Cooperative Involvement in Rural Food Systems
Rural food systems[1], including the local foods movement, have been a popular topic over the last twenty years and gained even more popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic. Did this movement also encourage more cooperatives? To hone in on this, a survey of twenty-two CooperationWorks![2] members was performed in 2025, representing every state except for Nevada, Arizona, and Utah.
Cooperative Involvement in Rural Food Systems by Purpose and Activity
Survey results hint at the prevalence of cooperatives in rural food systems and the purposes and activities they represent[3]. Figure 1 shows that cooperatives are mentioned more often in relation to local, specialty, and niche-based foods. In contrast, other organizations, such as non-profit organizations and NGOs, are more often mentioned in relation to efforts to address nutrition and food insecurity. Figure 2 shows the mentions of cooperative involvement by specific rural food system activities. Food production and distribution are the most frequently mentioned activities, followed by rural grocery stores, food processing, and multi-stakeholder firms[4].
The Importance of Cooperatives in Rural Food Systems
While this survey does not measure the magnitude of cooperative involvement in rural food systems, it suggests that cooperatives are an important ingredient. Open-ended survey responses suggest that cooperatives involved in rural food systems tend to be newer and smaller, unlike older and larger “legacy” commodity cooperatives. This makes sense, as many aspects of rural food systems, such as local food systems, are also small and new, accounting for about 3.2% of our nation’s food supply (USDA NASS, 2024).
Figure 1: Cooperatives Mentioned in Rural Food Systems by Purpose
Figure 2: Cooperatives Mentioned in Rural Food Systems by Activity
The Cooperative Advantage
Many survey respondents expressed concerns about the continued availability of grant funding for rural food system efforts, as some have vanished amid shifting priorities away from COVID-era initiatives (e.g., LFPA grants). Cooperatives may have an advantage here, as cooperative members contribute equity to their organizations, potentially insulating them from changes in public funding priorities.
If you are part of a cooperative, stay engaged by attending meetings, voting in elections, and serving on the board. If you are looking to start a cooperative, CooperationWorks! and many land-grant universities have extension personnel and cooperative specialists available to assist.
[1] Rural food systems are largely synonymous with local and regional food systems: networks connecting food production, processing, distribution, and consumption within a specific region.
[2] CooperationWorks! is a national network of cooperative development organizations in the US. https://cooperationworks.coop/
[3] The survey questions record the number of responses that mention cooperatives being involved in these activities and purposes. These percentages should not be considered the number or percentage of cooperatives involved in these activities or with these purposes. This survey is simply a barometer of whether cooperatives are involved in rural food systems.
[4] Multi-stakeholder firms are those with multiple membership types (e.g., producers and consumers), voting and investment options. Some states allow cooperatives to have these features, and some do not.
Richards, Steven. “Cooperative Involvement in Rural Food Systems.” Southern Ag Today 6(19.5). May 8, 2026. Permalink
