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2012: International Year of Cooperatives
In December of 2009 the United Nations General Assembly declared 2012 The International Year of Co-operatives (IYC). Why co-operatives? According to www.2012.coop (a website dedicated to the IYC) the UN resolution recognizes the diversity of the co-op movement with hopes that governments will take up measures aimed at creating a supportive environment for the continued development of co-operatives.
Co-operatives were formed to meet a need, “not human greed”. As the co-op website states, they allow people to compete together in a way to benefit all rather than a few and are also established on a set of values and principles.
The values: self-responsibility, democracy, equality, honesty and social responsibility.
In addition to the values, co-ops have seven basic principles to serve as guidelines for the structure of co-ops around the world. According to www.go.coop, adoption of the principles is not required; however, most co-ops opt to incorporate them into their business.
The seven principles: Voluntary and open membership; Democratic member control; Member economic participation; Autonomy and independence; Education, training and information; Cooperation among co-operatives; and Concern for the community.
That is a very broad overview of co-operatives.
This coming week Brownfield will take a closer look at some of the cooperatives that are vital components to agriculture and Rural America.
Here are some facts to get started:
*Facts courtesy of www.go.coop
As we look ahead to 2012 – we have a chance to celebrate the co-operative model and its importance to agriculture and Rural America.
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