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Agricultural cooperatives in Egypt..... New concepts

The Land Center for Human Rights had issued a new report, titled "Agricultural Cooperatives in Egypt". The report is considered the edition No. (30) of a series of civil society release. The report aims to offer the perception of certain concepts, which need to be merged in the concept of cooperatives in general, and agricultural cooperatives in particular.
The addressing of the historical development in the contemporary context was needed to identify the practices that have been witnessed in the agricultural cooperatives through its various stages, especially after the year 1952.
Period has been divided according to some critical phases, which showed a turning point in the social and economic context of Egypt, therefore in the agricultural policy as well. On this basis, this period was divided into three phases; the first is the period from 1952 until the beginning of the seventies of the last century. And the second period starts from the beginning of the seventies and until the mid-eightieth of the last century. The third and final period, starts from mid-Eighties till now. It has witnessed the application of structural adjustment programs.
The report found a number of results that can be summarized as follows:
- The first period of the fifties, and until the end of the sixties, has witnessed overall control of the state agricultural cooperatives, which aimed to mobilize the energies of agricultural production and assembly, in attempts to increase production, particularly in cotton production, and there was the exclusion of small farmers cooperative associations; resulting in control of large-scale farmers on agricultural cooperatives in at the local level of villages and their ability to evade the agricultural cycle.
- The phase of what was called the Liberal economic openness, in the early seventies of last century, has witnessed the marginalization of agricultural cooperatives and will continue to control large-scale farmers.
- The liberal transition period had witnessed, through the phase of structural adjustment programs, the total exclusion of cooperative societies, especially after the transfer of some of the roles of the General Agricultural to village banks at the end of seventies of last century, where those results emphasizes the validity of assumptions we stated in the introduction of the report.
The results also show that the liquidation of cooperatives is due to a range of structural factors, but some studies have confused the causes and consequences of the deterioration of cooperatives.
The report addressed some of the concepts that we believe we must not neglect or ignore in order to activate the cooperatives, where the concepts were represented in:
sustainability and sustainable development, human capital and social capital. The report concluded that the paper should be developed for some of the concepts that fit in with the changes, whether local or global, to be incorporated in the concept of cooperatives in general, and in agricultural ones in particular. The report also presented some of the recommendations that would help the agricultural cooperatives to go out of their predicament; so as to contribute as one of the solutions put forward in resolving the agrarian question in Egypt to ensure the rights of farmers and support the revival of agriculture sector in Egypt.
The most important of these recommendations:
- The formulation of theoretical concepts and procedural developments that fit in with current events.
- Gaining some experience in agricultural cooperation with some countries which have achieved great achievements in agricultural development through cooperatives.
- Study of the political dimension of extensive study and conscious, as it is an influential factor in the agricultural cooperatives
- Emphasis on social relationships and to benefit from the remaining balance of values and morals , and to take advantage of existing social safety nets in the countryside.
- The distinction between the causes that led to the deterioration of cooperatives and the implications and consequences of this decline.
- Put the issue of agricultural cooperatives in the right track, so that there would be no exaggeration in estimating its value and thus violate the truth of cooperation, or underestimated, so lose the role they may play.
- Deepen the role of participation and partnership in agricultural cooperatives, and paid by the state control of agricultural cooperatives.
- Adding a degree of flexibility, which may require re-concepts on the one hand, the introduction of others, or the necessary adjustments that may require legal changes, for example, the creation of cooperatives for the tenants, so they are not only the owners and farmers.
- The Cooperatives are based on the use of scientific applications, which can more easily be applied as a result working on land consolidation and benefit from economies of capacity, thereby reducing the total cost implications of scientific applications, such as, for example, the use of improved varieties and breeds of plant and animal, which is characterized by rising price, which can not small-scale farmers to purchase and which can be played by the cooperatives in this role.
In the end we have to be aware that the agrarian issue in Egypt is experiencing a real crisis, and not stand in the short term effects, but also extend the long term, and the inability to compensate for the accumulated losses.
Agricultural cooperation is one of the solutions of the task can operate out of this crisis and advance agricultural development in Egypt, particularly in light of limited resources, and also help in the treatment of certain social imbalances and deterioration of the stock and the balance, social and moral, which came as a result of injustice and gender inequality in various socio-economic aspects, and widespread poverty.
This will contribute to the renaissance of the countryside and improve the conditions of the agricultural sector and ensure the rights of peasants in a decent living.
You can obtain a copy of the report from the Center's headquarters, or our website