Performance of rural cooperatives? production in Iran: Implications for sustainable development

One of the most important dimensions of cooperative systems, which have existed in Iran since 1974, is coop-erative rural production enterprises. In this study, the performance of rural production cooperatives in Iran is examined in relation to the social capital components of the members. This study's statistical population con-sisted of 16,870 members from 41 cooperatives. 217 samples of cooperative members and 98 samples of the cooperative's management and board of directors were selected using the Cochran formula, and questionnaires were filled out for each group. The results showed that from the viewpoint of the members of rural cooperatives, the most important factor in improving the performance of cooperatives was the use of effective extension training (model-extension sites). The results also showed that members' satisfaction and training members of cooperatives can play an important role in improving the performance of cooperatives. The results of this research, while emphasizing the role of education (especially extension activities), can help rural development planners in improving the performance of rural cooperatives in their regions.