Cooperation Works Professional Development Program

Cooperation Works Professional Development Program

Summary

The Cooperation Works Professional Development Training Program will increase the number and success of sustainable agricultural cooperatives in the Northeast region.

This program consists of three, three-day sessions held over the course of 13 months and addresses the legal, accounting, business, and organizational aspects specific to cooperatives. The course is designed to prepare professionals from Cooperative Extension, USDA Rural Development, Cooperative Development Centers, and other cooperative development projects in the region to support a cooperative development project from inception through feasibility analysis, incorporation, business planning, membership development, and startup.

The curriculum has been designed to meet the needs of sustainable agriculture participants by introducing segments on Northeast SARE and other available resources; current opportunities and challenges in sustainable agriculture; the associated benefits of cooperatives; and present two sustainable agricultural cooperative case studies per session to anchor the learning process with real-world examples. With ongoing support from CDI, SARE participants will apply what they've learned by providing technical assistance to new and existing agricultural cooperative projects with the aim of diversifying agricultural products, making farms more profitable, and making farming more environmentally sustainable.

Also, a Sustainable Agricultural Cooperative Development Resource Handbook is being developed collaboratively with our advisory committee, composed of Northeast sustainable agriculture leaders and sustainable agriculture participants, and will be available on-line by mid-to-late 2003.

Objectives/Performance Targets

12 people will support the development of agricultural cooperatives in the Northeast targeted at achieving Northeast SARE oucomes.

SARE participants will set a target to provide technical assistance to four agricultural cooperatives and to support the development of one new sustainable agricultural cooperative every other year.

Cooperative development project leaders will provide more than 50 hours of technical assistance to the agricultural cooperative they are working to create.

CDI will do follow up interviews and surveys with participants to determine how much technical assistance they are providing and the goals they have set for their work with sustainable agricultural cooperatives to determine when we have reached the performance targets.

Accomplishments/Milestones

MILESTONE 1: 16 SARE participants attended a fall 2002 Cooperation Works training session and are currently studying sustainable agricultural cooperative development.

MILESTONE 2: After the first training session, three of the 16 SARE participants above are actively providing technical assistance to sustainable agricultural cooperative development projects and reflecting on their work monthly with a project mentor.

MILESTONE 3: We've had three discussions with the advisory committee and three SARE participants to develop the Sustainable Agricultural Cooperative Development Resource Handbook.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

After one training session, three of the anticipated 12 SARE participants are supporting the development of agricultural cooperatives in the Northeast targeted at achieving the Northeast SARE outcomes. The groundwork for the handbook has been completed.