The present work is anchored on collective action theory.
1. Collective action refers to action taken together by a group of people whose goal is to enhance their status and achieve a common objective.
2. It is enacted by a representative of the group.
3. It is a term that has formulations and theories in many areas of the social sciences, including psychology, sociology, anthropology, political science and economics.
4. for collective action to take place, there must be joint action for the same goal and actions to achieve a common objective, when the outcome depends on interdependence of members.
Theories of collective action have been in use for centuries. Aristotle himself highlighted the famous ‘Tragedy of the Commons’ when he observed, ‘what is common to the greatest number has the least care bestowed on it’ (Gillinson, 2004) Today, it is sociologists and economists who have adopted the subject as their own. In sociology, it was the ‘Group Theorists’ led by Arthur Bentley, who dominated the field at the beginning of the 20th Century (Richardson, 1993). Group Theory asserts that where individuals have a common purpose and will benefit from cooperation, a group will form to cooperate for the common good. In the 1960s, this was turned on
by Olson (1965) in his model of the ‘rational’ individual where he calls into question our willingness to cooperate.
Ruth, Monica & Nancy (2004) have defined collective action as an “action” taken by a group (either directly or on its behalf through an organization) in pursuit of member’s perceived shared interest. For collective action to take place, there must be joint action for the same goal and actions to achieve a common objective, when the outcome depends on interdependence of members. However, what most definitions have in common is that collective action requires the involvement of a group of people, a shared interest within the group and some kind of common action which works in pursuit of that shared interest.
It is important to distinguish between organization and collective action. Collective action can manifest itself and can be understood as an event, as an institution or as a process. When farmers act collectively on a regular and structured basis, they do so through group organizations, such as informal clubs, associations and cooperatives (Tiago & Ngo, 2006). When farmers decide to cooperate, they do so in the expectation that they will obtain benefit which would not be possible to achieve when working alone.
Even though in our lives we constantly engage in collective action, that is, every day we collectively produce and consume goods, our understanding of how people organize to produce such goods is far from complete. On the surface, this might seem trivial; after all, we have been working in groups to provide such goods from the dawn of mankind. Collective action plays a vital role in many people’s lives, is such areas as income generation and cost reduction. Integrating women farmer’s to achieve
collective action can lead to greater group effectiveness. In many instances, the gender composition of groups is an important determinant of effective collective action, especially for farm input, credit procurement and extension visits. Specific measures of effectiveness might include tangible indicators such as economic returns to group members, compliance with rules, transparency and accountability in managing funds, as well as less tangible indicators, such as members’ satisfaction with the group (Pandolfelli, Meinzen-Dick, and Dohrn, 2007). This conforms to the co-operative principles of open membership and gender equality.
2.8.1Relevance of the Theory to the Study
Based on the premise above, the theory of collective action is apt for this work especially in regard to how agricultural cooperative groups are organized and incorporated. This is buttressed more by Chavez (2003) who opined that the collective theory definition, principles and practice directly or indirectly relate to internationally recognized principles of voluntary and open membership, member’s economic participation, co-operation among co-operatives, concern for community etc.
According to Dick, and McCarthy (2004) collective action theory is a theory that is very useful in agriculture, rural resource management, and rural development programmes.
Collective action theory enables us to understand the reason and rationale that make women farmers join cooperatives in their bid to find solutions to the various challenges affecting agricultural production in their areas. Cooperatives being organizations which activities center on group or collective action are veritable tools
which could be used to achieve goals which could not be achieved on individual basis.
Hence, through collective action sustainable rural empowerment could be achieved.
CHAPTER THREE
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Under this chapter, the research methods that were used for the study are discussed under the following sub-headings: Research Design, Area of the Study, Population of the Study, Sources of Data, Sample Size Determination and Sampling Technique, Instrument for Data Collection, Validity of the Research Instrument, Reliability of Research instrument, and Method of Data Analysis.