Cooperative Societies and Rural Economic Growth in Kaduna State, Nigeria: Evidence from Jemma'a Local Government Area

Abstract

This study examined the effect of cooperative societies on rural economic growth in Jemma'a Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. Specifically, it investigated the influence of increased member income and the provision of resilient crop varieties through cooperative society membership on rural economic growth. The study adopted a quantitative cross-sectional survey design, and primary data were collected using a structured five-point Likert-scale questionnaire administered to members of six registered cooperative societies in the study area. Using the Taro Yamane formula, a sample of 142 respondents was selected from a population of 220 cooperative members, of which 131 valid questionnaires were retrieved and analysed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and multiple linear regression with the aid of SPSS version 26. The findings revealed that increased member income has a significant positive effect on rural economic growth (β = .341, p < .05), while the provision of resilient crop varieties also exerts a significant positive effect on rural economic growth (β = .426, p < .05). The regression model explained 37.5% of the variation in rural economic growth (R² = .375) and was statistically significant (F (2, 128) = 38.40, p < .05). The study concludes that cooperative societies play a significant role in promoting rural economic growth by enhancing members' incomes and improving access to resilient agricultural inputs. It recommends that cooperative societies expand income-generating programmes and strengthen the provision of resilient crop varieties and other agricultural inputs through partnerships with government and development agencies to further stimulate sustainable rural economic growth.