Smallholder agriculture has been identified as one of the most important economic assets for many Africans who live in rural areas.
About 70 percent of rural dwellers in developing countries rely on the agricultural sector for their livelihood. Accordingly, smallholder farming in Africa is perceived as a livelihood option to poverty reduction and rural development goals.
However, in sub-Saharan Africa, smallholder farm families are still more vulnerable than other categories of workers. Smallholder farmers are most often the lowest income earners as they tend to live suffer hunger and malnutrition, experience high levels of food insecurity and live in abject poverty.
Formation of agricultural cooperatives (ACs) play an important role in supporting smallholder producers and marginalized groups such as young people and women.
They empower their members economically and socially to create sustainable rural employment through business models that are resilient to economic and environmental shocks.
Agricultural cooperative institutions are intended to give smallholder farmers a greater share of the value chain of the products they produce.
They are meant to allow farmers to negotiate more effectively with the buyers and have greater access to better networks and new skills through capacity development, And the main purpose of agricultural cooperatives is to improve the conditions of their members.
Source: Graphic online