Challenge
However, in its development, the cooperative had to address a number of challenges related to sustainability, community development, and economy. Sustainability issues, in particular, were numerous, and the most serious problems are listed below:
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Sustainability: Although the cooperative encourages sustainability, it is a continuous process that takes time and requires education. In this regard, educating partners and suppliers about the cooperative’s standards and values was identified as a challenge.
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Supporting the local food industry: Similarly, supporting the local food industry while maintaining high quality and stable supply was also identified as a challenge, as was balancing between supporting local producers and meeting the needs of the cooperative members.
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Transparency and accountability: Moreover, being a member-owned cooperative, developing transparent and accountable management practices that would be consistent with the values of sustainability and economic development was also challenging.
Solutions
The following are my recommendations in order to address the existing problems with the cooperative:
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Sustainability: I recommend that the co – op develops a sustainability program that rewards members for buying local and organic products and services. This can be achieved by creating incentives for the identified target market. The co – op should also develop a workshop to educate the members on matters concerning sustainability.
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Strengthening local partnership: In order to address this issue, I recommend that the co – op creates a network of suppliers from where it can purchase supplies. In addition, the co – op should develop incentives for the local suppliers in order to motivate them to meet the set targets.
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Transparent governance: To address the issue of governance, I recommend that the co – op sets a policy that will govern it and makes it public so that members can track down the progress and come up with recommendations to improve it. The co – op should hold regular meetings to enable members to air their views on the progress of the co – op in an open forum. It is also important for the co – op to set a board of governors to ensure transparency and protect the members’ interests.
Result
The efforts of the cooperative have led to positive results.
Environmental impact
- The sustainability program resulted in waste and emission reduction and increased the use of renewable resources.
- Cooperatives’ members participation in environmental activities has improved community sustainability, which can be used as the model for other communities.
Economic impact
- The cooperative was devoted to buying local products, which supported the local economy. Moreover, there was the additional positive effect that local farmers and manufacturers were interested in cooperation because new jobs were created, and local products were promoted. In result, the local economy was positively affected by the cooperative development.
Members participation and satisfaction
- The cooperative management and transparency attracted the members’ attention and resulted in active participation in the development and ongoing work of the cooperative. In addition, members were satisfied with their membership and believed that their voices were heard. Moreover, members realized that their participation made a difference.
Conclusion
Consequently.
The study proved that the cooperative activities had a positive impact on the local economy and environment and were beneficial for the community members. Thus, members’ ownership and management communities are essential to the economy and sustainability. The implementation of the sustainability program improved community sustainability by developing the local economy and food systems and promoting transparency and accountability.
