Determinants of Market Choice Among Agricultural Cooperatives in South Africa

• Authors: Collin Yobe , Stuart Ferrer , Maxwell Mudhara

Abstracts

EN

The potential of agricultural cooperatives to foster socioeconomic development is a critical issue in developing countries. This study examines the factors that influence market choice among South African agricultural cooperatives. Data for 381 agricultural cooperatives were collected from the Cooperative Data Analysis System, drawn from the original database of 3,197 cases from 2017. Cases with missing observations were omitted. A multivariate approach utilising principal component analysis and K-means clustering was employed to identify the typologies of market choices. Multinomial logistic regression was then applied to determine the factors influencing agricultural cooperatives’ choice of market typologies. The study reveals that the financial and social efficiency of agricultural cooperatives, the age of the institution, the square of the age of the institution, ownership of livestock, cooperative size, and credit access all influence market typology selection. Training programs such as those in financial management, corporate governance, accounting and bookkeeping, management committees, and the number of managers in cooperatives also impact cooperatives’ market choice. The findings of this study should facilitate the design of policies that cater to cooperatives encountering diverse market choices. By influencing the choices of agricultural cooperatives, stakeholders can contribute to more meaningful cooperative involvement in markets.

Keywords

EN

financial efficiency; social efficiency; market choice; agricultural cooperatives; South Africa

• Publisher: Uniwersytet Przyrodniczy w Poznaniu. Wydawnictwo Uczelniane
• Journal: Journal of Agribusiness and Rural Development
• Year: 2024
• Volume: 71
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 103-123

Dates

published

2024

Contributors

author

Collin Yobe

• University of South Africa

• https://orcid.org/0000000152702192

author

Stuart Ferrer

• University of KwaZulu-Natal

author

Maxwell Mudhara

• University of KwaZulu-Natal

Identifiers

DOI

10.17306/J.JARD.2024.01810

Biblioteka Nauki

56985349