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Agricultural producers' financial resources should be available to undertake agricultural innovation-derived investments. Although Azerbaijan is now undergoing a lot of reforms in this area, the situation is still far from satisfactory. The article emphasizes the importance of state support in particular for ensuring the sustainability of the activities of agricultural producers. Nowadays, more than 90 percent of agricultural products are owned by private owners, family-peasant farms and households. Nonetheless, those economic subjects' access to financial sources is not at a satisfactory level. The article also discussed the effect of subsidies in agricultural producers' revenue and established the unique weight of subsidies in income for a number of major goods. The state's policies in this direction in Azerbaijan, as well as its positive outcomes, were also highlighted. The data collected by the systematic approach were analyzed utilizing horizontal, vertical, and trend analysis methods from financial analysis techniques. To ensure the data's legibility, comparison charts have been created. Based on the economic growth in this industry during the previous two years, it was determined that the manufacturing of crops is a priority. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural cooperatives have long experience in offering technical assistance services to their members. This action, and the consequences arising from it, although potentially diverse and relevant, has not been sufficiently discussed by cooperatives, research institutes and companies that provide the service. This is a theoretical investigation, which aims to investigate the issue, based on the experiences of cooperatives in Minas Gerais, Brazil. Given the competitive context in which they find themselves, agricultural cooperatives need to provide economic responses at the same time that they are organizations that have the capacity to intervene in the social reality of the population; that is, agricultural cooperatives are a local act that fulfill functions in the promotion of better living conditions for their associates and are potential protagonists of rural development. The conclusion points out that considering the services of the technical assistance and rural extension departments as an ATER Cooperative would enable greater integration between the administrative, commercial and financial sectors of the cooperative and the collective development of the cooperative members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Agricultural cooperatives are considered as an institutional instrument for supporting smallholder farmers and contributing to poverty alleviation and food security. However, empirical literature and practices on the ground are mixed and inconclusive. The main purpose of this study is, therefore, to analyze the impact of agricultural cooperatives on households' food security status in the context of Halu Woreda. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to estimate the impact of such collective organizations on food security. Primary data were collected from 260 rural households drawn via a stratified random sampling technique. A variety of impact estimation models were employed to check the robustness of the results. The findings revealed that being a cooperative member is determined by a combination of factors, including the sex and age of the household head; access to farm inputs, credit, and training; and the welfare status of the household head. The findings also showed that agricultural cooperatives have a statistically significant positive impact on the food security status of households. It is concluded that agricultural cooperatives are effective in improving the food security status of the households in the study area. Therefore, regional rural development policy and strategy should focus on strengthening and genuinely supporting the existing agricultural cooperatives while encouraging the establishment of new ones through an inclusive approach in ways that directly address poverty and food insecurity. By highlighting the implications of the impact of agricultural cooperatives on food security, this article contributes to the ongoing debates on the potential benefits of such associations to farmers' livelihoods in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of agricultural cooperatives and other community-based organizations in facilitating sustainable agricultural development in South Africa cannot be downplayed. The aim of the study was to analyse smallholder farmers' perception of the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in rendering support services to their enterprise in Mpumalanga Province of South Africa. A multistage sampling procedure was employed to elicit data from a sample of 120 smallholder farmers drawn from 150 farmers—members who were currently active members of agricultural cooperatives. A structured questionnaire was used to collect data that were analysed using descriptive statistics. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the socio-economic and institutional factors influencing the member farmers' perception of cooperative effectiveness. The findings revealed that although agricultural cooperatives in the area rendered some level of support services to their members, the majority of the respondents perceived their cooperative as ineffective in rendering some key support services to them that could potentially improve their livelihoods. The results of inferential analysis indicate that factors such as farm size, level of education, household size, farming experience, major crop grown/animal reared, number of cooperative members, support services received index, and satisfaction of leadership processes were significant socioeconomic and institutional factors that influence respondent's perception. The study recommended increased government public recognition and support for agricultural cooperatives development, increased resource base through more access to grant and donations, and improved linkages between cooperatives and extension agencies as a means of improving the effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Agricultural Sciences, Belgrade is the property of University of Belgrade, Faculty of Agriculture and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Today, entrepreneurship as a driving force of economic development plays a significant role in the development of traditional organizations and companies; In a way that by promoting entrepreneurship in organizations, we can see an increase in creativity, innovation and prosperity and increase their resistance to changes and challenges. In this regard, the present study investigates the role of entrepreneurial management components in organizational entrepreneurship development among agricultural cooperatives in Kermanshah Township. The statistical population of the study included all managers of agricultural cooperatives in Kermanshah Township (N= 176), Using sampling table of Bartlett (2001), 110 of them by stratified random sampling with appropriate assignment for Studies were selected. The research measurement tool was a standard questionnaire whose validity was confirmed by a group of experts and its reliability was confirmed by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficient. In order to analyze the data in two sections of descriptive statistics (frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, minimum and maximum) and inferential statistics (multiple regression analysis), SPS sof tware was used. The results showed that the components of entrepreneurial management (growth strategy, strategic orientation, resource orientation, growth culture, reward philosophy and management structure) had a positive and significant effect on organizational entrepreneurship in agricultural cooperatives. Therefore, by improving entrepreneurial management, we can take action to develop organizational entrepreneurship in agricultural cooperatives. In this regard, managers and policy makers of agricultural cooperatives are advised to rethink entrepreneurial strategies, values and beliefs, reward methods and the structure and management style of the organization in an entrepreneurial manner.

