Strengthening Cooperatives

United States: USDA Strengthening Co-op Capacity for Underserved Farmers

Project Profile

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is working to strengthen a community-led cooperative development ecosystem to benefit farmers, ranchers, foresters, and their communities.

at a glance:

2022 - 2027

funded by:
U.S. Department of Agriculture
$3,900,000

Project Profile

In partnership with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), the National Cooperative Business Association CLUSA International (NCBA CLUSA) is working to strengthen a community-led cooperative development ecosystem to benefit farmers, ranchers, foresters, and their communities.

Project Objectives

Increase awareness of and access to USDA programs for farmers and ranchers.

We partner with local cooperative development centers to deliver tailored technical assistance. This includes initiatives that help with support in feasibility studies, grant writing, business plan development, and capacity-building workshops among other activities to historically underserved cooperatives and organizations in the process of being a cooperative.

Develop a cadre of cooperative developers from communities across the United States.

We actively collaborate with the Cooperative Development Foundation (CDF) through the Cooperative Leaders and Scholars (CLS) Fellowship. We also partner with seasoned executives from cooperative development centers to mentor emerging developers, fostering cross-generational knowledge transfer and collaboration.

Develop capacity-building resources for cooperatively owned businesses.

We develop resources that address the unique needs of cooperatively owned businesses at all stages of their lifecycle.

Targets and Accomplishments:

  • Conducted 25 webinars to more than 1200 participants to increase the visibility and accessibility of USDA resources
  • Directly enabled grantees to leverage $401,285 in additional resources from USDA, amplifying their capacity and sustainability
  • Trained more than 1,700 individuals across key areas such as cooperative governance, business planning, and agricultural practices
  • Supported the establishment of 10 new cooperatives
  • Enabled grantees and cooperatives to leverage $1,621,692.50 million in additional USDA resources.

 

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