The Role Of Primary Multipurpose Agricultural Cooperative Societies In Building Sustainable Livelihood For Rural Women In Selected Districts Of West Shewa Zone, Oromia Regional State.

Abstract

In developing countries there were to some extent equal treatments of rural women with men because as traditional perception women could not go far and only doing their surrounding the garden. The study aimed on the Role of Primary Multipurpose agricultural cooperative societies in Building Sustainable Livelihood for rural women in selected Districts of West Shewa Zone. The study employed a mixed research design, used both primary and secondary data collected from respondents and concerned organ respectively. Quantitative methods of data collection were employed survey method and the qualitative method of data collection that were employed Key informant interview, focus group discussion and observation methods. Simple random sampling technique was employed so as to select sample respondents of the study. From exist in 22 Districts of the West Shewa Zone, Six Districts were selected purposively rely on with large proportion members of rural women in the cooperatives and from each selected Districts two, totally twelve primary Multipurpose agricultural societies were selected through considered large proportion. The total population of rural members of focused study area were 4,867 and sample size of the research was 356 and it determined by using Kothari formula. Focus group discussion, kew formant interview, observation and questionnaires were the main tools in research survey. Descriptive analysis of the data was carried-out using percentages, mean and standard deviations. Correlation and t-test were also employed for bi-variate analysis of quantitative data to know cause effect of explanatory variables to regressed variable (sustainable livelihood). The study revealed that rural women were not effectively participated in cooperatives due to an extent problem of organizational structure, external and infrastructures constraints. The result of study also showed that the status of sustainable livelihood of rural women were slightly increased after joined cooperatives due to the majority of members had been learnt how to develop strategies that improve some extent of remedial action to cope with and recovery from shocks and stress. The result of research has shown that transformation or reform in cooperatives is play significant role to encourage rural women to effectively engage in agricultural productivity to increase their livelihood sustainability. The correlation between predictive and regressed variables was assessed; as a result, influence of transforming structure and process of cooperative had highest correlation with sustainable livelihood, and followed by the role of primary multipurpose agricultural cooperatives, in others the result has shown there were negative correlation between shocks and stress of cooperatives. The result of multiple regression analysis had shown that the explanatory variables stated in the study jointly explained 71.7% of the variance in sustainable livelihood of women whereas 28.3% of the sustainable livelihood or livelihood outcomes of rural women was explained by the variables which were not included in the study. Therefore, sustainable livelihood of rural women had been influenced by shocks and stress, transforming structures polices and process, role of cooperatives, factors affecting participation level of women in cooperatives. The capacity of Primary multipurpose agricultural cooperative societies has been limited to build sustainable livelihood of rural women to more effective for the reason of unrest political situation, economic, social and environmental shocks highly the highly affected the potential performance of the cooperatives. Overall, political instability in a region, highly increase price of farm inputs, poor delivery services of cooperatives, inadequate capital of the cooperatives were the major factors that adversely affected sustainability of livelihood capitals