For decades, cooperatives have been used as a vehicle for economic development in a variety of marginalized communities throughout South America. Some of the first cooperatives in the Southern Cone can be traced back to the early 20th century, with noticeable spikes in cooperative activity in the 1960′s during John F. Kennedy’s Alliance for Progress initiative, designed to undermine the influence of guerrilla movements in Latin America in the wake of the Cuban Revolution. In recent years, the Chávez administration in Venezuela, along with workers on the ground in Argentina and other countries of South America, have seized on the cooperative model as a pathway out of the economic crisis and into a more just and sustainable economy.
In a recent article for Upside Down World, “South America: Mercosur’s Cooperative’s in an Age of Integration,” independent journalist Michael Fox explores the history of cooperative development in South America, as well as recent trends around the challenge of integrating cooperative activity across national borders. As Fox explains, “co-ops across the region are breaking previous paradigms and proving that they are not only economically viable, but have the capacity to join together and support each other in their struggle…It is often not easy, and not always successful, but many are trying.”
Tags: cooperatives, Latin America
