The international banking co-operative, Rabobank, is aiming to collect over 5,000 statements about the values of co-operatives for its new internet forum.

Contributors are being challenged to answer two questions on co-operatives and sustainability in food production; areas close to the bank’s roots. The forum was set up as part of the International Year of Co-operatives.

The contributions to the forum will also help to constitute the Rabobank Statement, which will detail how Rabobank will commit itself to the two issues. Among the statements on the forum there are many different views on the value of co-operatives.

Rabobank have committed themselves to helping to spread the word of co-operatives and food sustainability across the world. The forum can be found at: www.rabobankstatement.com

Read more and help to build a better world.

Thanks to the generosity of some fantastic co-operatives from around the world, the ICA’s global appeal fund now stands at nearly half a million Swiss Francs.

The latest donors are:

Vietnam Cooperatives Alliance (VCA)

Instituto Nacional del Cooperativismo (INACOOP)

Moshi University Colleage of Co-operative and Business Studies (MUCCOBS)

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito “Dr. Manuel Zeno Gandía”

New Zealand Co-operatives Association Inc.

Union of Myanmar Central Co-operative Society Ltd.

National Co-operative Organisation of Malaysia (ANGKASA)

National Land Finance Co-perative Society Ltd. 

iCOOP Solidarity of Consumer Co-operatives (iCOOP Korea)

Korean Federation of Community Credit Co-operatives (KFCC)

Korean National Federation of Fisheries Co-operatives (KNFC) (aka NFFC)

The Co-operative Insurance Company of Kenya Ltd. (CIC Insurance)

Union of Consumer Societies of the Republic of Kazakhstan

National Co-operative Agriculture & Rural Development Banks’ Federation Ltd (NCARDB Federation)

Cooperativa de Ahorro y Crédito “Sagrada Familia”

Coopseguros del Ecuador S.A. (Coopseguros S.A.)

Asociación Colombiana de Cooperativas (ASCOOP)

Confederación de Cooperativas de Colombia (CONFECOOP)

Cooperativa Médica del Valle y Profesionales de Colombia (COOMEVA)

Progressa Entidad Cooperativa de los Empleados de Saludcoop

Unimed do Brasil, Confederaçao Nacional das Cooperativas Médicas

Central Nacional Unimed - Cooperativa Central (CNU)

Confederacion Nacional de Cooperativas de Bolivia (CONCOBOL)

Cooperativa de Credito Comunal el buen Samaritano Santa Cruz Limitada (EBS)

Co-operative Bulk Handling Limited (CBH Group)

Banco Credicoop Cooperativo Limitado (BCCL)

Instituto Movilizador de Fondos Cooperativos, Cooperativa Ltda. (IMFC)

Chuck Conner, with the National Council of Farmer Co-ops, says these organizations provide benefits to all of rural American today by creating jobs and economic activity, “Co-ops today generate about $250 billion in sales and provide over 250,000 jobs.” In Indiana, he said 5,000 people are directly employed by farm co-ops.

The ICA would like to extend warm and sincere thanks to the following co-operatives from all around the world who have all donated to the ICA’s Global Appeal for the International Year of Co-operatives: 

Belarussian Republican Union of Consumer Societies (BELKOOPSOYUZ) - BELARUS

Co-operative Central Bank Ltd. (CCB) - CYPRUS

SOK Corporation - FINLAND

Confederation Générale des Scop - FRANCE

Zentralverband deutscher Konsumgenossenschaften e.V. (ZdK) -  GERMANY

Lega Nazionale delle Cooperative e Mutue (Legacoop) - ITALY

Lithuanian Union of Co-operative Societies (LITCOOPUNION) - LITHUANIA

Oikocredit, Ecumenical Development Co-operative Society U.A. - NETHERLANDS

National Auditing Union of Workers’ Co-operatives (NAUWC) - POLAND

National Union of Handicraft and Production Co-operatives of Romania (UCECOM) - ROMANIA

Riksbyggen (Co-operative Housing Union) - SWEDEN

Union of Sugar Beet Growers’ Production Co-operative (Pankobirlik) - TURKEY

Central Union of Consumer Societies of Ukraine (UKOOPSPILKA) - UKRAINE

Belarussian Republican Union of Consumer Societies (BELKOOPSOYUZ)

To find out how you can support the ICA’s appeal to raise public awareness of the International Year of Co-operatives visit our website.  

The ICA is pleased to welcome two new member organisations - bringing the total to 272 from 97 countries, an increase of over 40 members in the last two years.

Pishgaman Kavir Cooperative Company (PKYCC) a primary co-operative from Iran is the only IT co-operative in that country. They are aiming to expand IT activities to all cities within Iran, build relationships with the biggest IT companies in Iran, and have good relationships with foreign IT companies outside of Iran.

Visit their website to find out more. 

The ICA is also welcoming Cooperativa de Servicios Múltiples Profesionales, R.L. from Panama as a Member.  Participation in the co-operative is limited to physicians, dentists, optometrists, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, speech and hearing therapists, physiotherapists, nutritionists - dieticians, medical veterinarians and the sons of the living partners or borne at the time of his death. It aims to achieve unity between the partners providing multiple services and the creation of a retirement account that allows them to have a decent future. 

To find out more visit their website.

If you want to find out why co-operatives join the ICA please visit our website.

Nicola - kelly@ica.coop

cameronneil:

This is an amazing infographic, full of goodness and stats, showing just how important women are to global agriculture.

benrogerswpg:

A profile of the Canadian cooperative movement in The Globe and Mail http://bit.ly/KYabvu

fairtrade:

New Wine, New Hope For Lebanese Farmers

Visiting Lebanese wine cooperative les Coteaux d’Heliopolis, I’m struck by the beauty of the area. Small vineyards are dotted across the landscape, from the Bekaa valley up to the steep mountain side, where snow still lies on the tops, even though it’s 25 degrees in the valley. The high altitude, combined with the virgin, unpolluted soil, give the grapes their unique taste and aroma.

But it’s not just the quality of the wine that makes Heliopolis so special. It’s also the story of the farmers who produce it – and their determination to build a better future for the region through Fairtrade.

Georges Fakhry is one face of this story. Georges tried cultivating a number of different crops over the years. Like many farmers in the region that also included cannabis. But it’s only after switching to wine grapes that his fortunes started to change.

 “Finally, a crop that grows well here and can help us”, says Georges. “Wine doesn’t need much water, so it is perfect for here.  With cannabis there was no transparency, no visibility. That’s different with Fairtrade. We know exactly what is expected of us and what we can get out of it. Everything is clear.”

Demand for both the wine and the grapes is on the rise, so Georges is branching out into new varieties – like the Sauvignon blanc he showed us on our visit.

The cooperative is growing and now has 250 members. Currently, almost all of them nearly all the members are over 45 years old. Many young people have left this area, or are involved in illicit drugs. But through Fairtrade, the farmers want to show them that there is a future for this region – and it doesn’t have to be in cannabis.

Interested in stocking Coteaux d’Helipolis wine? Contact Chiraz Skhiri c.skhiri@fairtrade.net and Benoit Berger, b.berger@fairtradelebanon.org 

Vicky Pauschert from our Communications team and Regional Coordinator Chiraz Shkiri visited Lebanon for the country’s first Fairtrade Fortnight – bringing together Fairtrade Lebanese producers, and consumers. Read all our posts on the trip so far here.

Calling all Latin American co-operatives!

To celebrate the forthcoming meeting of the ICA Americas we’re looking for great co-operative stories to feature on the stories.coop website.  If you have a great story to tell please submit here.

You might even be featured as a Story of the Day on the International Year of Co-operatives website.  Good luck!