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Release: On Receipt
Ottawa, March 28, 2013
-- The Canadian Co-operative Association has launched an ambitious research project examining co-operative impacts on poverty reduction for co-op members in rural Africa and Canada.
The collaborative project, financed by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and involving research institutions in Canada and Africa, will look specifically at the integration of financial and agricultural co-operatives. The Uganda Co-operative Alliance, with support from CCA, has been instrumental in developing this model. The research will be led by Lou Hammond Ketilson of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan, along with the School of Agricultural Sciences at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda, and Moshi University College of Co-operative and Business Studies in Tanzania.
The research aims to gain a better understanding of how to sustainably improve livelihoods and reduce poverty in rural communities. The general objective of the research is to improve programming in rural development both in Africa and Canada by obtaining new knowledge about integrated co-operative models in practice. In particular, it assess whether rural development through co-operatives works better when the co-ops are integrated, and if so, under what conditions this integration works best.
The Canadian Co-operative Association has been supporting and refining the integrated model of rural co-operative development in Africa for more than a decade. The model as it has emerged involves three types of co-operative working closely together - primary producer co-operatives, secondary agricultural marketing co-operatives, and savings and credit co-operatives to serve the financial needs of both individual members and the agricultural co-operatives themselves.
Researchers will gather data in four countries - Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania and Canada - in order to draw conclusions about whether rural development through co-operatives works better when the co-ops are integrated, and to better understand the enabling environment needed for co-ops. Results will apply directly to CCA's programming with a goal of influencing policy in the 4 countries. As with all CCA projects and programs, gender issues will receive special consideration during the course of the research.
The research and dissemination of results will take place over a three year period. The budget for the initiative is more than $610,000, with IDRC contributing $450,000 and the remainder contributed in cash and in kind by the participating partners.
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For further Information contact:
David Shanks
Manager Publications and Media Relations
David.shanks@coopscanada.coop
275 Bank St., Suite 400, Ottawa, Ontario K2P 2L6
613 238-6711 ext. 207 Toll Free 1-866-266-7677
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The Canadian Co-operative Association is a national association for co-operatives in Canada, representing more than nine million co-operative and credit union members across the country. CCA members come from many sectors of the economy, including finance, insurance, agri-food and supply, wholesale and retail, housing, health and the service sector. CCA provides leadership to promote, develop, and unite co-operatives and credit unions for the benefit of people in Canada and around the world.
Visit our web site at www.coopscanada.coop
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The Canadian Co-operative Association gratefully acknowledges the Canadian International Development Agency for their continued support.
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