community ownership: how co-ops help make healthy, local food more accessible
TRANSCRIPT
NOFASUMMERCONFERENCE2016BonnieHudspeth, NeighboringFoodCo-opAssociat ionDorianGregory, CooperativeFundof NewEngland
COMMUNITYOWNERSHIP:HOWCO-OPSHELPMAKEHEALTHY,LOCALFOODMOREACCESSIBLE
NOFASummerConference2016
BonnieHudspethNeighboringFoodCo-opAssociation
DorianGregoryCooperativeFundofNewEngland
NOFASummerConference2016
INTRODUCTIONS
¡ Introductions¡ Problem:FoodAccessinNewEngland¡ Solution:WhyCo-ops?¡ FoodCo-ops&HealthyFoodAccess¡ TowardFoodSecurity¡ Impact¡ What’sNext?¡ Questions
NOFASummerConference2016
OVERVIEW
¡ Itonlytakesoneemergencytobecomefoodinsecure
¡ Somehouseholdsmorelikelytostruggle:§ Ruralhouseholds§ Householdswithchildren§ Householdsheadedbysingleparents(especiallywomen)
§ Womenlivingalone§ Black-andHispanic-headedhouseholds
NOFASummerConference2016
WHOISFOODINSECURE?
¡ Lowwages&highunemployment¡ Householdfinancialcrisis¡ Lackofaffordablehousing¡ Highenergycosts¡ Transportationbarriers¡ Lackoffinancialflexibilitytocapitalizeondeals¡ Wideavailabilityofcheap,processedfood¡ Consolidationandrelocationofgrocerystores¡ Limitedsourcesofhealthy,affordablefood
NOFASummerConference2016
WHYAREPEOPLEFOODINSECURE?
¡ Communityownership&democraticcontrol¡ Focusonmeetingneedsbeforeprofit¡ Developlocalskills&assets¡ Abilitytoassemblelimitedresources¡ Difficulttoremovefromacommunityorbuy-out¡ Separatecommunitywealthfrommarkets¡ Mobilizestakeholderloyalty------------------------------------------------------------------
Wedo:CO-OPS!
NOFASummerConference2016
SO:WHATIFWEHADBUSINESSES…?
WHATISACO-OP?
Aco-operativeis:• anautonomousassociationofpersonsunited
voluntarily• tomeettheircommoneconomic,social,and
culturalneedsandaspirations• throughajointly-ownedanddemocratically-
controlledenterpriseInternationalCo-operativeAlliance
NOFASummerConference2016
USERFOCUSED
User-Owned:Thepeoplewhousetheco-op’sservicesalsoownit.
User-Controlled:Thepeoplewhousetheco-opcontrolitonademocraticbasis(one-member,one-vote).
User-Benefit:Thepeoplewhousetheco-opreceivebenefitssuchaspatronagedividends,improvedprice,goodsandservices&employment
NOFASummerConference2016
CO-OPSTODAY
Aremorecommonthanwethink• 1billionmembersworldwide(1in4intheUS)
• Morepeoplethanownstockinpublicallytradedcorporations
• MajorityofUSfarmersareco-opmembers
Areinnovative• Healthyfood,organicagriculture,FairTrade,re-localization,regional
aggregation&distribution
Aresuccessful• 30,000co-opsinallsectorsofUSeconomy
Areresilient• Survivedandgrewduringtheglobalrecession
NOFASummerConference2016
¡ IndustrialRevolution¡ Concentrationofeconomiccontrol,unemployment,poverty
¡ RochdalePioneers:Economicdemocracy,foodsecurity
¡ Vision:Co-opEconomy
NOFASummerConference2016
LESSONSFROMFOODCO-OPSHISTORY
NOFASummerConference2016
NEIGHBORINGFOODCO-OPASSOCIATION
• ACo-opof37foodco-opsandstart-upprojects
• 91,200+memberships• 1,700+employees• VTmembersamongtop25
employersinthestate• Paid$44.5+millioninwages• $259+millionrevenue• $50millioninlocalpurchases*2015NFCAMemberStatistics
NOFASummerConference2016
COOPERATIVEFUNDOFNEWENGLAND
• Foundedin1975• Financeco-opsandnonprofits• Loanedover$30million• 99.2%repaymentrate• 100%repaymentrateto
investors• Created/saved8,415jobsand
4,462housingunits
¡ NFCA&CFNEidentifyopportunity
¡ Foodco-opsidentifycommunityneed
¡ Survey&Casestudies¡ Response:Partnershipsforprogramdevelopment
¡ Focus:“FoodForAll”&“Basics”
¡ NFCAfacilitatesmonthlycallstosupportprogress
¡ Learning&resourceshousedonNFCA’swebsite
NOFASummerConference2016
COLLABORATIONTOADDRESSANEED
¡ Increaseaccesstohealthyfoodandco-opownershipforlow-incomefamiliesinNewEngland.
