Examining Members Commitment, Heterogeneity and Social Capital Within the Membership Base of Agricultural Cooperatives in Udenu Local Government Area Enugu State

The study examined the membership commitment, heterogeneity and social capital within the membership of agricultural cooperative in Udenu Local Government Area. The study adopted a descriptive survey research design. Purposive sampling technique was used to select the societies from which the samples were drawn. The main research instrument used for the collection of data was the questionnaire. The sample size used was 100. The result revealed that social capital influences sustenance of capacity for collective action, lowers transaction costs in contracting via trust, offers access information via networks of contacts, helps companies enhance their competitive advantage and promote performance, facilitates information exchange and resource flow and motivates product innovation. It was also revealed that gender of agricultural cooperative membership has no effect on social capital. Thus men and women have equal structural social capital, social connections and relationships with other members, and have equal extent of sharing information and resources that can improve their participation in economic activities in the cooperatives. Social capital diversity impact agricultural productivity and economic sustainability. Finally, it was revealed that social capital diversity enhances social responsibility by promoting the use of sustainable agricultural farming practices and thereby contributing to environmental sustainable development. The study recommended that attention to should be given on gender differences in social network formation.