ABSTRACT
In 1960–61, as Senegal achieved its independence, the state embarked upon a bold and imaginative reform of the cooperative system. Local village coops were refashioned. Rural animators endeavored to inculcate new values in the peasantry and to establish a cooperative ethos. The central government founded a group of institutions to support the financial, technical, and marketing functions of the village bodies. The movement was championed by an energetic and high-ranking UPS politician, Mamadou Dia. The new coops, it was predicted, would inspire peasant enthusiasm, promote agricultural diversification and productivity, and retain the profits of Senegal's still lucrative export trade (Belloncle, 1978; Brochier, 1968; Camboulives, 1967; and Diarassouba, 1968).
