What is a Cooperative?

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Can you believe California University is actively engaged in promoting Agricultu
re and Everything related to it like marketing and all kinds of research for max
imizing production of food in safe and sustainable manner and promoting Co-opera
tives of kinds to prevent exploitation of small farmers and organizations?
Here most universities produce Union Leaders like Nitish Kumar or Vajpayee or ot
hers provide no service.
PAU for example similar things but most incompetently, even its publications are
not easily available. Seeds are outdated, harvesting procedures are non existen
t â farm produce is infected instantly when unloaded on ground. It invites MS Swam
inathan for Convocation the Fraud Scientist.
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/docs/about.html
The University of California Small Farm Program focuses on the challenges and op
portunities of California 's small-scale farm operators.
http://postharvest.ucdavis.edu/Produce/ProduceFacts/Veg/eggplant.shtml
University carry out research into Cost Benefit studies of all crops, advise far
mers and educate them about regulations, seeds and farming practices and technol
ogies etc.
Ravinder SinghMarch15, 2010
http://www.sfc.ucdavis.edu/cooperatives/whatis.html
What is a Cooperative?
Definition
A cooperative is a private business organization that is owned and controlled by
the people who use its products, supplies or services. Although cooperatives va
ry in type and membership size, all were formed to meet the specific objectives
of members, and are structured to adapt to member's changing needs.
Cooperatives are formed by individuals who coordinate among themselves (horizont
al coordination) to achieve vertical integration in their business activities.Al
though people have been working together for their mutual benefit throughout hum
an history, the cooperative form of business organization began during the Indus
trial Revolution. Cooperatives were useful for promoting the interests of the le
ss powerful members of society. Farmers, producers, workers, and consumers found
that they could accomplish more collectively than they could individually.
Cooperative Principles
The US Department of Agriculture listed three principles that uniquely character
ize a cooperative organization:
* The User-Owned Principle: The people who own and finance the cooperative a
re those who use the cooperative.
* The User-Control Principle: The people who control the cooperative are tho
se who use the cooperative. They democratically elect a board of directors. The
board sets the overall operating policies, approves the annual budget, oversees
its operation, and distributes the benefits derived from use of the cooperative
to members. The board also hires professional management to handle the day-to-da
y operations.
* The User-Benefit Principle: The cooperative's sole purpose is to provide a
nd distribute benefits to its users on the basis of their use. While the goal of
agricultural cooperatives is not to generate a return on investment, they, like
all businesses, must cover costs and generate capital to cover expansion and un
foreseen emergencies.
Other Principles
The International Cooperative Alliance is a world-wide association of cooperativ
es. The Statement of Cooperative Identity which it adopted in 1995 contains seve
n cooperative principles that are more socially-minded:
* Voluntary and Open Membership
* Democratic Member Control
* Member Economic Participation
* Autonomy and Independence
* Education, Training and Information
 * Cooperation Among Cooperatives
* Concern for Community
Types of Cooperatives
Most simply, cooperatives can be categorized by their purpose; their members pro
cure from and/or provide goods and services to the cooperative. For example, mem
bers of grocery cooperatives procure grocery items from their cooperatives while
members of worker cooperatives provide their labor to their cooperative. Someti
mes, members provide goods and/or services to the cooperative, as well as procur
ing goods and/or services; for example, members of an arts and crafts cooperativ
e can purchase supplies from the cooperative and provide their artwork and labor
to market their crafts through a cooperative store.
Cooperatives operate in a broad variety of industries, including the following:
* Agricultural cooperatives help producers assure markets and supplies, achi
eve economies of scale, and gain market power through jointly marketing, bargain
ing, processing, and purchasing supplies and services.
* Arts and Crafts cooperatives help artists and crafts persons maximize thei
r earning potential and working conditions.
* Business cooperatives are formed by businesses to purchase supplies or obt
ain services at a lower cost.
* Child Care and Preschool cooperatives provide high-quality enrichment and
educational programs for children and their families.
* Credit Unions provide at-cost financial services to a wide cross-section o
f the population.
* Custodial and cleaning services cooperatives create employment opportuniti
es and provide the benefits of ownership for their worker-members.
* Food cooperatives and buying clubs gain access to grocery products using a
consumer-directed approach.
* Hardware wholesaling cooperatives, like other business cooperatives, allow
independent businesses to be competitive by cutting expenses and adding member
services through joint purchasing and marketing
* Housing cooperatives offer ownership options for Californians from all inc
ome groups.
* Insurance cooperatives operate much like retail cooperatives except that t
hey provide insurance services instead of consumer goods.
* Student cooperatives are set up and run by students to meet specific needs
.
* Utility cooperatives provide utilities such as communication services, ele
ctricity, and water to their members.
* Worker cooperatives create employment opportunities and provide the benefi
ts of ownership to members.