Agricultural Cooperatives and Cassava Value Addition

Cassava value addition includes processing fresh roots into products such as gari, fufu, flour, starch, and chips, together with related activities such as packaging, storage, transport, and marketing. Agricultural cooperatives may assist members in obtaining services and information relevant to these activities. This study described cooperative members' perceptions of how cooperative membership and participation in cooperative activities support cassava value addition in Edo State, Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among cassava-farming cooperative members. Of the 382 questionnaires distributed, 344 were usable, representing a 90.1% response rate. Data were summarised using frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. The findings reveal a generally favourable perception of cooperative membership support for cassava value addition. Access to credit for processing activities and the adoption of new processing technologies (92.2% each) were perceived as the primary areas of cooperative membership contributions to cassava value addition. The study recommends that cooperative leaders prioritise credit access and technology support, while strengthening training linked to income generation and members' motivation to innovate.