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Factors That Influence the Level of Success of Group Farming in the Farmers' Cooperative, West Malaysia
Thesis Abstract:
The study generally sought to determine how farmers' characteristics, group farming dynamics, the Farmers' Organization Authority (FOA) aidsystem and management problems had influenced the success of the group farming project.
Data were gathered through interviews of 85 farmer-participants and 30 Farmers' Cooperative (FC) staff members in six short-term crop group farming projects in six different FCs in West Malaysia. Descriptive technique, chi-square test, Pearson's product moment correlation and step-wise multiple regression were used in data analysis.
Findings on farmers' characteristics revealed that a group farming project tended to be more successful when the members were older, had more farming experience and had been working on rented lands. It was also found that success in group farming depended on friendly relationship among members, good leadeeeetion among members, good attendance and participation in meetings, implementation of most decisions made in meetings and active participation in the project itself. Other contributing factors to the success of a project were initiation of the group by development agents, less part-time farmers, knowledge gained by members, and ability of the members to conduct meetings by themselves.
Success of the project was adversely affected by delays in material supply and payment. Criticisms of farmers and FC staff on the aid syste, were mostly directed against the tender system which concerned supply of material, and payment on work-done basis which concerned cash disbursement.
According to the FC staff, most management problems of group farming stemmed from the difficulty in convening members for discussions and group work, lack of serious participation in meetings and group undertaking, disagreement with the majority, misunderstanding among members, individualistic work tendency, and treatment of the project as a part-time job.
The study suggests a need to modify the FOA aid-system so as to reduce red tape, thereby, minimizing delays, implementation difficulties and inconvenience to farmers. A new conceptual model was proposed which would minimize "unexplained residuals", which adversely affected the level of success of the group farming system.