Endurance and Change: The Historical Trajectory of Agricultural Marketing Cooperatives Under Four Decades of Economic Reforms in Tanzania (1984 – 2024)

Abstract

This study critically examines the long-term development trajectory of Agricultural Marketing Cooperative Societies (AMCOS) in Tanzania across four decades of economic reforms (1984–2024). Although several studies have documented discrete phases of cooperative change, there remains a limited longitudinal, integrated analysis that systematically traces patterns of endurance, adaptation, and institutional transformation over extended reform periods. The study was motivated by persistent policy uncertainty on whether economic reforms have strengthened or undermined the sustainability of AMCOS, and what lessons can be drawn to inform contemporary cooperative policy and practice. Using a systematic documentary review of policy frameworks, academic literature, and institutional reports, the study analyses AMCOS performance across four reform phases: Structural Adjustment Programmes of the 1980s; market liberalisation and cooperative autonomy in the 1990s; renewed cooperative reforms in the early 2000s; and contemporary reforms of the 2010s–2020s. The findings reveal a cyclical pattern of institutional weakening and renewal. The SAPs period reduced state support and weakened organisational capacity; liberalisation enhanced autonomy but exposed governance and financial management deficiencies; early 2000s reforms improved performance through renewed state support, but reinforced dependency risks; and recent reforms introduced digital governance innovations and expanded market access but revealed persistent regulatory and digital adoption gaps. The study contributes new knowledge by providing a consolidated longitudinal framework that connects policy shifts with institutional responses and organisational outcomes of AMCOS over time. It offers evidence-based insights for designing balanced cooperative policies that combine institutional autonomy, governance strengthening, sustainable financing, and digital transformation to enhance the long-term resilience of agricultural cooperatives in Tanzania.