The factors influencing youth participation in agricultural co-operatives: evidence from the semi-rural areas of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal.
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Date
2019
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Abstract
Co-operatives, as microeconomic community economic development (CED) strategies, have
demonstrated to have the ability to create jobs and alleviate poverty. Agricultural co-operatives,
in particular, stand a better chance of transforming the economic status quo by providing black
rural small-scale farmers with an opportunity to participate in the mainstream agriculture
economy. Co-operatives also contribute to community socio-economic development and the
empowerment of vulnerable groups such as women and the youth. Hence, young people in
rural and semi-rural areas have employed the co-operative strategy to sustain their livelihoods
and improve their quality of life. However, agricultural co-operatives established by the youth
often face internal and structural challenges, leading to their ultimate demise. This study aims
to determine the factors influencing youth participation in agricultural co-operatives located in
rural and semi-rural areas of eThekwini, KwaZulu-Natal. As in the rest of South Africa, the
province of KwaZulu-Natal faces a socio-economic crisis of youth unemployment. The focus
on youth participation is of particular importance as it allows the study to gain insight into how
these impoverished and unemployed young black people deal with the adversities of the
agricultural co-operative sector which is monopolised by elite white commercial farmers who
control both the markets and arable land. By focusing on the youth, the study will be looking
at the individual level of analysis, that is the choices and perceptions of young people who have
formed agricultural co-operatives. To achieve this, the study has employed the capability
approach as the main theoretical framework to be applied in analysing the co-operative
members’ participation. The research methodology employed by this study is qualitative,
which is framed by the constructivist paradigm with a narrative approach. This study has
employed a purposive sampling strategy to select information rich respondents. Ten (10)
respondents from seven (7) agricultural co-operatives were interviewed. Data has been
analysed thematically, and the themes that emerged from the coding procedure have informed
the findings of this research. The study found that there were factors encouraging youth
participation in agricultural co-operatives, such as having a passion for agriculture, working
together, being unemployed, and the desire of being self-employed. While factors hindering
youth participation in agricultural co-operatives included insecure land tenure, lack of
infrastructure and equipment, lack of essential services such as water, access to information,
markets. These emerging factors continue to affect the participation of young people in
agricultural co-operatives; thus, affecting the development and sustainability of co-operatives.
Description
Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.