Role of agricultural cooperatives in accessing to sustainable productivity and creating job opportunities in rural regions (Case study: South-Khorasan Province- east of Iran)

The decision by the United Nations to declare 2012 as the International Year of Co- operatives will increase the global focus on cooperatives. The UN points to the role of cooperatives, of many kinds, in promoting participation in the economic and social development of all people. cooperatives provide the opportunity for poor people to raise their incomes; they are democracies empowering people to own their own solutions; they increase security for the members; and they contribute directly and indirectly to primary education for children, gender equality and reducing child mortality. Agriculture and rural cooperatives are generally considered as a tool for rural development. Many developed countries such an England, France, German and United Stated largely depend on incomes earned through rural cooperatives. It is the intention of this article to bring to discussion the constraints of people participation towards rural cooperatives development. The agriculture and rural cooperatives in Iran in the recent years have diversified themselves into various areas of socio-economic activities. The failure of the government sector and various limitations of the private sector have compelled the policy-makers to pin their faiths on the cooperative system. In this article, author state role of agricultural cooperatives as fundamental keys for increasing productivity and creating job opportunities in rural regions of Iran (case study: South-Khorasan Province).