COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COOPERATIVE & NONCOOPERATIVE FARMERS IN KOSOVO
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF COOPERATIVE & NONCOOPERATIVE FARMERS IN KOSOVO

Summary/Abstract: As reported by the GDP per capita Kosovo isone of the poorest countries in Europe. Relying on theimportance and dependence of Kosovo`s economy, it isevident that the development of agriculture sector isamong the prime concern of the country`s strategy andinternational support programs. Several internationalstudies assess the potential of agricultural cooperatives intransforming traditional agricultural farms to modernmarket-oriented business units, accelerating growth andaddressing rural poverty. This research aims to analyze therelationship between socio-demographic, agricultural, andeconomic factors pertaining to cooperative and noncooperative farmers in Kosovo and also shows theirmotivation and expectation related to agricultural practiceand behavior. Primary data was collected in 2018 form 165farmers through semi-structured questionnaires. Data wereanalyzed using descriptive statistics, Chi square and T-test.The results indicated that there was a significant difference(p<0.01) between cooperative and non-cooperativefarmers in various factors. Results indicated that thecooperative farmers have agricultural education, morefamily members are engaged in agricultural activity, havemore access to seasonal employees, sharing machinery,higher readiness to invest in machinery with other farmers,and a high level of trust, they mostly operate in vegetableproduction and have higher income. Furthermore, theresults showed differences in sales chain between twogroups of farmers. The results contribute to governmentaland non-governmental agencies to encourage farmers toestablish/join viable cooperatives.

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