Abstract The purpose of this study is to investigate regional differences in the business characteristics of Japanese agricultural cooperatives (JAs), which have been widely criticized for depending on non-agricultural activities, contradictory to cooperative principles. We construct a panel data set over 2004–2019 from the financial statements of JAs’ prefectural-level federations and use a stochastic meta-frontier cost function model, which enables the decomposition of meta-frontier efficiency into two components: technical efficiency and technology gap ratios. The operational differences between JAs in urban and rural areas are investigated by comparing their efficiency and economies of scale and scope. The main results are summarized as follows: first, the meta-cost efficiency scores of JAs in urban areas are, on average, larger than those in rural areas, which reflects the differences in technology gap ratios. Second, JAs exhibit overall economies of scale in both areas; however, the product-specific economies of scale differ between financial and nonfinancial outputs. Finally, JAs in rural areas exhibit relatively larger economies of scope than those in urban areas. These findings indicate clear distinctions between urban and rural areas in cost-reduction effects. Finally, financial activities bring higher efficiency for JAs in urban areas, while benefits from simultaneous production are larger for those in rural areas.

Copyright of Revista de Estudios Cooperativos is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Contabilidade do Mestrado em Ciências Contábeis da UERJ is the property of Editora da Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro (EdUERJ) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Revista de Economia e Sociologia Rural is the property of Sociedade Brasileira de Economia e Sociologia Rural and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Covid 19 pandemic is a global, not only, health crisis with devasting impact on the world economy in general. These impacts are also visible more and more in food and agriculture sector as the main sector of population nourishment. In spite of adopted measures in many countries, spread of the virus is starting to distrupt the supply of agrofood products to markets and consumers, both within and across borders. Most major economies are expected to enter recession as a result of the Covid 19 pandemic, and the OECD has estimated that for each month the necessary containment measures continue the drop in output is equivalent to a decline in annual GDP growth up to 2 percentage points. How damaging these impacts tourn out to be for individual agricultural production of coutries and agricultural cooperatives which are consider as the more viable during crisis is the objective of this paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Este estudo propõe quatro etapas para o planejamento de sucessão do presidente de cooperativas agropecuárias e mostra os impactos das discussões sobre sucessão. Participaram da pesquisa 19 cooperativas agropecuárias com questionários aplicados à sete presidentes. Os resultados revelam a falta de preparação para a passagem do bastão nessas cooperativas. Nos seus planos de gestão não há um plano para a sucessão e nem o envolvimento dos colaboradores, gerentes e técnicos, nas discussões sobre sucessão. Presidentes com pouco tempo de gestão são mais receptivos e aceitam novas ideias, bem como a participação dos membros na gestão. As análises quantitativas mostraram que as discussões sobre sucessão são um processo importante para o crescimento e desenvolvimento cooperativo no longo prazo. Este estudo auxilia na construção de um plano de sucessão para atrair, reter e identificar membros com perfil gerencial. Sugerimos quatro passos para preparar o novo presidente.