¡ Facilitateinformationsharingamongco-ops.
¡ Highlighttheroleco-opsplayinhealthyfoodaccess.
NOFASummerConference2016
FOODCO-OPS&HEALTHYFOODACCESS
1. CollaborationwithPartnerOrganizations
2. InclusiveMarketing
3. EducationofIndividuals
4. ProductAffordability
5. AccessibleOwnership
6. Infrastructure
NOFASummerConference2016
HEALTHYFOODACCESSPROGRAMSFRAMEWORK
¡ Involvesmanystakeholders–farmers,laborers,producers,distributors,retailers,shoppers,chefs.
¡ FarmtoFork
TOWARDFOODSECURITY
NOFASummerConference2016
¡ Thepurelyprofit-drivenpath:Squeezeprofitsfromlow-costfoodbymaximizinglarge-scaleagribusinessandminimizingnutritionalvalueofcheaply-processedfoods
¡ Theco-oppath:Supportlocalfarmstogrowhealthy,nutritiousfoodandsupportconsumerstogetthemostnutritionvaluefromtheirfoodbudget.
THEFORKINTHEROAD:WHICHPATHDOWECHOOSE?
NOFASummerConference2016
¡ Establishgrowingschedules
¡ Marketing&promotingtheirlocalproducts
¡ Stablemarkettodependon
¡ Educatingshoppersaboutlocal
¡ Payfairprices
SUPPORTOFLOCALFARMERS
NOFASummerConference2016
FoodCo-opssupportlocalfarmersby:
¡ AffordabilityPrograms§ BASICS§ FoodForAll§ Afterschoolprograms
¡ Membershipinstallmentplan
¡ Classesoncooking,foodprep,etc.
¡ ShoppingonaBudget,toursofbulksections
NOFASummerConference2016
MAKINGFOOD&MEMBERSHIPAFFORDABLE
IMPACT
¡ HFAProgramhelpedover1,000low-incomehouseholdsaccessco-ops’healthyfood
¡ Supported8NFCAfoodco-opstorolloutnewFFAprograms(11NFCAco-opswithFFAprograms)
¡ PromotionofaffordableproductmixthroughprogramslikeNCG’s“Co-opBasics”&NaturalValueprogramwithAssociatedBuyers
¡ Builtrecognitionthatfoodco-opsarevaluablepartnersinaddressingfoodinsecurity
¡ Emphasizetheco-opdifferenceinacompetitiveenvironment
¡ EnsuredthattheFoodForAllprogramscomplywithUSDAregulations
NOFASummerConference2016
WHAT’SNEXT?
¡ Keeplearning&collaborating!¡ Documentedmodels=easierreplication
¡ Resources:Toolkit,audit,promomaterials…
¡ Continueevaluationofprograms¡ Start-ups:wantHFAprogramsestablished
¡ Co-opassociationsfacilitateongoinglearning,collaborationandpartnership
NOFASummerConference2016
CO-OPS:MAKINGLOCAL,HEALTHYFOODMOREACCESSIBLE
¡ Communityownership&democraticcontrol¡ Focusonservice,meetingneedsbeforeprofit¡ Developlocalskills&assets¡ Abilitytoassemblelimitedresources¡ Difficulttoremovefromacommunityorbuy-out¡ Anchorcommunitywealth¡ Moresustainableandresilient---------------------------------------------------------------------------------WELLPOSITIONEDTOADDRESSFOODINSECURITY
NOFASummerConference2016
WWW.NFCA.COOP/HEALTHYFOODACCESS
BonnieHudspeth,[email protected]
DorianGregory,[email protected]
www.cooperativefund.org
LEARNMORE&CONTACTUS
NOFASummerConference2016