Dairy Cooperatives and Poverty Reduction

Cooperative enterprises are serving many people throughout the world. According to the International Cooperative Alliance, more than 800 million people are members of the international cooperative movement. Moreover, the United Nations has declared that 2012 will be the International Year of Cooperatives through which cooperatives are expected to get better attention by governments and non-governmental organizations. Consequently, the advantages of cooperatives in various aspects will be studied and promoted. Partly, this book has explored the contributions of dairy cooperatives within the dairy value chain in reducing poverty in central parts of Ethiopia. Their roles in improving the livelihood, promoting opportunities, facilitating empowerment, and enhancing security for the farmers are described. The improvement in the income and consumption of members and their access to education, health services and transportation after membership are investigated. Moreover, the cooperative policy environment, the support of NGOs, the gender balances, management problems and the challenges and opportunities of the cooperatives are illustrated.