Redefining rural prosperity through social learning in the cooperative sector: 25 years of experience from organic agriculture in Spain

Project-Based Governance Framework for an Agri-Food Cooperative

“…In the framework of Rethink, one of the case studies was the ATS Camposeven, which is located in the region of Murcia, Spain ( Figure 1). The stakeholders' behavioral competence, as well as the solid ethical foundations, are considered key elements in this governance model, together with technical and contextual competences, which are necessary to develop projects that align with the cooperative strategy using social and associative processes [15,40,42]. This human vision of project-based governance in the agri-food cooperative sector was agreed upon by the expert panel as the ideal method for the sustainability and rural prosperity established in the analytical framework [41].…”

“…The collective management strategy, together with a constant flow of knowledge and learning (both formal and informal), are the two key elements that contribute to address project-based governance from the three WWP dimensions and to create more sustainable and prosperous rural areas [40,41]. The specific characteristics of the WWP model in agri-food organizations have been described in numerous investigations [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]27,[40][41][42], and these add some new elements to the organizational competences in project management presented in this work.…”

“…The specific characteristics of the WWP model in agri-food organizations have been described in numerous investigations [13][14][15][16][17][18][19]27,[40][41][42], and these add some new elements to the organizational competences in project management presented in this work.…”

Rural Prosperity for Development : understandings, Determinants and Strategies Derived from Case Studies in Seven Countries

“…These special characteristics have been discussed by many different authors (Milbourne, 1997;Cresswell, 1996;Halfacree, 1993;De los Ríos et al, 2016). Some authors argue that prosperity in rural areas should include factors such as social cohesion and engagement, achieved through cooperation and trust; environmental sustainability, which is considered one of the most important elements through which income may be generated in these areas; knowledge, which increases the ability rural people have to increase their resilience; and quality of life (Dayton-Johnson, 2001;Easterly et al, 2006;Benz and Meincke, 2007).…”

“…Ríos et al, , 2016 How different strategies used by a small organic and biodynamic cooperative located in the south east of Spain (Murcia) have succeeded in making the organisation a success.…”