@article{Higuchi:249707,
      recid = {249707},
      author = {Higuchi, Angie},
      title = {Impact of a Marketing Cooperative on Cocoa Producers and  Intermediaries: The Case of the Acopagro Cooperative in  Peru},
      journal = {Journal of Rural Cooperation},
      address = {2014},
      number = {886-2016-64710},
      pages = {20},
      year = {2014},
      abstract = {Membership in an agricultural cooperative can improve the  efficiency of
production. Cooperatives often transfer  agricultural technology to their
members by employing  specialized extension agents. This study analyzes
the  effect of cooperative membership on cocoa production and  identifies
factors that influence the willingness of  non-member farmers to join a
cooperative in the future. A  survey of 243 farmers was carried out between
December 2009  and January 2010 in Juanjui, San Martin, which is the  main
cocoa production area in Peru and the home of the  Acopagro cooperative.
Econometric results show that  non-member farmers usually harvest larger
volumes of cocoa  beans, but the quality of the beans is lower compared  with
the Acopagro cooperative members. Analysis of a  subsample of Acopagro
cooperative members confirms that the  length of cooperative membership
has a positive effect on  cocoa production volume. Moreover, unassociated
farmers who  wish to continue selling independently in the market  have
different socio-economic characteristics compared with  farmers who are
willing to join the cooperative in the  future. The cooperative should engage
in adequate training  of the cooperative extension agents, thus motivating
them  to provide knowledge to the farmers and improve the  farmers’
competitive posture in the market.},
      url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/249707},
      doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.249707},
}