In this paper, we use the experience of Kenya's failing Coffee Cooperatives to show that, under certain circumstances, membership based organizations can give rise to perverse incentives that undermine the benefits of organizing and lead to a reduction in member productivity and welfare. We...

1. Introduction -- 2. Structure of agriculture -- 3. The Food industry -- 4. Food value chains -- 5. The position of agriculture -- 6. Agricultural and trade policy -- 7. Markets -- 8. Consumers and consumption -- 9. Resources -- 10 Food supply -- 11. Disruptive or new potential trends.

Cooperativism, as an agent of social innovation, significantly contributes to fostering a dynamic economy and plays a fundamental role in rural areas. Analyses of profitability in cooperatives versus Investor-Owned Firms (IOFs) show disparate results depending on the methodology and indicators...

Since the inception of Pro-Fac Cooperative (PF) in 1960, the cooperative has undergone significant structural and organizational changes. The PF case presents a unique opportunity to examine the changes in the processed fruit and vegetable industry and the strategies adopted by a producer-owned...