The role of cooperatives

Erbin Crowell, Green Energy Times -   The U.S. Department of Agriculture first proclaimed National Co-op Month in October 1964, reflecting the importance of co-operatives to America’s rural communities. Since 1971, the National Co-operative Business Association has continued this tradition, promoting co-ops as a trusted, proven way to do business and build resilient, inclusive communities.

Under the theme “Built for This Moment,” this year’s Co-op Month is a reminder that formal co-operatives were first organized to address the social and economic challenges of the Industrial Revolutions of the 1800s. Successive waves of co-op development have often responded to the market failures of their times, enabling people from all walks of life to work together to meet their needs. From electric co-operatives powering rural America when investor-owned corporations saw it as unprofitable to farmer co-ops supporting small family farmers locked out by corporate monopolies, worker co-ops securing livelihoods in unstable job markets, to credit unions enabling working people and immigrants to meet their financial needs, housing co-ops retaining affordable shelter amid rampant speculation to food co-ops building community food security, co-ops are a proven response to uncertain times.

In this sense, it may not come as a surprise that in 2016, UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, recognized “the idea and practice of organizing shared interests in cooperatives” in its List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Established on the principle that global cultural heritage should be preserved and made accessible to everyone as part of its efforts to offer solutions to the challenges of our times, UNESCO’s list recognizes that co-operatives “allow for community building through shared interests and values creating innovative solutions to societal problems, from generating employment and assisting seniors to urban revitalization and renewable energy projects.” Interestingly, many of the other cultural traditions identified, including agricultural practices such as the Argan Tree Oil harvest in Morocco and irrigation systems in the mountain of Europe, and artisanal customs like Shital Pati weaving in Bangladesh and Pinta’o Hats in Panama, are largely maintained by co-operatives.

It was partly in recognition of this fact that the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) launched its “Cooperative Cultural Heritage Programme,” with the goal of creating a world map of co-operative sites and traditions. It was an inspiring experience to serve on the working group for the project, offering the opportunity to identify co-ops from North America to be included in the inaugural list, including Adamant Food Co-op in Vermont, founded in 1935 and the oldest continuously operating grocery co-operative in the U.S.