Perceptions of Agricultural Production Members Regarding Cooperatives Performance in Ardabil Township

The main objective of this survey research was to investigate the performance of agricultural production cooperatives in Ardabil Township. The population for this study included all agricultural production cooperatives’ members. A random sampling technique was used to select 130 farmers to participate in this study. A panel of experts who were familiar with cooperatives performance reviewed the instrument for clarity and content validity. A pilot study was conducted with 30 farmers. Cronbach's alpha coefficient obtained 0.8. Results showed that despite highly training needs of farmers, the cooperatives lacked adequate performance to meet their needs. Also, most cooperatives had their highest performances in the planting stage,i.e. agrochemicals and improved seed preparation. However, farmer's highest training need was related to pre-planting services, such as land consolidation, canal repairmen, and improvement in irrigation systems. Based on the results, there was not a significant relationship between farmer's needs and cooperatives performance.