Assessment Of The Role And Challenges Of Bore Bako Farmers’ Cooperative Union During Covid-19: Bako Tibe Woreda, West Shoa Zone, Oromia Regional State, Ethiopia.

Abstract

Cooperatives have role in improving socio-economic life of members. However impact of Covid-19 in the world largely imposes great challenges on the socio-economic activities of the organization, cooperative and individual people. The main purpose of this study is to assess the roles and challenges of farmers’ cooperative union during Covid-19 in West Shoa Zone, particularly in BBFCU. This paper intended to analyze the social role, economic role, and the challenges during Covid-19 faced by BBFCU. To achieve this objective primary and secondary data were collected through a questionnaire survey from 191 respondents census and purposively, group discussion from 3 grouped respondents each have five members and interviews from 5 those working in three management of the union and two top management and vice of BTCPO. All (32) questionnaires, 10 groups discussed, and 6 interviews were completed with a response rate of 97.4%, 100%and 100% respectively. For testing of opinion survey data reliability; Cronbach's Alpha reliability test has been used. For data analysis, descriptive statistics, qualitative and quantitative analysis test, and Binary Logistic Regression analysis has been administered and the results indicate that from the challenge imposed by Covid-19 on BBFCU .The social roles of FCU during Coivid-19 were helping vulnerable peoples, creating awareness about Covid-19, by dissemination of relevant information about Covid-19, and also played economic roles by support of Covid-19 equipment materials, supplying agricultural inputs, collecting agricultural production, grant loan for members and generating income during covid-19.From the challenges faced by Covid-19 on BBFCU variables were Lack of functioning, Lack of training and education, Lack of market channels, Lack of supplying inputs, Challenges to collect agricultural productions, Lack of capital, Lack of information, Lack of general assembly, Lack of transportations, and Lack of dividends were significant. This study recommended that was the major regulatory body of cooperative and government must encourage the BBFCU by facilitating modernizing services, creating aware mobile based cooperative services and ICT based communication channels to enhance the socio-economic of members’ service during Covid-19. Give awareness by the health professional about the diseases of Covid-19 and to organize health cooperative for the rural farmers.