Alternative economies and the socio-ecological transformation: The case of agri-food cooperatives

• Applicant: Professorin Dr. Marit Rosol
• Subject Area: Human Geography
• Term: since 2026
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 572249301

The dominant agri-food system is both a key driver and a victim of the Anthropocene. A substantial food system transformation towards healthy diets based on sustainable food systems is needed to deliver on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Climate Agreement. However, the question of how to achieve ecologically regenerative food systems within planetary boundaries that generate healthy and accessible food for all while also providing livelihoods for producers and other stakeholders in the agri-food value chain is yet to be solved. In the pursuit of alternative economic structures that could support the necessary socio-ecological transformation of agri-food systems, cooperatives have garnered particular interest. Cooperatives are economic enterprises that are organized democratically and with the mandate to serve the needs of their members. As such they can prioritize objectives other than profit-maximizing. Besides their potential to secure livelihoods and offer scalable solutions, they are also frequently depicted as being more embedded in the region and in their communities. However, while cooperatives hold considerable promise, they also appear to be a contributing factor to the existing issues in the agri-food sector: Large, well-established cooperatives especially in the processing and retail sectors have attained oligopolistic market positions. They are being criticized for their democratic deficits and a concurrent erosion of cooperativist values. Despite their promise as economic model and the importance of the food sector throughout the cooperativist history, cooperatives are so far neglected in discussion on alternative food systems in (economic) geography. The overall objective of this project is to identify cooperatives’ achievements and potential as well as their limitations through conceptual work as well as close empirical examination. Specifically, following a qualitative case-study approach, it will analyze cooperatives of different types, ages and sizes in the central region of Lower Franconia in Bavaria, Germany at the different stages of value creation. Besides a main focus on the question to what extent cooperatives through their value- and member driven business model can make a particular contribution to a socio-ecological transformation, the project will also investigate their regional embeddedness and spatial dynamics. Theoretically this project will be guided by, combine, and inform four distinct bodies of literature: (1) History and theory of cooperativism;(2) (Economic) Geographies of alternative food; (3) Critical agrarian studies and (geographical) value chain studies; and (4) Socio-ecological transformation, just transition, and degrowth economies. By combining them into a coherent framework, this project will not only generate new empirical insights but take theoretical debates to the next level, particularly in (economic) geography but also in transition and in agrarian studies.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants