COMMENTARY
Cooperative education can help renew and revitalize co-ops
The need for cooperative education
today is greater than at any time in
memory. The decade long interest in
the creation of new generation, valueadded
cooperatives aimed at capturing
more income for members clearly
points toward the need to reshape the
delivery system for cooperative educational
efforts. The increasing number
of problems (and outright failures) of
“traditional” U.S. cooperatives also
provides evidence of this need.
In meeting the challenge to educate,
it is critical that the cooperative form
of business as well as variations of
it be completely understood. It is also
important that cooperative education
initiatives adequately deal with today’s
complex business, marketing and financial
issues.
We in the cooperative education
business need to know why these issues
are so critical to the future successes of
cooperatives. We must effectively communicate
alternative solutions to the
challenges facing cooperatives. Appropriate
audiences must be identified and
challenged to learn. All involved must
be committed.
The recent USDA report, “Agricultural
Cooperatives in the 21st Century”
(discussed in the January/February
2003 edition of this magazine) points
to the need for stronger education
efforts for cooperative directors. These
efforts must also extend to youth,
young farmers, members, employees
and the general public.
The report waives a flag of caution,
warning that resources needed for
educational endeavors have been
reduced all across the spectrum. This
includes cooperatives and related state
and national co-op associations, educational
institutions and federal programs.
The report recommends the
need for renewed investment in education
and making it a top-level concern
once again.
What is the real level of commitment
and investment in cooperative
education? What does the future hold
for it?
There are problems we must
address. A number of regional cooperative
leaders indicate that a continuing
lack of financial and human resources
and, in some cases, lack of interest) is
pressuring them to reduce or end educational
efforts. The most striking
example of this, at the national level, is
the demise of the long-running
National Institute of Cooperative Education
(NICE). Its last program took
place in Chicago in 2002.
However, there are positive signs for
the future of cooperative education. A
concerted effort is being made to continue
a NICE conference for youth.
This new program is taking place in
July at Virginia Polytechnic Institute
and State University in Blacksburg, Va.
The new Political Awareness and
Leadership (PAL) program that the
National Council of Farmer Cooperatives
(NCFC) hosted in Washington,
D.C., in June is another attempt to
rebuild an educational program for
young cooperators, directors and cooperative
employees.
Other national conferences and
workshops are ongoing. In some areas,
the upper Midwest for example,
regional efforts carried out by state
cooperative councils, universities and
cooperative centers remain strong.
(Technology has proffered a number of
co-op educational computer programs
and Web sites.)
Efforts such as these should continue
to be advanced and built upon. In
moving forward with these and other
initiatives, it is imperative that cooperative
education not be forced into a
mold that may have been appropriate
yesterday, but not today. Fresh ideas,
new resources, programs developed
around the current and future complex
issues and coordinated efforts of the
cooperative community are crucial to
develop and carry out sound educational
programs. It is up to the entire
cooperative community, through
investment of time and resources,
collaboration and dedication, to
reverse recent trends and commit
anew to cooperative education.
James Haskell, Acting Deputy Administrator,
USDA Rural Business-Cooperative
Service
