Determinants of Success and Coping Strategies of Collective Action in Ethiopia:- The Case of Agricultural Cooperatives

In Ethiopia, collective action in general and agricultural cooperatives in particular are an age-old tradition that plays an enormous roles in improving the living standard of smallholder farmers. However, there were a number of internal and external determinants that hindered their success. Thus, this review paper aimed at reviewing the major determinants of success and coping strategies of collective action with particular focus on agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia. Result of the review revealed that the success of agricultural cooperatives were influenced by a number of internal and external determinants. Accordingly, governance, mutual trust, heterogeneity of members, education, training and distance to the nearest markets were the major internal determinants while market access, access to finance, availability of infrastructures and property rights were the major external determinants of success. Besides, realization of effective leadership, improvement of access to infrastructures, keeping of mutual trust, creating of awareness, development of financial system, enhancing access to market and securing property rights were the major coping up strategies identified. Therefore, to realize their mission and vision, agricultural cooperatives ought to incorporate those determinants and coping up mechanisms in their plan.


INTRODUCTION Background of the Review
Collective action is an action takes place by more than one person directed towards the achievement of specific outcome, common purpose and greater benefits through joining group (Sandler, 1992;Vermillion, 1999;and Meinzen-Dick et al. 2004). In Ethiopia collective action has a long history and a good strategy for improving the living standard of smallholder farmers (Bekele and Obsinet, 2019). Traditional forms of collective action such as ekub, rotating savings, formation of work groups such as wonfel, debo and idir are some of collective action that have been operating currently in Ethiopia (Degnet and Mekbib, 2013) Though collective action plays a great role in combating poverty, there were a number of determinants that hinder its success. Among the major determinants of success, economic incentives and socio-cultural norms (Fikadu, 2009); rule enforcement, community participation and rent seeking behavior of government officials (Wondimagegnehu and Fikadu ,2012;Dagnet andMekbib, 2013 andBekele andObsinet, 2019); income and working capital (Girma and Zegeye, Solomon and Demel, 2017;Semeneh et al.,2018 andKassahun andOmer, 2019); property rights and heterogeneity of the participants (Wondimagegnehu andFikadu ,2012 andSemeneh et al.,2018); asset ownership, networking, perception toward group size (Semeneh et al.,2018); incentives, educational status, gender, age, distance, family sizes, land holding size, awareness, and training Zegeye, Solomon andDemel, 2017 andKassahun andOmer, 2019) were the most important one. Besides, they also forward the important policy implications for those determinants.
Cooperatives are an autonomous association of peoples united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically controlled enterprise (ICA, 2015). Agricultural cooperatives is one of the types of cooperatives that has been established to brought sustainable development (ICA, 2015). From worldwide perspectives, it has a strong presence in processing and/or commercializing one-half of the world's food at some given stage of the value chain (Food and Agriculture Organization, 2018).
In Ethiopia, agricultural cooperatives plays an immense role in solving problems of poor farmers. It grows in terms of numbers, types, membership size and capital from time to time (Kindie and Tsegaye, 2012). However, its development is not as expected due to a number of internal and external determinants that hinder its success (Asfaw, Kifle, Ephrem and Dereje ,2015;Dejen and Matthews, 2016;Tewodros, Godadaw et al, Dagne et al., 2017;Tewodros and Atnafu, Bizualem and Saron;Semeneh et al., Negussie et al., and Zerihun and Deresse, 2018). Thus, to bring sustainable development in agricultural cooperatives it is necessary to give due attention to the determinants of success and coping strategies.
Though a lot of studies have been conducted on agricultural cooperatives on various issues at different corners of the country's, to the best of this review no similar review were conducted on the determinants of success and coping strategies of agricultural cooperatives at country at large. Hence, this paper aims at reviewing the determinants of success and coping strategies of agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia based on studies conducted so far.