AbstractAgricultural cooperatives are considered as an institutional instrument for supporting smallholder farmers and contributing to poverty alleviation and food security. However, empirical literature and practices on the ground are mixed and inconclusive. The main purpose of this study is, therefore, to analyze the impact of agricultural cooperatives on households’ food security status in the context of Halu Woreda. The study employed a quasi-experimental research design to estimate the impact of such collective organizations on food security. Primary data were collected from 260 rural households drawn via a stratified random sampling technique. A variety of impact estimation models were employed to check the robustness of the results. The findings revealed that being a cooperative member is determined by a combination of factors, including the sex and age of the household head; access to farm inputs, credit, and training; and the welfare status of the household head. The findings also showed that agricultural cooperatives have a statistically significant positive impact on the food security status of households. It is concluded that agricultural cooperatives are effective in improving the food security status of the households in the study area. Therefore, regional rural development policy and strategy should focus on strengthening and genuinely supporting the existing agricultural cooperatives while encouraging the establishment of new ones through an inclusive approach in ways that directly address poverty and food insecurity. By highlighting the implications of the impact of agricultural cooperatives on food security, this article contributes to the ongoing debates on the potential benefits of such associations to farmers’ livelihoods in rural areas.

Rural residents' health status is related to their happiness, socioeconomic status, personal development, and the ideals of living, but individual income relative deprivation has a negative impact on their health. Hence, this study aimed to examine that how to alleviate the negative impact of income relative deprivation on rural residents' health. Based on a literature review, it is the first study to propose that cooperative membership could help alleviate the adverse effects of income relative deprivation on rural residents' health. It survey data from 466 farm households in Shandong Province in China and employs an endogenous switching probit model to solve the endogenous problems. The results show that relative deprivation positively affects farmers' membership in a cooperative but negatively impacts their health. More importantly, the results indicate that membership in a cooperative improves farmers' health and alleviates the adverse effects of relative deprivation. These findings not only expand the empirical research on the positive impact of relative deprivation but also provide a new pathway towards improving the negative impact of income relative deprivation on rural residents' health. That is, the government should guide smallholder farmers to join professional cooperatives and encourage the development of ‘multi-functional’ cooperatives to play a greater role in improving rural residents' health.

Nowadays, the agricultural sector is poised to undergo significant transformations towards sustainability. Small-scale farmers’ restricted accessibility to resources hinders their ability to effectively adapt to such advancements. This research paper investigates the potential role of agricultural cooperatives as deus ex machina, offering an idea for solving the challenges faced by small-scale farmers. Additionally, it examines the potential benefits agricultural cooperatives could provide to large-scale farmers while simultaneously advocating sustainable agricultural practices. To gather accurate data, individuals who were members of cooperatives in the Larissa region of Greece were interviewed using questionnaires. The sixty qualitative interviews conducted shed light on the fact that cooperatives play a significant role in promoting sustainable agriculture and offer numerous benefits to their members, particularly small-scale farmers.

In the European agri-food sector, operators with substantial bargaining power often engage in unfair trading practices (UTPs). Our paper aims to empirically examine the occurrence of UTPs and their influence on the performance of cooperatives. To fulfill the goal of our paper, we collected responses from 109 cooperatives in Greece after the transposition of a specialized EU Directive (i.e., Directive (EU) 2019/633). We found that, on average, the sampled cooperatives encountered three prohibited (“black”) UTPs, while all reported at least one prohibited UTP. Moreover, the two most commonly reported practices (i.e., “unduly late payments” and “buyers’ demand that suppliers pay for the deterioration or loss of products that occurred after ownership transfer”) exerted a significant negative influence on cooperative performance, even in the presence of a proficient Board of Directors. Consequently, policymakers may need to pay more attention to UTPs and ensure that the national enforcement authorities are well-equipped to act rapidly and effectively against offenders.

Agricultural cooperatives have an important role in supporting agricultural development and improving the well-being of their members. They provide farmers with financial and social security, as well as fostering an environment that is supportive of collective actions. This study aims to assess the economic and social safety of female cooperative members by looking at their experiences and perceived improvements over time. It examines how gender dynamics, social capital, and cooperative engagement affect women’s perceptions of economic and social security through field surveys and structured interviews. According to the preliminary findings, active engagement in cooperatives improves women’s feelings of social security, belonging, and empowerment. They might not be as confident in their ability to make economic judgments due to societal prejudices, resource access restrictions, and cultural norms. This study emphasizes the potential of women to break down traditional gender norms and obstacles as well as the economic gains associated with cooperative activity. These findings provide empirical support and inform efforts to promote empowerment and gender equality in agricultural cooperatives.

