Role of Cooperation in the Providing of Rural Population Employment: International Experience

Abstract

The transformation of the operating conditions of rural cooperatives, which has significantly changed the models and other aspects of their activities, affects not only their own results (directions of economic activity, revenue, income, geography of distribution of products and services), but also the livelihoods of the rural communities related to them (employment, supply of goods and services, meeting infrastructure and ecosystem needs). Serious environmental fl uctuations observed in rural areas recently are due, firstly, to the negative consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic, secondly, to natural anomalies caused by unfavorable climate change, and thirdly, to the negative eff ects of the aggravated geopolitical situation. In such a situation, in order to ensure territorial security, overcome threats of an economic, social, environmental nature, it is relevant to specify such forms of economic activity organizing that have the resources and potential not only to maintain the viability of the organization itself, but also to actively participate in solving difficulties and problems arising in the countryside. International practice in the development of cooperation during the coronavirus crisis and currently demonstrates that it may be rural cooperatives, adopting various organizational models (from the simplest to modern) and introducing all kinds of innovations, that are capable of becoming key "players" in rural areas, complementing or even replacing structures that have left for objective reasons their territories (commercial organizations, government agencies). In this article, in this regard, some research results are presented regarding the possibilities of rural (including agricultural) cooperatives to expand the range of their multifunctional activities, to attract representatives of various agricultural and non-agricultural professions to their members and employees, thereby ensuring decent employment and income for the villagers. The theoretical basis of the undertaken research was made up of modern scientific publications, which were the result of increased interest among scientists in new cooperative practices and the adaptability of existing cooperatives to emerging risks and threats. In turn, the empirical basis was provided by numerous examples of rural cooperatives functioning in some countries of the world, in which, despite differences in the environment, the conditions for the rural cooperation development have changed significantly.