POTENTIAL ROLE OF NON-AGRICULTURAL COOPERATIVES IN RURAL DEVELOPMENT: A REPORT ON FOCUS GROUP STUDIES CONDUCTED IN RURAL NORTH DAKOTA

Abstract

Focus group discussions were conducted in April 1997 in two rural North Dakota counties to examine whether the problem of inadequate or missing goods and services in those areas can be solved by using the cooperative business approach. An earlier study (Bhuyan, 1996a) has shown that many rural North Dakota communities lack essential goods and services, such as supermarket or grocery stores, clothing stores, drug stores, bank/credit facilities, and ambulance or fire-services. Focus group participants corroborated those earlier findings at the local level. It was also found that the rural residents were not fully aware of the potential role of cooperatives in the non-agricultural sectors as a means to provide inadequate or missing goods and services. Participants demonstrated motivation for follow-up action.non-agricultural cooperatives, rural development strategies, focus group, Community/Rural/Urban Development,