Since its inception, the Green Morocco Plan (MGP) has set as its overriding objective a strong territorial anchoring to enhance agricultural potential and make agriculture an engine of modern, competitive and inclusive economic and social development. The MGP has been designed according to the principles of sustainable agriculture and affects the plural form of all players, particularly professional agricultural organizations of all kinds. It is a national strategy that, among other things, targets socioeconomic development through several mechanisms to accompany and support the cooperative fabric. During the first years of implementation of the Green Morocco Plan, Law 112-12 governing cooperatives were enacted. Against this backdrop, we present the challenges and prospects of the government's strategy to boost agricultural cooperatives and the impact of Moroccan legislation on the development of this promising sector.

Agricultural cooperatives greatly influence agricultural and rural modernization in China. Based on 381 farmer samples in the arid Tarim River Basin, this empirical study aimed to construct an index system for the exploration of the relationship between cooperatives and farmers’ collective action by using the Socio-Ecological System framework. The results showed that agricultural cooperatives helped to empower farmers to act collectively. Agricultural cooperatives, with the mechanisms of collective decision making, institutional constraints, and internal supervision, could realize the integration of resources required for farmers’ collective action and promote the sharing of risks and benefits. By providing financing support and a platform for resource integration, cooperatives could reduce constrains induced by economic difference among farmers; enhance village leadership, organization, and coordination; and promote the accumulation of social capital and villagers’ sense of identity with the village. Particularly, cooperatives could support farmers to adopt water-saving irrigation technologies and reduce their over-dependence on chemical pesticides and fertilizers, thus promoting farmers’ collective action. Therefore, the development of agricultural cooperatives will help enhance farmers’ collective action, promote the modernization of rural governance, and realize rural revitalization.

The paper deals with the organizational and practical issues related to the household plot of the collectivized households in Yugoslavia. This household plot was in the regime of individual property. This structure originated from the Soviet kolkhoz, but had different characteristics in the Yugoslav context. Besides having been an additional source of agricultural products to satisfy the needs of the collectivized households, the products grown on these plots were also allowed to enter the market. The household plot had a disproportionally large impact on the overall agricultural production, since the peasants intensified the use of this plot. This came as a consequence of the dysfunctional and unpopular organizational characteristics of the agricultural cooperatives.

Producer organisations bear great potential to link small-scale farmers to markets. In post-communist economies, historically negative attitudes towards cooperatives are blamed as barriers to collaboration, but little is known about the broader range of motives to (not) cooperate. We use a structural equation model to analyse cooperation intentions in Kosovo’s emerging export-oriented raspberry sector. In this context, negative images surrounding cooperation seem to belong to the past. Widespread positive attitudes towards joining producer organisations were driven by the wish to facilitate farm commercialisation. The most substantial influence on cooperation intentions came from the norms passed on by the family and farm advisory services. Yet, results beyond the econometric model show that a lack of information and knowledge and lack of institutional trust, mainly doubts about the feasibility of producer organisations, could hinder their spread and success.

