Farming and land
Farming Co-operatives
Over the past few centuries, land ownership has been passing from tribes, families and individuals to wealthy landowners, Corporations and Investment institutions. This leaves farming communities vulnerable to unemployment, homelessness and even famines. The de-facto takeover of land and farming by business, whose only interest is profit, now threatens to be the only force controlling food prices. This to the benefit of shareholders and detriment of consumers, as well as farming communities.
The National, a Scottish Newspaper that supports Scottish Independence puts it very starkly and succinctly:
Climate change is a direct consequence of global capitalism, a system that was borne out of and continues to thrive on colonialism. Climate change contains within it histories of exploitation of people and natural resources as well as colonial systems of politics and power that continue to perpetuate oppression, inequality and injustice across the world today.
How-to guides and links
- How to form a farmers’ co-operative (India)
- How to Form a Cooperative (Factsheet)
- 3 Tips to Start Your Own Co-op to Make Organic Food Affordable to Your Community
- How to form your own Farmers’ Co-operative (Za)
- European Grants for Developing Countries – Welcomeurope
- Grant Maker Profile: International Fund for Agricultural Development
- Terra Viva Grants Directory
- Agricultural Development Grants – Bill and Melinda GatesFoundations
Other Resources
- UK agricultural co‑operatives: Key facts
- Land ownership is a local issue
- Tenure and Global Climate Change
- Global trends in forest ownership, public income and expenditure on forestry and forestry employment
- Changing land ownership, agricultural, and economic systems
- Who owns the World?
- Tropical Agriculture Association (Za)
- The world’s biggest 300 co-operatives (The Guardian)
- Agricultural Co-ops (The co-operative Group)
- Co-operatives around the world (Co-opZone)
- From Rochadale to Rwanda (Article – Co-op News)
- Belle Vue Farmers’ Cooperative, St. Lucia (video)
- e-Farm Housing Co-operative Society Ltd. (video)
- Agricultural Co-operatives (article)
- Inspiring Woman Growing a Huge Amount of Food in a Tiny Backyard in the City! (Video)
Examples
- The Danish Co-operative movement (Wikipedia)
- Agricultural Co-operatives (Wikipedia)
- The world’s biggest 300 co-operatives (The Guardian)
- Agricultural Co-ops (The co-operative Group)
- Co-operatives around the world (Co-opZone)
- From Rochadale to Rwanda (Article – Co-op News)
- Belle Vue Farmers’ Cooperative, St. Lucia (video)
- e-Farm Housing Co-operative Society Ltd. (video)
- Agricultural Co-operatives (article)