| dc.description.abstract | This study attempts to assess participation in coffee cooperative union and evaluate its impact on
the performance of coffee farmers in terms of income in Kasese district using a case study of
Bukonzo Joint Cooperative Union. The study analysis is based on the unique primary and
secondary data. Primary data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 85
respondents, while secondary data sources included publications, journal articles, and text books.
Data were analyzed using SPSS (version16). Data analysis was conducted using linear and
logistic regression models, frequencies, percentages, and description based on qualitative data.
This study was motivated by the following objectives: (i) To examine factors that lead to
formation of coffee cooperatives. Findings from the study for factors that lead to formation of
coffee cooperatives include; to promote solidarity and team work among farmers, to create
employment opportunities/ jobs for the member farmers, to promote production of quality coffee,
to promote rights for individual member farmers, to help farmers access bigger coffee markets,
to provide avenue for credit access for member farmers and to help farmers to access information
and appropriate. (ii) To identify factors that influence farmers to participate in cooperative
activities. Results indicate that the portion of land that the farmer allocates for coffee production,
the educational level of the household head are the key factors that influence a farmer’s decision
to become an active participant in coffee cooperative. (iii) To find out the impact of cooperative
membership on farmers’ income earned from coffee. Study results reveal higher coffee prices for
members of the cooperative, a phenomenon that enhances their incomes. Higher prices of
income are attributed to the high quality coffee produced by cooperative members, access to
wider market by cooperative farmers. Some of these wider markets include organic fair trade
markets, which are inaccessible by individual nonmember farmers. The study therefore
recommends that the cooperative management should sensitize youths about the benefits of
cooperative membership to encourage them become members as the biggest number of members
according to the study results are elderly people above 40 years of age, the government should
focus on infrastructural development for example rehabilitation of roads in remote areas to allow
farmers transport their coffee to washing stations, cooperative management should subsidize
farm inputs such as fertilizers and pesticides so that farmers can access them at a reduced price,
and also the management should relax some membership requirements to allow farmers with low
quantities of coffee to become members. | en_US |