The Moroccan agricultural cooperative sector is a key player in self-employment and income generation through territorial anchoring. The government's "MOURAFAKA" program offers support for newly created cooperatives, including strategic diagnosis and training. This paper analyzes the impact of the MOURAFAKA program on the sustainability of agricultural cooperatives in Morocco. Using original data from a survey of 232 cooperatives and a second database of 1131 cooperatives, the study employs a methodology based on survival function analysis and Cox regression. The results show that the MOURAFAKA program improves the sustainability of agricultural cooperatives by strengthening their management, governance, and market access capabilities. The study also highlights the importance of internal factors such as management skills, leadership style, and cooperative size, as well as external factors such as strategic adaptability, in determining the sustainability of agricultural cooperatives. The policy implications of these findings suggest that upstream literacy programs and capacity-building initiatives for cooperative leaders, as well as downstream access to financing, marketing, and practical training, are crucial for ensuring the sustainability of cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We help to unravel how smallholder farmers in agricultural cooperatives can address the consequences of climate change. Climate change‐oriented actions often pose an extra challenge to cooperative members in time‐poverty, that is, to those who have no choice but to work long hours yet remain consumption poor. Tackling climate change requires future‐oriented action toward unpredictable events, whereas time‐poverty requires people to deal with the bare necessities of the present. Through a qualitative inductive study of Rwandan smallholder farmers in agricultural cooperatives, we observe that climate change increases time‐poverty, especially for women, and that smallholder farmers are hesitant to invest their time in making climate change adaptations. We find that smallholder farmers can overcome these challenges through membership of agricultural cooperatives, which can help in pacing climate change actions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After Bulgaria's integration into the European Union (EU) in 2007, restructuring processes in agricultural cooperatives continue. The permanent tendency for the plant-breeding sector to dominate the animal-breeding sector is intensifying. Cereal crops occupy the largest share in the production structure. Advocating the thesis of the diversification of products as a factor of competitiveness, the production structure of the agricultural enterprise is taken as a fundamental element. The purpose of the research is to analyze product diversification in agricultural cooperatives after the integration of Bulgaria into the EU (2007-2020). Conclusions are summarized that despite the reported negative trends, the support schemes under the CAP 2014-2020 have a positive effect on product diversification. There are positive signals for an increase in the share of protein, essential oil and fodder crops [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper presents an integrated framework of success and failure factors of agricultural cooperatives and its applicability based on a review of recent literature and an illustrative case study. We identify six categories of success and failure factors: the societal environment, quality of management, strategy, member base, commitment, and product aspects. Contrary to expectations that failure factors mirror success factors, the framework shows that the two represent distinctive features in at least some of the distinguished categories. The analysis of an agricultural cooperative in Peru, selected and presented as an illustrative case study, shows the applicability of the framework for the analysis of success and failure factors of cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Millars: Espai i Història is the property of Millars: Espai i Historia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Cooperative organization as a people-oriented institution brings great benefits to the agricultural community. As a result, the intention to participate in such an institution is very important. Therefore, this research was conducted to explain the factors affecting the willingness of farmers to participate in collective and cooperative activities. In this research, descriptive-correlational research method and survey technique was used to collect data. The statistical population of the study included all farmers in Mazandaran province, including 336532 people that Using Krejcie and Morgan sampling table, the number of samples was determined and using multi-stage random sampling method, 333 people were selected as the sample. The validity of the researcher-made questionnaire was confirmed by several experts and faculty members of agricultural extension and education and its reliability was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient. The data obtained through the questionnaire were analyzed using descriptive statistics (such as frequency, percentage, mean) and inferential statistics (correlation coefficients and Chi-square, stepwise regression and factor analysis). The results showed that the studied farmers have a moderate willingness to cooperate with other farmers. Attitudes toward teamwork and the number of visiting to the experts are also two variables that explain 36% of the changes in farmers' willingness to participate in cooperatives. Improving attitudes, increasing the number of visiting to experts and removing barriers to participation can increase farmers' willingness to participate in cooperative and group activities.

Cooperatives are the best organizations that have succeeded in mobilizing dispersed yet talented and motivated forces. Of course, this is possible due to the success of cooperatives. Therefore, identifying the factors that promote and hinder the success of cooperatives is of great importance. Considering that no study has been conducted in this regard in Savojbolagh County, thus this study seeks to investigate the promoter and preventive factors on the success of agricultural cooperatives in Savojbolagh County. The present study is exploratory in terms of purpose and applied in terms of research results. The statistical population of the study is the members and managers of agricultural cooperatives of Savojbolagh County and also experts in the field of cooperation in Alborz province and Savojbolagh County, which was considered as a statistical sample through Morgan table of 250 people. The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were confirmed using the views of the professors of the Faculty of Economics and Development, University of Tehran and a group of experts in the field of cooperation in Alborz province and Savojbolagh County and Cronbach's alpha coefficient. Using exploratory factor analysis technique, the promoter factors of agricultural cooperatives were classified into six factors (social, individual, economic, educational, legal and environmental) which in total (78.9%) explained the total variance of success factors. Also, preventive factors were divided into five factors including managerial-educational, economic, social, legal and environmental factors, which in total (61.63%) of the total variance of factors inhibiting the success of cooperatives explained.

