Cooperation : Theory and Practice

Cooperative enterprises throughout the world raise the value of local farm output and natural resources, provide income opportunities and help to stabilize the rural development. Some cooperatives reached out horizontally and vertically to produce new services, benefiting farm and non farm sector through economic diversification and integration. They create new jobs by harvesting locally available resources. Cooperatives are sensitive to the business conditions of an area and the needs of its primary member users. They bring together members, capital, business and services in a competitive way under local leadership and control. At global level they are governed by internationally accepted principles. Lack of economic performance by some cooperatives was often rationalized. Education and understanding have their roles, but the real name of the game is economics. A cooperative\'s success or failure depends on how well it performs its economic purpose. The economic liberalization has already brought new opportunities to cooperatives to deal emerging competitions throughout the world so as to safeguard the interest of the weaker sections. Even during present day financial crises cooperatives alone safeguard the small investors. Opportunities are great, but successful new cooperative ventures do not spring up overnight. Large amounts of due diligence, time and hard work precede the startup of operations. This book is an attempt to bring a text book on Cooperation: Theory and Practice to the students of Cooperation.