The cooperative model has been sidelined in development cooperation for many years – for various reasons. On the one hand, cooperatives have been completely overestimated as an instrument and expected to solve a whole bunch of problems at one stroke. On the other hand, they were long misused for state purposes and have therefore been regarded with mistrust. The fact that the United Nations has declared 2012 the International Year of Cooperatives is a good opportunity to take a closer look at this special form of enterprise. We wish to give you an idea of the range of manifestations that the cooperative model has taken worldwide and of the role that cooperatives can play in overcoming rural poverty.
 

Articles:

• Farmer co-operatives in China – not exploited to the full
• Cooperatives - the magic bullet of poverty reduction?
• A path of trial and tribulation
• The political dimension
• A significant factor, but not a panacea
• Nicaragua: Cooperatives at the crossroads
• Between organic development and state control
• Community banks: A chance for agri-based African rural communities
• Beyond economic empowerment
• The Raiffeisen idea – a model for sustainable development?