In our work we look at the development possibilities of Hungarian agricultural cooperatives known as agricultural cooperatives from the countryside. According to our hypothesis, even 30 years after the regime change there are still many possibilities left in the focused development of these ventures. Since the change of regime, no solution has been found to solve the problems of the increasingly isolated, lagging rural settlements. The primary purpose of our research is to examine how and by which means these co-operatives could become the engines of development in rural areas as they had been in Hungary for decades before the regime change. We also sought to find a way to implement a complex development program positively affecting a significant part of the community. What obstacles should be removed to initiate the rural development process and what measures are needed so the already launched rural development initiatives could reach their aim? What radical change is needed in order for a cooperative to become a major determinant of development for a given area? In our research, we examined the current possibilities of cooperatives and their activities that could be utilized for rural development.

Studies have pointed to gaps in the understanding of innovation performance in the industrialization of cooperatives. This paper has addressed the innovation performance of Brazilian agricultural cooperatives in economic-financial and social dimensions. For our research, we conducted a semi-structured interview with managers of cooperatives that adopted the industrialization of products. In the economic-financial dimension, cooperatives increased the offer/variety of products and gained new markets, while, in the social dimension, the industrialization of new products for the cooperative, or for the market. These may affect the sense of pride in belonging to the cooperative due to the availability of a manufactured product for purchase that resulted from the commodity produced by the cooperative members. This study improves the understanding about the innovation performance model, and shows how cooperatives have addressed this topic. Such an understanding can assist in the development of strategies for innovation in cooperatives. The findings contribute to the understanding of innovation in industrialization, and add efforts in research on innovation in emerging economies.

Agricultural cooperatives play an important role in promoting local communities and sustainable farming practices in many parts of the world. In Kyrgyzstan their development remains a challenge despite the existence of laws and policies, support from donor-funded projects and the existence of an apex organisation. What is missing for their development and who should lead their development? Adopting an entrepreneurial ecosystem (EE) approach to the analysis of the agricultural cooperatives, we aim to identify the lead actors of the agricultural cooperatives’ development in Kyrgyzstan and understand what roles such a lead actor plays in the emergence and strengthening of an EE for agricultural cooperatives. Adopting a case study approach, we retrieved archival data published between 1991 and 2020 on agricultural cooperatives in Kyrgyzstan, that included documents from government, cooperatives and their apex organisations, and studies commissioned by international organisations. We reviewed data using a grounded theory approach and organised our codes and text excerpts around the EE elements and actors. Thereby, we identify what roles the three principal actors of cooperative development, namely government, cooperatives and their apex organisation, and international organisations, play in different EE dimensions – i.e., policy, skills and education, market environment, culture, networks and partnerships. Among others, we uncover that the lead actor varies across EE dimensions and the paradox, where expectations of the government and cooperatives’ are inadequate to their funding abilities; while international organisations, that could fund cooperatives’ development, do not consider them as a priority in their projects. Although the study has limitations due to its exploratory nature, we offer both theoretical contribution extending entrepreneurial ecosystem approach to the study of agricultural cooperatives in transition economies and practical implications for better understanding and integrating agricultural cooperatives in the international development programming.

