are named after the crop e.g tomatoes grower's cooperation. Cooperative society we stock farmers cooperative societies operative on a set of principles which distinguish it forms other forms of business.
These principles guide the management staff with respect to function that led to the success of the society. The development of eth cooperative society is dependent on the knowledge skills and ability of are management staff. It is also dependant to an extent on the government and the support greatest likelihood for success is an communities having progressive development programmes (Williams 1974). The government and non-government programmes mostly about these community development programmes.
1.1 Background of the Study
To develop the local government area the problems facing them should be solved or at least minimized. This needs the adoption and efficient implementation of certain development strategies and programmes.
The concept of rural development is an extension of the term development “Development” itself can be defined broadly as the process by which people create and recreate themselves and their life circumstance to realize higher levels of civilization in accordance with their own choices and values.
Rural development can be defined as strategies policies and their people through the promotion of social life and economic activities carried out in such areas of agriculture, rural development also aim at the promotion and exploration of economic and social infrastructure and institution with the ultimate aim of achieving a fuller utilization of the deniable physical and human resources and resulting in greater creation of employment opportunities, higher output and income.
Rural development also involve improving the literacy level of the people and broadening the democratic base of the grass root communities, local government and the nation at large and this allows the rural people to participate more fully and effectively in the development process and practice of the nation and ensuring grater economic and social justices. They must be familiar with and accepts the institutional method involved and used the development process.
1.2 Statement of the Problems
The condition of villages in Nigeria today is so dissatisfaction that those villages in some local government areas which were once like heaven on earth to their inhabitance are today the images of poverty hunger, assault, incidence of aimed robbery and murder have became the talk of the day.
Litigations are resorted to over trifles and this creates persistent natural enmity. They dry and gloomy faces of the villages in the local government areas advertise their how state of health.
The villages who were once known for honestly in their habitants today give shelter to people who surpass their other people.
In villages where once the idea of morality was very high, corruption rural area and social irrelevance have today passed all limits. Indebtedness and unemployment have turned the villages into detestable places to live.
These numerous rural problems can be grouped into three main chasses, economic problem agricultural problem and social problem.
1.3 Objective of the Study
This research has the major objective of findings how cooperative societies can contribute immensely to the development of Ekwusigo Local Government Area and as well as other rural areas.
Specific objective are:
To identify the socio-economic characteristics associated with co-operative societies.
To identify the support for modern farming investment for industrial development and expansion of market through co-operative societies.
To assess the volume of viable co-operative societies.
To identify the problems of co-operative societies in Ekwusigo Local Government Area.
To recommend on how to improve co-operative societies in order to develop rural areas.
1.4 Research Questions
How would cooperative societies contribute to me development of Ekwusigo Local Government Area?
What are the social-economic benefits of belonging to co-operative?
Can cooperative members improve their standard of living?
Do cooperative societies increase farmer's income in Ekwusigo Local Government Area?
1.5 Significance of the Study
There is the need for the development of over society and Ekwusigo Local Government Area in particular through cooperative society societies. This analytical study shows the extent of some particular proposal for solution to these problems of rural development through co-operative society.
The greatest concern which African Government can look on is how our rural and local government area can be developed cooperative societies. It is envisaged that the findings suggestions and recommendations of this study will be beneficial to all non members and non members of cooperative society and government as well.
The various government of African are showing in recent years towards local government development as well as our society's development at large, but some the impediments limitations against this development I our societies and rural areas in hindered by some odd. Rural development is understandable when viewed against the background of the relative neglect of these areas in spite of their importance.
1.6 Scope of the Study
The study covers selected cooperative society in Ekwusigo Local Government Area including Obudi Agwa etc.
1.7 Limitations of the Study
In writing this project, there are some difficulties that militated against this study, such as the time schedule, gathering of the research materials even inadequate finance. All these seem to be major problem of this reseach work. Another limitation of this study is the respondent's attitude poor activities and way of life of most Nigerians coupled with illiteracy is also great obstacles. Some respondent's were unwilling to give out the relevant information and this uncooperative attitude occurred mostly when they were not sure that this will be used for only research purpose.
1.8 Definition of Terms
For clarification purpose and evidence of doubt this project work have taken into cognizance of some definitions of notable they word as follows:
Appraisal:
According to oxford advanced learners dictionary appraisal could be defined as a judgment of eth value, performance or nature of something or somebody.
Contribution:
This simply means an action or services that help to improve something.
Agricultural:
This is the science cultivation of crops and rearing of animals for the use of man production of goods fibre and other raw materials for industrial use.
Cooperative:
Co-operative could be defined as an autonomous, voluntary open association of persons, in a sociological sense, with variable membership and variable capital whose members have pooled their resources on the basic of self help solidarities mutual assistant and self reliant to form a democratic managed, control business enterprise in which the members actively participate and whose members basic objective is the promotion of the social economic interest of eth members through resolution of at lest socio-economic of those members duals capacity as either owner customers or owner employees in auxiliary and productive cooperative society.
Cooperative Society:
These are cooperative societies that engage in the production, processing marketing and distribution of agricultural products.
Development:
According advanced learner's dictionary development means the gradual growth of something so that it becomes more advanced stronger etc. It also means a multidimensional process involving the re-organization and reorientation of the entire economic and social system.
