ABSTRACT
Maize production has contributed so much to the Nigeria economy in terms of revenue and employment creation. However, this subsector is faced with a lot of production challenges that are difficult for individual farmer to solve therefore, the need for cooperation among maize farmers. The study examined the effect of agricultural cooperative society on maize production in Edo State, Nigeria. The specific objectives were to describe the socio economic characteristics of cooperative and non-cooperative maize farmers, identify the activities of farmers’ cooperative society, estimate and compare the yield and income level of both cooperators and non-cooperators, and identify possible constraints faced by both maize farmers in the study area.A three-stage sampling procedure involving both purposive and proportionate sampling were used to select 100 maize farmers from the study area. Primary data were obtained through a well-structured questionnaire administered to the farmers Data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics, gross margin, net farm income, t-test and likert scale.The study indicated that the mean age of the cooperative farmers was 50years and 44years for non-cooperators. About 80% of the cooperative farmers were males and 58% for non-cooperators, majority 74% of the cooperators were married, likewise majority 82% of the non-cooperators were also married. About 9% of the cooperators and 6% of the non-cooperators had primary education while 12% of the cooperators and 14% of the non-cooperators had secondary education,69% of the cooperators and 72% of the non -cooperators at NCE/ND level. Meanwhile, only 10% of the cooperators and 8% of the non- cooperators had no formal education with a mean farming experience of 15 years. The study also showed that the farmers had a mean farm size of 4.2 hectares. The t-test results indicated that yield and profit were significant at 5% level of profitability, showing the yield of cooperators at 60 bags and 40bags for non-cooperators per cycle also the profit of cooperators at N2,084,896 and N1,244,099.06 for non-cooperators per annum. The major constraints faced by both maize farmers in the study area were pest and diseases, poor access to inputs, inadequate funds, poor transportation and high cost of labor. The study therefore concluded that investment in maize production is profitable and more profitable when the producer is a member of a cooperative society.