Studies have pointed to gaps in the understanding of innovation performance in the industrialization of cooperatives. This paper has addressed the innovation performance of Brazilian agricultural cooperatives in economic-financial and social dimensions. For our research, we conducted a semi-structured interview with managers of cooperatives that adopted the industrialization of products. In the economic-financial dimension, cooperatives increased the offer/variety of products and gained new markets, while, in the social dimension, the industrialization of new products for the cooperative, or for the market. These may affect the sense of pride in belonging to the cooperative due to the availability of a manufactured product for purchase that resulted from the commodity produced by the cooperative members. This study improves the understanding about the innovation performance model, and shows how cooperatives have addressed this topic. Such an understanding can assist in the development of strategies for innovation in cooperatives. The findings contribute to the understanding of innovation in industrialization, and add efforts in research on innovation in emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to investigate regional differences in the business characteristics of Japanese agricultural cooperatives (JAs), which have been widely criticized for depending on non-agricultural activities, contradictory to cooperative principles. We construct a panel data set over 2004–2019 from the financial statements of JAs' prefectural-level federations and use a stochastic meta-frontier cost function model, which enables the decomposition of meta-frontier efficiency into two components: technical efficiency and technology gap ratios. The operational differences between JAs in urban and rural areas are investigated by comparing their efficiency and economies of scale and scope. The main results are summarized as follows: first, the meta-cost efficiency scores of JAs in urban areas are, on average, larger than those in rural areas, which reflects the differences in technology gap ratios. Second, JAs exhibit overall economies of scale in both areas; however, the product-specific economies of scale differ between financial and nonfinancial outputs. Finally, JAs in rural areas exhibit relatively larger economies of scope than those in urban areas. These findings indicate clear distinctions between urban and rural areas in cost-reduction effects. Finally, financial activities bring higher efficiency for JAs in urban areas, while benefits from simultaneous production are larger for those in rural areas. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Farmers' cooperatives play an important role in enabling small farmers to integrate into modern agriculture. Based on the survey data of 7200 farmers in four provinces of China, this paper uses the multi-dimensional poverty measurement method and the instrumental variable method to reveal the transmission mechanism and multi-dimensional poverty reduction effect of farmers' cooperatives in deep poverty-stricken areas in China to realize joint agricultural empowerment through the supply chain. The results show that farmers' cooperatives play an important role in enhancing small farmers' financing, technology application, market sales, and rights decision-making. Every increase in the degree of interest connection between the two will help farmers reduce the multi-dimensional poverty level by 12.3%, and the mitigation effects on material poverty, ability poverty, and rights poverty are between 10% and 13%. Compared with agricultural cooperatives with weak organizational service capacity, cooperatives with high organizational service capacity have a more significant multi-dimensional poverty reduction effect on farmers, which leads to farmers obtaining financing and improving their ability and income. In addition, the difference in benefit coupling between agricultural cooperatives and farmers of different leading bodies also results in the heterogeneity of multi-dimensional poverty alleviation effects of farmers. To a certain extent, the supply chain is affected by the risk endowment of members, the supply chain's poverty alleviation performance is affected by members' supply chain's poverty alleviation performance, and there is a certain risk transfer and "distribution failure". Therefore, optimizing the benefit coupling structure and risk sharing mechanism between farmers' cooperatives and farmers has become an important way to break the pattern of "the strong are always strong" and "distribution failure" for supply chain members and farmers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, the training of competent managers has become one of the most key concepts in the field of management, and according to many academic and industrial experts, it can be one of the main approaches to the success of organizations and, beyond that, different industries of a country in national and transnational contexts. The purpose of the current research is to develop a model of financial competence of managers in production companies affiliated to agricultural cooperatives. The current research was applied in terms of its purpose and in terms of the method of data collection, it was field-library. This research was conducted as a qualitative research with a data base theory approach. The data was collected through semi-structured interviews with 16 experts and financial managers in producing companies affiliated to agricultural cooperatives using the purposeful snowball sampling method. After performing three stages of open, central and selective coding and analyzing the data by MaxQuda software, 268 primary codes, 49 components and 17 categories were extracted, and finally by determining the causal conditions (inherent and acquired skills), background conditions ( individual and organizational background), intervening conditions (intra-organizational, extra organizational, technical, legal and public), central category (managers' financial competence), strategies (strategic skills, organizational strategy and new strategy) and consequences (intra-organizational and extra)organizational consequences) financial competence model Managers were presented. It is suggested to create a platform to raise the skills of financial managers in organizations, to provide the basis for training competent managers and consequently improve the organization's performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the early 1960s, three pilot agricultural and settlement schemes were set up along the shores of Lake Victoria in the north-western region of Tanzania with the involvement of Israeli development agency Agridev. One of these sites was Mbarika, where the experimental project ran for three years and had mixed results before being discontinued by the young Tanzanian government. This article explores the story of that scheme and its long-term legacies some 50 years on. Unpacking the representational and material ruinations that outlived the project's official timeline, we examine the memories and rumours that continue to haunt the site to this day and their entanglement with successive development experiences and shifting political ideologies. Through interviews, ethnographic observations and archival research, we shed light on the complex, deeply ambiguous legacies and 'afterlives' of a development intervention set between expectations of modernity and a sense of exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista de Estudios Cooperativos is the property of Universidad Complutense de Madrid and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)