"A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise."
When a cooperative pursues common i...
"A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically controlled enterprise."
When a cooperative pursues common interests for members through an enterprise, the economic benefit is one of the most important purposes. In agricultural cooperatives, the common economic benefit can be achieved through businesses such as purchasing farming materials, marketing farm products, banking businesses and so on.
Because purchasing businesses and marketing businesses are closely linked to the production activities of member farmers, the promotion of extension services is a very important factor for the success of cooperatives and their members.
Livestock cooperatives which are coping with difficulties due to the import liberalization of livestock products need to improve their competitiveness to survive. Expanding businesses is essential for their survival.
In this regard extension services are one of the most important factors in maintaining cooperative identity and motivating participation of member farmers in cooperative businesses.
From this study, it was found that member farmers' recognition and expectation of the extension services was high, but the level of services provided by cooperatives has not met members' demands. One of the reasons is the fact that cooperatives failed to grasp members' needs, and the other is that they have not established appropriate infrastructure for extension services.
To improve the livestock extension services of cooperatives, the introduction of a system to monitor and collect members' needs is necessary, and extension service programs must be directed towards what members want. For the member farmers, the benefits from economic businesses and extension services are realized at the same time.
The purpose of this study is to evaluate and analyze the major role and function of extension services for livestock farming of members, to find important factors affecting extension services, and to suggest the future direction for the development of livestock extension services.
This study verified that economic businesses and extension services have a close relationship. Members who showed higher satisfaction with the extension services participated more actively in economic businesses of their cooperatives. That is, the proportional rate of farming materials purchased from cooperatives and farm products sold through cooperatives recorded high in case of members who were highly satisfied with extension services.
In this regard, livestock cooperatives have to expand the function and infrastructure for extension services as follows.
First, livestock cooperatives have to increase the number of extension specialists and improve their skills. Extension specialists have to be highly qualified with majors in animal science or veterinary science in colleges or universities. Specialized education programs are necessary to increase their knowledge, skill and experience. Cooperatives need to improve the staff management system to encourage extension specialists to perform their best services for members. Until cooperatives build up the infrastructure for extension services, they need to utilize the 'Livestock Specialist Pool'managed by National Agricultural Cooperative Federation(NACF).
Second, livestock cooperatives have to set up plans, in detail, of extension service programs in order to meet members' needs without fail. A sufficient budget has to be allocated to undertake the programs efficiently.
Third, livestock cooperatives are encouraged to organize the 'Joint Teams for Livestock Farm Consulting'in cooperation with adjacent cooperatives to develop specialized services for various kinds of animals and solve the shortage of extension specialists.
Fourth, livestock cooperatives have to pay more attention to marketing services to get better prices when member farmers sell their livestock.
Fifth, livestock cooperatives are recommended to operate animal hospitals for disease control and treatment, which can contribute a great deal to increasing in members' participation in cooperative businesses.
Sixth, livestock cooperatives have to establish IT infrastructure to streamline the flow of information on livestock farm management and on the marketing of farm inputs and outputs. Education on personal computers, internet and e-mail is needed for extension specialists and member farmers.
Another recommendation is to operate the 'Livestock Consulting Centers' to meet members' diverse needs as quickly as possible and to link the centers to the 'Livestock Cyber-Consulting System' operated by NACF.
Lastly, the fundamental factor that makes extension services successful is the close relationship between member farmers and cooperatives. Therefore, the introduction of 'One Family Movement' by establishing sister-relationship between cooperative staffs and member farmers is needed. If staff increase contact with members by various ways such as visiting, telephone calls, e-mail and postal mail, the relationship between cooperatives and members can be enhanced.
To activate the extension services of livestock cooperatives, the NACF has to restructure the extension service system, increase the number of extension specialists, and improve the personnel management. What is specially needed is the establishment of the 'Extension Service Teams' at Province Regional Headquarters. The NACF also has to encourage member cooperatives to strengthen extension services by assisting with budget and equipment needs. It is necessary to continuously upgrade the 'Livestock Cyber-Consulting Homepage' so that farmers and extension specialists will be able to use it efficiently and conveniently.
The extension service of livestock cooperatives is a very important factor that must be promoted for the development of cooperatives. The extension service, which is unique to cooperatives, is closely related to economic businesses, banking businesses and cooperative development.
This study evaluated and analyzed several fundamental problems in livestock extension services of livestock cooperatives. However, further studies are strongly recommended in the area of social costs and effects of extension services, and on relationships between extension services and cooperative businesses.