A Cooperative Approach to Local Economic Development

Walzer, Norman, Merrett, Christophe

ISBN 10: 1567203957 / ISBN 13: 9781567203950

Published by Bloomsbury Publishing USA, 2000

About this Item

Former library copy. Pages intact with possible writing/highlighting. Binding strong with minor wear. Dust jackets/supplements may not be included. Includes library markings. Stock photo provided. Product includes identifying sticker. Better World Books: Buy Books. Do Good.

Seller Inventory # GRP96710886

Bibliographic Details

• Title: A Cooperative Approach to Local Economic Development
• Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing USA
• Publication Date: 2000
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1567203957
• ISBN 13: 9781567203950
• Binding: Hardcover
• Condition: Very Good
• Weight: 1.052 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Historically, the relationship between towns and surrounding farm families has ranged from suspicion to benign neglect. This book shows that rural America can be revived by uniting the interests of both farm and non-farm populations through value-added enterprises, especially those based on the principles of New Generation Cooperatives (NGCs). Instead of sending agricultural commodities out of the region to be processed, farmers and communities can collaborate to process the commodities locally, thereby adding value to the local rural economy.

In this edited volume, nationally recognized scholars discuss the on-going challenges to the agricultural sector such as declining farm subsidies and commodity prices, and the strategies used by rural communities to respond to economic decline. Specific attention is paid to the role of NGCs as a specific form of value-added agriculture which has helped some rural communities to prosper. The NGCs, however, extend well beyond traditional agriculture to include grocery stores, day care centers, and other businesses that have not always been profitable in small towns. The broader objective of the book is to show how increased collaboration among farm producers, small businesses, and community leaders can promote economic development in rural regions.

About the Author

NORMAN WALZER is Professor of Economics and Director of the Illinois Institute for Rural Affairs at Western Illinois University. He is the editor or coeditor of the following titles: Rural Health Care (Praeger, 1992), Rural Community Economic Development (Praeger, 1991), and Financing Rural Health Care (Praeger, 1988).