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The promotion of intensive farming through organic and fair trade certification appears contradictory to the increasing significance of non-farm income sources in rural Asia as well as in many other parts of the rural South. By observing a sugarcane producer co-operative comprising land reform beneficiaries in the Philippines, this paper explores the reality of livelihood diversification as practised by member households of the certified co-operative, focusing on the compatibility of certification-supported farming with diversified activities. In this case, diversification at the household level progressed both away from farming and into farming. Behind the long-term use of agricultural certification, there are compelling reasons for continuing both certification-supported farming and diversified activities, and for employing mechanisms that further the compatibility at all phases between the former and the latter, and maximising income-generating opportunities. The operation of communal land with agricultural certification may be an effective form of assistance to land reform beneficiaries who share a strong desire to be landowners. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

More than 20 years ago, the agricultural cooperatives represented an economic engine of local development in Romania. Variations in demography and legislation can be considered factors in the change of direction within the agricultural sector (young people moving from rural to urban areas; the existence of two specific legal regulations for agricultural cooperatives). In 2013, the Romanian Institute of Social Economy (IES) announced that in 2010 there were approximately 150 agricultural cooperatives in Romania. Still, IES is very optimistic about the great potential of agricultural cooperatives for economic development at local level. They argue that due the current implementation of EU legislation, Romania has to take advantage of important financial support in agricultural sector. Thus, the current percentage of 37% of population working in agriculture is expected to increase and to spur the rebirth of the "oldfashioned" agricultural cooperatives. Through the spectrum of the current research, the authors address the problem of insufficiency in the exploitation of the local products in the agricultural sector. The paper aims at describing the conceptual framework of agricultural cooperatives in Romania and at identifying ways to profit from the local production within this framework. The paper will be structured in two main parts: the first part is dedicated to the analysis of the specific Romanian legislation and literature and the second part is dedicated to the analysis of some local experiences of agricultural cooperatives in Romania. The research methodology consists of observation method (documents analysis), method of data collection and interpretation (comparison and questionnaire). There are three research questions to be answered: 1) how is the agricultural cooperative defined within the national legislation?, 2) which are the ways to profit from the local production? and 3) can a marketing strategy contribute to a better exploitation of local products in the agriculture sector?. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Establishment of producers in associative forms open more opportunities for economic development by attracting local, regional advantages, using collective power in order to increase the prosperity of members and communities from which they belong. Worldwide, in last years, farmers are forced to adopt fundamental decisions, namely: activation in unsafe conditions in order to achieve viable agricultural holdings, resistant to competition. The association, with the purpose of a better representation in front of the authorities, is practiced also in Romanian agriculture starting from the 1990. There are in Romania numerous forms of association, both by activities and by specific branches, at county, regional and national level. Associations and national federations have a relevant representation in the territory, these becoming the dialogue partners of the authorities. Organization in professional associations and cooperatives led to improvement of the incomes of its members, strengthening the economic position and providing a service that is needed leading, ultimately, to the progress of agriculture in general. In U.E. countries, agricultural cooperatives are founded in shapes and types that vary by countries, but witch in essence have the same principles of organization and functioning. Agriculture of U.E. associates in cooperatives, called of first degree, which have as purpose realizing of the investments in upstream and downstream of agriculture for collection or processing of agricultural products. Third degree cooperatives are organized by participating of cooperatives of second degree, forming powerful financial, commercial and industrial groups. Professional associations and agricultural cooperatives from European Union, formed and consolidated over decades, plays a key role in obtaining performant products and high profits for farmers from those countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Accompaniment finance institutions of cotton production have claimed cotton producers cooperatives societies (CPCS) to be the credit guarantee. From this collective guarantee, will appear the weaken operators in the (CPCS). So, the inability of these producers to reimburse their credit before the income distribution day push the (CPCS) to adopt a multitude distribution approaches of cotton profit. The consequences of these approaches on the production are very patient now. The aim of this matter is to analyse distribution approaches of (CPCS) cotton profit by demonstrating their consequences on the cotton plant culture. Four investigations in the field have been undertaken. They have proved the cotton activity abandon by an important portion of producers (creditors and debtors). In one's knows, the reduction of cotton culture surfaces is made by producers (creditors and debtors) to simply maintain themselves in the cotton operators register. The revising of credit distribution instruction to producers has been planned as a solution for the cotton culture spinning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Dominant conceptions of social movements consider their constitutive feature thedisruptionof order, not practices aroundbuildingit. In this paper, I challenge this notion by analyzing the Landless Workers' Movement (MST)'s relatively successful efforts toinstitutionalizethe practices of agricultural production developed by its members in cooperatives and agroecology. Through this analysis, I show that the movement's administration of a democratically managed form of agricultural production exemplifies a unique form of social movement resistance – namely, what I callself-governmentalresistance.Rather than reformist or revolutionary contention, self-governmental resistance – performed by movements like the MST –redevelopsstate policies by vying for and often taking control over the design and implementation of agricultural production. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Purpose – There is little reason a priori to expect that a cooperative firm’s capital needs are different from a non-cooperative firm’s needs if the two firms are otherwise similar in function and size and operate within similar market economies. However, the notion that cooperatives face capital constraints that investor-owned firms (IOFs) do not is a persistent theme in the literature. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – The authors revisit this hypothesis with an empirical examination of capital constraints in a panel data set of US agricultural supply and grain cooperatives and IOFs. Findings – The findings are mixed. While the authors find little to suggest that cooperatives face financial constraints on borrowing in the short run, relative to IOFs, the authors do find some evidence that for long-term investments, a capital constraint may exist. Originality/value – These short and long run differences have implications for the survival and growth of agricultural cooperatives. While in the short run, access to debt financing allows these firms to operative profitably, ultimately long-term large investments in technology and fixed assets will be required to maintain competitiveness in this industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe an equity management and planning tool used by rural electric cooperatives (RECs) and based on the times-interest-earned ratio (TIER). The objectives of the paper are to construct a mathematical model that provides a rigorous foundation for the TIER approach, modify the approach so the rate of return on equity is a function of the cooperative’s equity position, demonstrate how elements of the model can be used by RECs in setting electric rates that will enable them to accelerate the retirement of member equity, and derive a generalized form of the “modified Goodwin formula” that can be used by both RECs and agricultural cooperatives. Design/methodology/approach – Mathematical and graphical expressions of the TIER approach are developed. Simulations are used to demonstrate how RECs can set electric rates according to a target revolving period. The modified Goodwin formula is generalized to include the payment of cash patronage refunds through use of a growth model of an agricultural cooperative developed in Royer (1993). Findings – This paper demonstrates how TIER analysis and the modified Goodwin formula can be used by cooperatives to aid their decisions regarding debt and equity financing and their choices regarding cash patronage refunds, equity retirement, and growth. The paper demonstrates that cooperatives that fail to recognize the functional relationship between the rate of return on equity and the equity position may substantially underestimate the equity position necessary to meet interest coverage requirements and overestimate their ability to grow and retire equity. It also shows that RECs may be able to make substantial improvements in equity revolvement with only modest increases in electric rates. Research limitations/implications – The model developed in this paper has been simplified to focus on fundamental financial relationships. To apply this model, cooperatives may need to modify it to accommodate the complexities of their business operations. Practical implications – TIER analysis can provide a useful equity management and planning tool for both RECs and agricultural cooperatives. It also can be used by lending institutions to assess the financial health of individual cooperative organizations. Originality/value – Constructing a mathematical model that provides a foundation for TIER analysis, modifying the approach so that the rate of return on equity is a function of the equity position, demonstrating how RECs can use the model to set electric rates according to a target revolving period, and generalizing the modified Goodwin formula so it can be used by agricultural cooperatives are all original contributions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We analyze the inclusiveness and effectiveness of agricultural cooperatives in Rwanda. We estimate mean income and poverty effects of cooperative membership using propensity score matching techniques. We analyze heterogeneous treatment effects across farmers by analyzing how estimated treatment effects vary over farm and farmer characteristics and over the estimated propensity score. We find that cooperative membership in general increases income and reduces poverty and that these effects are largest for larger farms and in more remote areas. We find evidence of a negative selection because impact is largest for farmers with the lowest propensity to be a cooperative member. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

