Assessment of Cooperative Society Impact on Farm Income in Ekiti State

Agricultural cooperative societies are widely promoted as mechanisms for improving farmer access to credit, inputs, and markets, yet empirical evidence on their income impact at the farm level varies across Nigerian states. In Ekiti State, in the South West geopolitical zone, cocoa and food crop cooperative societies have a long institutional history, but their current contribution to member farm income requires updated assessment. This study evaluates the impact of cooperative society membership on farm income among farmers in Ekiti State. A total of 150 farmers, comprising 75 cooperative members and 75 non-members, were selected through purposive and random sampling methods. Data were collected using structured interviews and farm enterprise records where available. Propensity score matching was applied to reduce selection bias and improve comparability between the two groups. Results reveal that cooperative members earned an average annual net farm income of N198,000, compared to N139,000 for non-members, representing a 42 percent income advantage. Members reported better access to subsidised inputs, pre-financing arrangements for input procurement, and collective bargaining during crop sales. However, governance challenges including poor record-keeping, irregular meetings, and elite capture of leadership positions were reported by a significant minority of members. The study recommends strengthening cooperative governance training programmes and promoting digital record-keeping tools for cooperative societies in Ekiti State to enhance transparency and member confidence. Keywords: cooperative society, farm income, Ekiti State, membership, agricultural organisation