Why cooperative

Blog - Latest News. What Are Cooperatives? When Did Cooperatives Begin? What Are Cooperatives Core Principles? The success of co-ops depends upon seven core principles of cooperative development: Voluntary and open membership Democratic member control Member economic participation Autonomy and independence Education, training and information Cooperation among cooperative Concern for community More than million people around the world are a part of the cooperative movement. They are anchors that distribute, recycle and multiply local expertise, resources and capital.

Autonomous cooperatives reach the poorest people in the community, offering upward mobility and basic infrastructure ignored by large businesses.

Consumer Cooperatives, like Rochdale play a vital role in distributing food and basic resources in poor and rural areas. Profits and benefits also circulate within the same community. Co-ops help build peaceful societies. In the process of transforming poverty-ridden communities into vibrant economies, cooperatives contribute to skill-development and education.

They bolster gender equality and improve the health and living standards of an entire community. Some Achievements Claimed by Cooperative Business. How Efficient Is Cooperative Business? What Is the Future of Cooperative Business? To the Leader. Suggestions for Further Reading. Is cooperative business a new idea? Are co-ops a cure-all for our economic problems? Do they stifle free enterprise? This is a hot question among farmers, merchants, and consumers. What are the facts?

This pamphlet gives both sides of the question. Read it and have your say. Back in early colonial days, and later on the western frontiers of this country, neighbors used to help each other on many kinds of jobs—building their cabins, raising the roofs of their barns, harvesting their crops, shucking their corn, and all kinds of things that needed many hands.

That kind of informal cooperation was part of pioneer life, and it continues to this day in such farm activities as threshing. The first cooperative in this country began operations in , twenty-four years before the American Revolution.

It is still in business, and so are seven other mutual insurance companies that started before The members of these cooperative societies simply agreed in advance to split the costs of any fire loss that one of theta suffered. If any of their property burned, the members assessed themselves enough to cover the damage. No fires—no assessments. They collect in advance from each member a fixed amount, called a premium, enough to cover all likely losses.

Mutual irrigation companies were another early form of co-operative business. When the Mormons migrated to Utah in , they soon found that they had to irrigate the land—and so farmers pooled their labor and shared the cost of bringing water to the crops. By there were 83 mutual irrigation associations in Utah and 3 in California. Most American farmers in the early days were self-sufficient, living off the produce of their own land.

But as they began to produce more cash crops for the markets, they also began to try out cooperative methods for selling their surpluses. Members who use their services or purchase their products 4. A Cooperatives promote the fullest possible participation in the economic and social development of all people and are a major economic force in developed countries and a powerful business model in developing ones 5. The Co-operative Movement brings together over one billion people around the world.

The United Nations estimated in that the livelihood of nearly 3 billion people, or half of the world's population, was made secure by co- operative enterprise. These enterprises continue to play significant economic and social roles in their communities.

United States with Region I. Of the stated population count Region I cooperative membership 1,, as of July 9. Co-ops serve a range of sectors, including housing, food, worker, agriculture, service, financial, youth and community. The Philippines has been in a boom and bust cycle for several decades now. We have failed to achieve the necessary GDP growths to bring us to developed nation status relative to other East Asian nations i.

The best in 19 years we have achieved is 7. Pangilinan Therefore, all our causes—education reform, transparency, infrastructure development, environmental protection, etc. Ramon R. We must together exploit this rare and great opportunity to move our country forward and upward Let us set our differences aside and focus on what we have in common. A cooperative is defined in the Statement on the Cooperative Identity as. Cooperatives are people-centred enterprises owned, controlled and run by and for their members to realise their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations.

Cooperatives bring people together in a democratic and equal way. Whether the members are the customers, employees, users or residents, cooperatives are democratically managed by the 'one member, one vote' rule.