Effect of Social Capital on the Success of the Dairy Farmers Cooperatives in Kouhdasht Township, Iran

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of social capital toward the success of dairy farmer's cooperative in Kouhdasht Township. The population included 600 members of the dairy farmer's cooperative in Kouhdasht Township, Table of Krejcie and Morgan was used to determine sample size cluster sampling method was conducted to select samples 234. The research instrument implemented was a survey questionnaire that its validity was confirmed by a panel of faculty members at Tarbiat Modarres University, department of agricultural extension and education and its reliability was confirmed through a pilot-test. The results showed that there was both a negative and a significant relationship between the successes in dairy farmer's cooperative with age and the membership in cooperatives. On the other hand, there were positive and significant relationship between social trust, social participation and social support and the successfulness of dairy farmer's cooperative. Results of the multiple regression showed that the five variables of social participation, age, social trust, social support and membership experience were explaining 65 percent of the success in dairy farmer's cooperative of Kouhdasht Township.