Rural progress : the role of production cooperatives in africa

Many countries are today confronted with the challenging tasks of improving the level of living and the productive capacities of their people especially in the spheres of agriculture and food production. While governments are mainly concerned with providing structural support the actual implementation lies with the individuals, who in the final analysis are the farmers and the rural population. In most African countries, where it is crucial to bridge the gap between food supply and overall demand, Increased agricultural production is only possible through improving the skills, technical and overall productivity as well as raising the levels of performance of the small farmers whose own living standards are the first to need improvement. The working documents and country case studies provided the Expert Consultation with an opportunity for serious thought and appraisal of the experiences of various countries of the region as well as a cross fertilization of ideas. In this issue of Rural Progress attempts are.