Impact of Cooperative Society Activities on Rural Dwellers for The Achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 in Rural Communities in Rivers State, Nigeria

This study examined the impact of cooperative society activities on rural dwellers for the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 in rural communities of Rivers State, Nigeria, specifically focusing on agricultural productivity, food processing, and storage and distribution. Three research questions and three null hypotheses were formulated and tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. The population comprised 2,763 traditional rulers and registered farmers' cooperative societies across Rivers State. Using Taro Yamane's formula, a sample of 399 respondents was determined, and a multistage sampling technique was employed for selection. The instrument for data collection was a researcher-designed questionnaire titled "Impact of Cooperative Society Activities on Rural Dwellers for the Achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 2 Questionnaire (ICSARDASDG2Q)," which was validated by three experts and subjected to reliability testing using Cronbach's alpha, yielding an overall reliability coefficient of 0.81. Data were analyzed using mean and standard deviation to answer research questions, while t-test statistics were employed to test hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. The results revealed that both traditional rulers and registered farmers' cooperative societies perceived agricultural productivity, food processing, and storage and distribution to have a high extent of impact on the achievement of SDG 2 in rural communities. Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the mean responses of traditional rulers and registered farmers' cooperative members regarding the impact of agricultural productivity, food processing, and storage and distribution on SDG 2 achievement. The study recommended that government and non-governmental organizations should provide timely and affordable quality seeds, fertilizers, and other inputs through registered cooperatives; establish shared processing hubs in each Local Government Area; and provide farmers with storage infrastructure through links to CBN and BOA loans.