Abstract:
Cooperatives are recognised as an important instrument to reduce poverty, create
employment, achieve economic growth and development. As a result, smallholder
farmers with common interests have organised themselves and registered
agricultural cooperatives. However, the operational performance of smallholder
agricultural cooperatives for sustainable community development has remained
poor. The purpose of the study is to explore the operational performance of
smallholder agricultural cooperatives for sustainable community development in
Elias Motsoaledi Local Municipality in Limpopo Province.
Mixed research design was used in this study. Data was collected from sixty
participants, questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were used to collect
primary data for both quantitative and qualitative methods. The study found that
smallholder agricultural cooperatives in the area of the study face challenges such
as lack of managerial skills, poor governance, lack of adequate financial support and
access to loans, lack of clarity on policy as well as lack of alternative strategies. The
main findings of the study confirmed that there are challenges associated with the
operational performance for sustainable community development. Inadequate
financial support and lack of managerial skills were regarded as the main challenges
that hinder the operational performance for sustainable community development.
The study has suggested alternative strategies and recommendations that can assist
smallholder agricultural cooperatives to improve their operational performance for
sustainable community development.
