Social Environment, Issues of Membership of the Comagoa Roxy Cooperative of the Gouro d’Adjame Market (Côte d’Ivoire)

Abstract

The general objective of the article is to study the stakes of the belonging of women food vendors to the COMAGOA ROXY cooperative of the Gouro market in Adjamé in an environment that is clearly suspicious and contentious at its core.

The working method combined bibliographic research, surveys, and direct observations within the COMAGOA ROXY cooperative at the Gouro market in Adjamé. The surveys were conducted mainly through interviews with officials of the cooperative COMAGOA ROXY and those of the town hall of Adjamé. Also, focus groups were conducted with members of the cooperative.

The results obtained related to the benefits of belonging to the cooperative COMAGOA ROXY and the difficulties of integration and maintenance of women in this cooperative. Thus, the study reveals that the advantages of joining the COMAGOA ROXY cooperative are economic, socio-cultural, and symbolic. Also, women face difficulties in carrying out their activities related to general problems: First, food products rot when the goods are not sold in time. Secondly, there are economic losses related to the transport and sale of food products. Finally, at the sociocultural level, the ethnic factor and the right of accession constitute obstacles to the integration and integration of the cooperative.