Co-operative Financial Intermediation and Agricultural Productivity among Smallholder Farmers in Nigeria

Despite the fact that co-operative societies are supposed to increase productivity, food security and rural development by giving farmers access to credit and farm inputs, many farmers are still forced to rely on unofficial lenders and subpar inputs that lower agricultural productivity due to insufficient funding, bad management and weak institutional support. In view of this, the study therefore examined how co-operative financial intermediation can improve agricultural productivity among smallholder farmers in Nigeria. A descriptive survey research design was used, with 264 members from 12 selected registered co-operative societies sampled through simple random sampling. Data was gathered using a structured questionnaire that was fully validated with a reliability of 0.83 confirmed through Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Frequency, simple percentages, mean and standard deviation were used to analyze the information. Using SPSS 28, the one sample t-test statistical tool was used to test the developed null hypotheses at the 0.05 level of significance. Results showed that co-operative societies made loan facilities accessible (t(3) = 10.507, p = 0.02) and assisted member farmers through the provision of farm inputs (t(3) = 12.995, p = 0.01). There is a strong need for greater support toward co-operative funding through deliberate government intervention and collaborative partnerships aimed at ensuring that loan facilities are released in adequate amounts and within the required time frame. There is also need to improve the efficiency of input distribution through regular training programmes, stronger institutional coordination, and strategic linkages with reliable suppliers to guarantee easier access for co-operative members