Factors Affecting Farmers' Satisfaction: Case of Agricultural Production Cooperatives in Guilan Province, Iran

The aim of this study was to identify and prioritize factors affecting farmers’ level of satisfaction in agricultural production cooperatives ofGuilan Province, Iran. To this aim, library studies were conducted, and 15 factors affecting farmers’ satisfaction were identified. Next, they wereprioritized byfield studies using a questionnaire. The statistical population consisted of members of agricultural production cooperatives in Guilan Province. The sample comprised93 farmers who were recruitedusing the Cochran formula. The questionnaires were distributed among farmersfrom12 cooperatives usinga mix of random and proportional sampling methods and 100 questionnaires were collected. The content validity of the questionnaire was established and its reliability was estimated to be 79 percent using a Cronbach's alpha. To prioritize the factors, the researchers calculated means cores by using SPSS. Results indicated that empathy and cooperation among members, giving advice and guidance to members in case of problems, as well as effective communication with the local community are, respectively, the three factors that have the strongest effect on farmers' satisfaction in the studied region. In addition, the results showed that satisfaction of the majority of the members of cooperative activities was at a moderate level.

agricultural production; cooperatives; effective factors; farmers' satisfaction