By using one of the theoretical models of new institutional economics, the article analyzes the impact of moral hazard in machinery sharing arrangements. According to the experiences of research made on primary database, there are several forms of machinery sharing among the Hungarian field crop farms, although the activity within these partnerships is typically low. Our results have also proved that parallel with the cooperation mechanisms the moral hazard is also present in the interactions between farmers, although its level cannot be considered significant, either. As regards the utilization of agricultural machinery, there are several forms of cooperation among farmers, but the cooperation activity within these arrangements is low. Although statistical analyses have proved the negative impact of moral hazard on cooperation willingness among cooperating farms, we could conclude that in general the low cooperation activity cannot be explained by moral hazards. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ekonomika APK is the property of Economy of Argo-Industrial Complex 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.)

Membership in an agricultural cooperative can improve the efficiency of production. Cooperatives often transfer agricultural technology to their members by employing specialized extension agents. This study analyzes the effect of cooperative membership on cocoa production and identifies factors that influence the willingness of non-member farmers to join a cooperative in the future. A survey of 243 farmers was carried out between December 2009 and January 2010 in Juanjui, San Martin, which is the main cocoa production area in Peru and the home of the Acopagro cooperative. Econometric results show that non-member farmers usually harvest larger volumes of cocoa beans, but the quality of the beans is lower compared with the Acopagro cooperative members. Analysis of a subsample of Acopagro cooperative members confirms that the length of cooperative membership has a positive effect on cocoa production volume. Moreover, unassociated farmers who wish to continue selling independently in the market have different socio-economic characteristics compared with farmers who are willing to join the cooperative in the future. The cooperative should engage in adequate training of the cooperative extension agents, thus motivating them to provide knowledge to the farmers and improve the farmers' competitive posture in the market. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Scientiarum Polonorum. Oeconomia is the property of Wydawnictwo SGGW 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.)

