The role of agricultural cooperatives in development and promotion of entrepreneurship

Abstract1
Development and promotion of entrepreneurial culture among people in
particular rural people and farmers is one the strategies that are particularly stressed
by the scholars. In the past, these strategies have been used by some governments
consciously or unconsciously. Necessity of considering the entrepreneurship as a
sensitive issue in Iranian society and the role of agricultural cooperatives in the
development and promotion of the entrepreneurship are perceived more than past.
What acknowledged the effectiveness of this approach in the development of the
communities are positive effects of entrepreneurship. The present study, which is a
review one, aims at both addressing the importance of entrepreneurship in the
cooperative sector, the role of agricultural cooperatives in country’s economy, in
employment, development and promoting of entrepreneurship, and identifying
factors and indicators affect the development and promotion of entrepreneurship
through cooperatives. The results showed that agricultural cooperatives can play a
significant role in entrepreneurial activities such as research and educational
activities, advisory services, access to credits, access to equipment and facilities of
agricultural productions, providing the necessary tools for handicrafts, and
marketing products. Moreover, the most important majors and activities that may
promote entrepreneurship through cooperatives includes organizing the resources
and possibilities, workplace establishment, risk-ability in productive activities, self-
employment, creativity and innovation at work, employment, predicting and
identifying supply, demand and needs.