Objectives of the Review
The general objective of this review is to review the major determinants of success and coping strategies of collective action with focus on agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia. The specific objectives of the review are:  To review the major determinants of success in agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia  To review the coping up strategies of agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia

DETERMINANTS OF SUCCESS IN AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES IN ETHIOPIA
Studies conducted so far pointed out that there were a number of internal and external determinants of success that affect agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia. Accordingly, internal determinants were determinants which are under the control of agricultural cooperatives while external determinants are those which were out of the control of agricultural cooperatives.

Internal Determinants
Cooperative governance:-Studies result revealed that accountable, participatory and transparent cooperative governance system significantly affects the success of agricultural cooperatives (Asfaw and Kifle, 2015). Studies found by Ephrem and Dereje, 2015;Dejen and Matthews, 2016;Tewodros andDagne et al., 2017 andTewodros andAtnafu ,2018) also revealed that effectiveness in governing agricultural cooperatives had a positive and statistically significant impact on success of agricultural cooperatives due to its importance in planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, motivating and controlling functions. Trust:-Mutual trust among and between members, employees, board of directors and other management committees were another internal determinants that found to affect the success of agricultural cooperatives as identified. Studies revealed that the more trustworthy agricultural cooperatives to their members and other stakeholders, the more it would be attractive and successful ( Ephrem andDereje ,2015 andBizualem andSaron, 2018) . Heterogeneity of groups: It is also another internal determinants that affect success of agricultural cooperatives as identified by most of the researchers. Confusion were made by scholars on this factor. Accordingly, the finding made by Ephrem and Dereje (2015) found that if groups are heterogeneous and small in size it raises opportunities for frequent interactions and reputations. Thus, it had a positive and significant impact on the success of agricultural cooperatives. Study by Semeneh et al.,2018 also suggests that due to economic heterogeneity enhances the probability of participation in hazard management, it had positively and significantly influenced participation in hazard management. Education:-It was found that education of household heads which were measured by years of schooling, improves the awareness, technical knowledge, and understanding of the members and had a positive and significant effect on the success of agricultural cooperatives (Dagne et al., 2015;Dejen andMatthews ,2016 andNegussie et al., 2018). The study made by Tanguy and Woldegebrial et al.,2013 also confirm that the more educated the household heads, the more they motivated to participate and the more the successful the agricultural cooperatives are. Training:-Training given to different stakeholders is also an internal determinant that affect the success of agricultural cooperatives as identified. Thus, training given to different stakeholders on various issues had a positive and significant effect on the success of agricultural cooperatives (Woldegebrial et al, 2013;Dejen and Matthews, 2016;Godadaw et al. 2017 andBizualem andSaron, 2018). Distance: Distance from agricultural cooperative offices is also another internal determinants that affect success of agricultural cooperatives as identified. They found that the longer the distance from agricultural cooperative offices, the more the costs and the lower the successful they are (Ashenafi, 2016 and Musa and Hiwot, 2017). Thus, distance to cooperative offices had a negative and significant impact on agricultural cooperatives. cooperatives as identified. Studies found that availability of finance determines the success of agricultural cooperatives by shifting the cash constraint outwards and enables them to make timely purchases and provisions of their inputs (Woldegebrial et al., 2013;Tewodros, 2017;Zerihun and Deresse, Negussie et al., and Tewodros and Atnafu, 2018).

Availability of Infrastructures:
As identified, availability of infrastructures are also another external determinants that hinder the success of agricultural cooperatives. Accordingly, availabilities of transportation service, storage facilities, communication service, schools, health service and electricity were significant determinants for success of agricultural cooperatives (Muthyalu and Tanguy et al.,2013;Woldegebrial et al., 2013;Tewodros, 2017;Tewodros andAtnafu, 2018 andBizualem andSaron, 2018). Property rights:-It also an important determinant of success for agricultural cooperative as pointed out. Securing property rights to agricultural cooperatives enhance the confidence of members to participate in cooperatives activity while they prefer to move to urban areas to search for better jobs than engage in agricultural cooperatives if not secured (Broussard, 2012 andWoldegebrial et al.,2013). The study by Semeneh et al., 2018 also confirm that security of property right would have a significant impact on success of agricultural cooperatives. Thus, lack of clearly defined property rights for agricultural cooperatives, resulting in opportunistic behavior, bureaucratic inefficiencies, and under-investment.

