Institutional Capital and Agricultural Credit Access: The Critical Role of Cooperatives in the Cashew Sector in Côte d’Ivoire
Abstract
Access to agricultural credit remains a major barrier for smallholder farmers in West Africa, limiting their investment capacity and the development of strategic crops such as cashew. This study examines the determinants of credit access for 170 cashew producers in Odienné, Côte d'Ivoire. Using a mixed-methods design, data were collected through a structured questionnaire and analysed using descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression model. A two-stage stratified random sampling was applied based on the Cochran formula to ensure representativeness. The results show that cooperative membership is the key factor (+38.5%), turning collective solidarity into financial creditworthiness. Technical training also improves access (+26.8%), while extension services reduce eligibility (-21.3%) by increasing procedural complexity. Age and gender have no effect, which highlights the cooperative model as conducive to financial inclusion. The findings emphasise the importance of local institutions in compensating for the lack of material collateral. Policy recommendations include creating a cooperative guarantee fund, rationalising support services, and adjusting financial products to the cashew cycle. Overall, cooperatives appear as transformative institutions able to convert solidarity into solvency and provide a reproducible paradigm for informal agricultural economies.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Vadoua Bamba, PhD, Eric Kokola Kouadio, PhD, Kouadio Jacques N’dr, PhD
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