Cooperatives: A Development
Strategy
Dossa (2011), in his articleCooperatives: A Development
Strategy? An Analysis of Argan Oil Cooperatives in Southwest Morocco.
He illustrates the importance of the cooperative as an organizational
form, which enable individuals to collectively compete in a market through
joint-ownership agreements and democratic decision-making. Dossa's work reveals
that through donor funding and the development of associations to commercialize
cooperatives products, the cooperative model in Morocco has been largely
successful.
After giving a brief description about the cooperative and its
history in Morocco, the author talks about the life cycle of the cooperatives.
He said «the life cycle of cooperatives has significantly improved through
two interventions, donor funding and the development of associations.»
(Dossa, 2011, pg. 4) The author also has analyzed the economic performance of
the cooperatives, he affirmed that «the economic performance of a
cooperative strictly depends on the mechanization of its production process.
Furthermore, the improved quality and greater shelf-life that mechanized oil
presses provide in conjunction with strict industrial policies that enforce
quality testing of exported Argan oil have nearly eliminated hand-pressed oil
from the market.» (Dossa, 2011, pg.3)
Dossa also, did an analysis for the cooperatives, and its
economic and social roles. He considers that the cooperatives have contributed
significantly to local economic development. In addition, he said
«employing women has also improved the social status of women and
strengthened social capital. The author argues that the success of Argan oil
cooperatives can indeed be attributed to their abandonment of basic cooperative
principles. Moreover, each of the four tenets (democratic decision
making-equitable profit distribution- open membership- member education on
cooperatives) that Argan oil cooperatives violate would have hindered the
growth of the cooperative movement and therefore the development that
followed.» (Dossa, 2011, pg. 9)
In the same
context, Omari and Elkandoussi, in their article titled the Marketing of
women's Argan Cooperatives. Challenges and Opportunities, agree with
Dossa, that the cooperatives playing an important role in the development of
the region which produce Argan oil. According to Omari and Elkandoussi
«the Argan cooperatives have achieved positive results on social,
economic, and environmental levels in the region, particularly for women of
rural origin.» (2013, pg. 112). Furthermore, Omari and Elkandoussi
confirm that having a strong and effective marketing strategy is the key which
allows to the cooperatives achieve the planned objectives. They said
«Since the role of the cooperative is not only to satisfy its members but
also to contribute to the economic, social, environmental and political
development of the community, the cooperative must adopt a coherent marketing
mix that integrates economic, social and environmental dimension.» (pg.
113).
In addition, the authors confess that there are many
difficulties faced by these cooperatives, weak marketing strategies, and the
insufficient of the invested capital, high cost of the raw materials, and
the lack and the absence of the human capital able to achieve the cooperative's
mission in the international market. The authors suggest some marketing actions
to overcome these obstacles, such as providing training in management and
marketing for the members.
Both, Dossa
and Omari, Elkandoussi agree that Argan oil production cooperatives are the
motor of the development in South of Morocco. Moreover, these cooperatives
contribute in the improvement of the conditions of life for their members by
creating more employment opportunities especially for women, expand the
awareness and fighting the illiteracy among its member. However, these
cooperatives facing multiples of obstacles which Moroccan Authorities with the
collaboration with other nonprofit organizations, trying to defeat it by
putting in place many policies in order to encourage these cooperatives.
If
these two studies, showed that Argan oil production has largely benefited the
local communities, economically as well as socially. However, the aggressive
harvest of Argan tree, could threat the endemic Argan forest.
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