Dhr. G.N. (Gian) Francesconi: “Cooperation for Competition. Linking Ethiopian Farmers to Markets”

In Ethiopia, 85 percent of the population lives in rural areas under subsistence or semi-subsistence regimes. Agricultural cooperatives are advocated by the government as key organizations to exploit agricultural growth potential and trigger rural development. The scope of this study is to improve the understanding of the role played by cooperatives in linking Ethiopian farmers to emerging market opportunities. Quantitative data that form the basis for this study were collected from the Ethiopian Highlands, in the period between 2003 and 2006. Findings suggest that cooperatives assists smallholders in procuring (inter)national subsidies, but do not necessarily lead to increased commercialization. Only when cooperatives involve collective marketing farmers become more commercial, further improving production volumes and productivity. However, in the process of commercialization and production intensification quality management is often neglected. This study reveals policy guidelines so that cooperative farmers can maximize commercialization and optimize the balance between quality and productivity.

Title thesis: "Cooperation for Competition: Linking Ethiopian Farmers to Markets"