ISSN 2360-798X
Abstract: The study focused on cooperative societies and rural development in Burutu Local Government Area of Delta State. Two research questions were answered and one hypothesis tested in the study. The study adopted mixed method design while the population of the study was all the registered cooperators in the communities in Burutu LGAs of Delta State out of which 369 cooperators were sampled using multistage sampling technique. The instrument that was used for collection of data was structured questionnaire named Cooperative Societies and Rural Development Questionnaire (CSRDQ). The instrument’s face and content validities were determined by two experts in Measurement and Evaluation from the University of Port Harcourt while the reliability was determined using Cronbach alpha statistics and produced co-efficients of 0.81 and 0.84. The research questions and hypothesis were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, Ordinary Least Square regression, t-test and content analysis. The result of the study indicated that membership of cooperative societies contributed more to employment and finance of members than other needs. The study revealed that inadequate capital and insufficient training were the major challenges that cooperatives face. The study recommended more interaction and sensitization between cooperative societies and the government for better rural development.
Keywords: Cooperative Societies, Rural Development, Growth, Community, Riverine