Identifying Failure Factors on Agricultural Production Cooperatives in Khuzestan Province

The purpose of this study was to identify failure factors on agricultural production cooperatives in Khuzestan province. The population of this study included 3700 members of cooperatives. A multi-stage cluster sampling method was used to select respondents. Also, questionnaire was used to gather data. Panel of experts was used to verify the content and face validity of the questionnaire. A pilot-test with 30 subjects was implemented. Overall alpha coefficient for all sections of the questionnaire was 0.7. The findings indicated that there was a significant relationship between the age, family members, and attitude toward cooperative type of activities, training quality, social participation, social status, and member's length of experience inagricultural production cooperatives in Khuzestan province with failure scale in 99% level. Also, between the crop yield and income of the members with failure scales in 95% level there was significant correlation. The findings of the regression analysis showed a significant relationship between the six independent variables and the only dependent variable (failure reasons of the cooperatives). These six independent variables were: attitudes toward cooperatives activities, training quality, social participation, social status income and crop yield were most important independent variables that had a significant effect on the dependent variable. In this study 78.6 percent of the dependent variable changes were explained by these variables.