ABSTRACT
The research works on the “socio-economic importance of increasing agricultural output through the activities of cooperative societies” a case study of selected agricultural cooperatives in Anambra state. The study was carried out to survey the past programmes and policies constituted by government to mobilize peasant farmers into agricultural cooperatives and check the functionality of the existing ones, as a way of facilitating the attainment of self-sufficiency in agricultural output. The challenges inhibiting achievement of the objective of these agricultural cooperatives and how it affects agricultural cooperatives in Anambra state was indentified. These challenges included use of crude and primitive method of farming implements, poor member-education and inadequate public awareness of cooperative potential, inadequate storage facilities and marketing outlets, individualism among Nigerian unwillingness to pool resources and work together and excessive control by the government who develops initiatives and direction the society would go. Finally, to curtail all these challenges, improved and adequate co-ordination has to be put into consideration between the state and local government authorities, political and policy instability and inconsistency should be avoided and there should be adequately trained personnel.