Agricultural Cooperative Development

Farmers, agricultural businesses, and informal agricultural enterprises can engage in cooperative relationships with each other to share labor and equipment, market their products, and keep informed on production and market trends in their industry.

Growers who sell wholesale can increase their access to supermarkets by forming cooperatives. Supermarkets that find it too difficult to buy from individual producers may welcome the opportunity to purchase locally-grown food from a well-organized cooperative. Cooperatives also can offer a more diverse selection of products to retailers at a competitive price.