Recipient Organization
COOPERATIVE DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION
1775 I ST NW STE 800
WASHINGTON,DC 200062418
Performing Department
(N/A)
Non Technical Summary
Rural American communities face population loss, grocery store closures, inadequate and expensive health and elder care, loss of economic opportunity, unemployment and more. And many rural youth are no longer interested in pursuing careers on the farms they grew up on. Cooperatives offer a pathway for farmers, ranchers and rural community members to work together to build local economies that allow them to thrive.The Cooperative Development Foundation and our nine co-op development partners will use past and new research on the co-op model to improve economic conditions in rural areas by: 1) providing training and technical assistance to start, expand, or improve rural co-ops, with a focus on food and home care; 2) equipping the rural workforce of today and tomorrow with skills and resources to launch, manage and govern cooperative businesses; and 3) building the capacity of co-op developers to meet rural needs. Our project will help rural residents and businesses build the future of agriculture and ensure access to critical goods and services in America's heartland.
Animal Health Component
(N/A)
Research Effort Categories
Basic
(N/A)
Applied
(N/A)
Developmental
(N/A)
Goals / Objectives
Through this project, the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) will improve rural economic conditions by: creating jobs in rural America through new/expanded cooperative enterprises; equipping the rural workforce of today and tomorrow with skills to start, sustain and grow co-ops; and fostering mutually beneficial economic relationships among cooperatives within states or multi-state regions.We will accomplish this directly at the national level and through nine partnerships with Centers serving rural communities from Idaho to Pennsylvania to Texas. Specifically:CDF will support and coordinate the provision of co-op business training and development by these Centers to farmers/ranchers and rural grocery and home care business owners, leveraging digital tools and in-person guidance for broad reach and deep engagement; new connections among cooperatives for greater efficiency and expanded markets; and co-op conversions to prevent the loss of rural businesses and retain money in local economies.CDF will create a workforce pipeline for agriculture and other rural cooperatives through co-op exposure for youth; an innovative agricultural temp worker co-op model to engage the next generation of agriculturalists; leadership development for new and emerging cooperative leaders; and business training for co-op middle managers, directors and board members.CDF will build the capacity of cooperative development Centers - including internal capacity - to better meet the needs of rural America. Key initiatives include: converting research to actionable co-op development tools, supporting the participation of Center staff in training and education, and facilitating state and regional collaborations for stronger rural co-op business support systems.
Project Methods
In this project, we will use research-based curricula - tested with the intended audience - to provide education to rural Americans seeking to increase economic opportunity and productivity through the formation and growth of cooperatives. This will include: virtual training; workshops; benchmarking studies; in-person training; technical assistance; educational webinars; leadership development; and professional development. This project will also include: case study research, tool development, and feasibility studies.The project will be evaluated by measuring:Activity completionNumbers of individuals reachedKnowledge changes or value gained (via survey)New cooperatives incorporatedJobs created/savedGoods/services accessible to rural communities as a result of the projectSavings to rural businessesIncreased capacity (knowledge, skill) of rural cooperative developers