COPING UP STRATEGIES OF AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES IN ETHIOPIA
Reviewing on the major determinants of success that affect agricultural cooperatives is not a sufficient conditions unless their coping up mechanisms identified were reviewed. Thus, the second objective of this review is concerned with the major coping up strategies of agricultural cooperatives in Ethiopia. Effective leadership:-Studies conducted by Asfaw and Kifle, 2015 revealed that the presence of transparent and accountable leaders played a superior role in coping up from the determinants of success in agricultural cooperatives. Study by Ephrem and Dereje, 2015 also confirm that agricultural cooperatives would be successful if they upgrade the skills, knowledge and management capacity of their leaders either by hiring or providing short term and long-term training. Moreover, study by Dejen and Matthews ,2016 also pointed out that if leaders attract and encourage the members in decision-making in regard to cooperative affairs it were unquestionably benefit agricultural cooperatives. Furthermore, study by Tewodros and Atnafu, 2018 also confirmed that if leaders at various levels of agricultural cooperatives were accountable and transparent, they could attract non-members to the cooperatives to enhance the number and image of cooperative organizations. Thus, to improve the effectiveness and its competitiveness, agricultural cooperatives need to have leaders who focus on planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, motivating and controlling functions of cooperatives (Tewodros and Dagne et al., 2017). Improving access to infrastructures: It is another important coping up strategies as identified. Accordingly, the affordability of infrastructures likes; information services, electricity, transport, credit and schools enhances the understanding and perceptions of the rural peoples toward the cooperatives (Muthyalu and Tanguy et al.,2013). Stud by Woldegebrial et al, 2013 also revealed that ease availability of infrastructures leads agricultural cooperatives to easily cope up with other challenges that hinder its success. Thus, if regional government along with concerned bodies given due attention to the expansion of infrastructures by mobilizing peoples, government organization, NGO's and other stakeholders, they easily solve the problems that hinder the success of agricultural cooperatives and ensure sustainable food security (Tewodros ,2017;Tewodros andAtnafu, 2018 andBizualem andSaron, 2018). Maintaining mutual trust: It is also another coping up strategy as identified. Accordingly, trust among and between members, employees and cooperatives management bodies were a precondition for individuals to cooperate, got reputation and for sustainable development of agricultural cooperatives (Ephrem and Dereje , 2015). The finding of Bizualem and Saron (2018) also pointed out that trust could be realized by properly addressing the mission and vision of cooperatives, enhancing frequency of contact, effective monitoring, realizing credible commitment, creating awareness and by encouraging members to participate in decision making. Building awareness : Studies by Ashenafi, 2016 and Bizualem and Saron, 2018 found that providing awareness about importance of cooperatives that has been disseminated through mass media would play a great role in motivating farmers to agricultural cooperatives. Studies by Woldegebrial et al, Dagne et al., 2013 andDejen andMatthews, 2016 also pointed out that arranging various programs that create awareness to members and other stakeholders would enhance the success of agricultural cooperatives. Besides, studies by Godadaw et al., 2017 andNegussie et al., 2018 also revealed that agricultural cooperatives perform more if their management bodies give due attention in creating awareness about the benefits and philosophy of agricultural cooperatives to their members, employees and general public through short term and long term well programmed training and education. Moreover, according to the finding made by Tanguy andWoldegebrial et al., 2013 andGodadaw et al., 2017 agricultural cooperatives would be successful if their organizations, government and other concerned bodies gave priority to awareness initiatives through awareness promoter public meetings, discussion and workshops. Improving financial system:-It is also another coping strategy as identified by most of the researchers. Even