Stronger together, but how? Lessons from the Walloon dairy history on the strategic relevance of cooperative models

Agri-food cooperatives evolved towards an increasing diversity of cooperative models, understood as modes of horizontal and vertical coordination of the value chain. This historical investigation informs theory and practice on the strategic relevance of cooperative models for prospective pathways of value chain development. The paper draws on coordination models encountered in the trajectories of consolidation of Walloon dairy cooperatives over the last sixty years. A SWOT analysis based on historical accounts outlines the strengths and weaknesses of cooperative models on several dimensions un... Mehr ...