Giving farmers a voice - Why it matters to measure in-depth how cooperatives improve lives

"Before we worked without technique, but now with the cooperative's guidance we farm better and feel more secure."

"The cooperative helps us sell and the prices remain stable. The cooperative is a great improvement for the community overall."

"My family's nutrion has improved, and I have improved the quality of the fertilizers. I was in debt before, but now I have no debts, and I have sold the harvest to the cooperative at a good price."

These are just 3 voices from a total of 615 farmers from four countries, all members of cooperatives supported by Rabo Foundation, that were interviewed for the Cooperative Impact Study for Latin America.

Traditionally, impact measurement has proven costly and complex, while often resulting in dry data that don't paint the full picture about how lives are actually impacted. "That is why we use Lean Data, a tailored approach that favors efficiency and speed while maintaining rigor", says Belén Cáceres, Senior Associate at impact measurement company at 60 Decibels. "For this study, we primarily relied on phone interviews", Cáceres continues. "In some cases, we had to use the one available community phone, and we always ensured approaching farmers in their local language." This enabled reaching cooperative members in even the most isolated locations, irrespective of their levels of literacy, while getting in-depth information about their lives.

One resulting conclusion that stand out: 9 in 10 farmers report that membership of a cooperative has improved their quality of life, while half of them reporting very much improvement. Top reasons include increased household income, better crop quality, expanded knowledge, and a sense of belonging.

But listening carefully to cooperative members has revealed more nuances, says Emmanouela Varoucha, Impact Manager at Rabo Foundation. Varoucha: "Women, for example, report slightly more positive impact of cooperative membership than men." Good to know, given Rabo Foundation's focus on gender inclusivity. At the same time, the average of cooperative farmers turns out to be quite high. Varoucha: "So then the question becomes how to attract more youth, which is another focus area for us."

"This study also confirms that most cooperatives are still comparatively small and regionally focused", adds Bas Prins, Lead Impact Finance for Latin America at Rabo Foundation. "We want to help them become magnets, as I'm convinced that cooperatives are the way to really give smallholder farmers a sustainable future."

And not only materially. