Effect of Cooperative Membership on the Food Security Status of Vegetable Farmers in the Southern Benin Republic

Abstract

Food insecurity remains a major concern across sub-Saharan Africa, particularly among households dependent on small-scale farming. In the Republic of Benin, vegetable production contributes significantly to food supply and income generation; however, many farmers still struggle with reliable access to food. This study examined the effect of cooperative membership on the food security status of vegetable farmers in the Southern Benin Republic. A two-stage sampling procedure was used to select 120 vegetable farmers from Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Seme-Podji. Data were gathered using a structured electronic questionnaire and analysed through descriptive statistics, budgetary techniques, and linear regression. Findings show that 60% of farmers were mildly food insecure, while 36.67% were food secure. Profitability analysis indicates that vegetable production is economically viable, yielding a positive gross margin and a profitability index of 0.131. The regression analysis identified cooperative membership and access to extension services as significant negative predictors of food insecurity, suggesting that these factors improve household food access. However, access to credit and larger farm size were associated with increased food insecurity, potentially due to poor utilization of credit and resource mismanagement. It recommends strengthening cooperative membership and participation, expanding extension services, and promoting financial literacy among farmers.