China's new cooperatives law took effect in 2007 and resulted in rapid growth in the number of agricultural cooperatives in China. This raises questions about appropriate strategies for growth such as whether or not cooperatives experience economies of scale as they grow. This study examines economies of scale in farmer cooperatives in Shanxi Province; the province that had the fastest growth in the number of agricultural cooperatives in China during 2008-2010. The results indicate that all cooperatives in the sample grew rapidly in their number of members and value of assets between 2008 and 2010. Large cooperatives are found to have an advantage over small cooperatives in terms of economies of scale. The results indicate that when a strategy couples growth with specialization it tends to improve the competitive position of these cooperatives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little is known about cooperative adjustment to industrialized agriculture. This inductive study hypothesizes that cooperative adjustment to industrialization is a function of critical resource changes, managerial vision, and ideological change. Agrarian-oriented cooperatives sought to maintain farmer control over agriculture. They feared production from industrialized agriculture would displace family farm production, weakening cooperatives. "Top-down" corporate vertical integration presaged a new era of feudal control over agriculture. Open market decline would lock formerly independent, entrepreneurial producers into the feudal dependence of "serfdom" as contract growers--the equivalent of hired labor. The "serfdom" metaphor motivated cooperatives to buffer producers from structural change by establishing more markets. As integrated, industrialized production grew commodity by commodity, cooperatives increasingly regarded producers as a scarce and critical resource. Yet, agrarian-oriented cooperatives did not foresee that the moral hazard associated with pork contracting would limit grower exploitation. Nor did such cooperatives recognize how productivity-enhancing technologies accelerated farmer attrition. Visionary cooperative managers compensated for agrarianism's ideological weaknesses by creating new, global cooperative goals such as "feeding the world." By the end of the 20th century, cooperatives had come to regard capital as their scarce and critical resource. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Eletrônica em Gestão, Educação e Tecnologia Ambiental is the property of Revista Eletronica em Gestao, Educacao e Tecnologia Ambiental 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 Eletrônica em Gestão, Educação e Tecnologia Ambiental is the property of Revista Eletronica em Gestao, Educacao e Tecnologia Ambiental 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.)

This article analyzes the first comprehensive survey of the post-war agricultural cooperative sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). Its purpose is to explore which types of cooperatives are financially successful in BiH in order to inform the development of better management practices for modern cooperatives, particularly those that are still transitioning from Socialist-era groups into business-oriented organizations. The results highlight internal and external factors that have been instrumental for cooperative successes and failures in BiH. Cooperatives with businesslike management systems tend to be more financially successful, thanks to consolidated decision-making structures and relatively closed membership policies. Government interventions in cooperative property have tended to hurt cooperative development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a theoretical and empirical entanglement between the Strategic Management of People, diversity and sustainability, visualized by the perception of organizational climate and the style of employee commitment Agricultural Cooperative Joint Palma Nova (CAMNPAL) / RS. The research was characterized as exploratory and descriptive, with quantitative analysis. The participants were 158 employees of the Cooperative and the data were collected directly in the workplace through a structured questionnaire. The results showed that there is a level of satisfaction and commitment on top of the organization being interviewed with the predominant style of normative commitment, followed by affective. The diversity of perceptions about the climate and the impairment occurred most intensely in groups by gender and income, with respect to the entanglement between the Strategic Management of People, diversity and sustainability, it was possible to conclude that organizational strategies need to turn to better preparation of the leaders on the strategic vision and sustainable. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: “Food, Agriculture and Fisheries and Biotechnology” is one of 10 thematic areas in the Cooperation programme of the European Union''s 7th Framework Programme for Research, Technological Development and Demonstration Activities (FP7). With a budget of nearly €2 billion for the period 2007–2013, its objective is to foster the development of a European Knowledge-Based Bio-Economy (KBBE) by bringing together science, industry and other stakeholders that produce, manage or otherwise exploit biological resources. Biotechnology plays an important role in addressing social, environmental and economic challenges and it is recognised as a key enabling technology in the transition to a green, low carbon and resource-efficient economy. Biotechnologies for non-health applications have received a considerable attention in FP7 and to date 61 projects on industrial, marine, plant, environmental and emerging biotechnologies have been supported with a contribution of €262.8 million from the European Commission (EC). This article presents an outlook of the research, technological development and demonstration activities in biotechnology currently supported in FP7 within the Cooperation programme, including a brief overview of the policy context. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Se presentan los resultados de un estudio de los criterios de fitoselección utilizados por campesinos que participaron en una feria de diversidad agrícola en la provincia de La Habana, Cuba. Se analizan los criterios de selección de variedades de maíz con atención al genero y localidad de origen de los agricultores. Los criterios favorecidos incluyeron la altura de la mazorca, el ciclo de cultivo y el grosor del tallo.

Milestones like the centennial of the Cooperative Extension system are significant in any organization. Milestones measure progress along a path, but can also give reassurances that travelers are on the right track. As Extension moves into the next century, we must continuously ask ourselves if it is focused and on the right path. What are some guiding principles that we need to follow? What are the grand societal challenges that need to be addressed now and as we move forward? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]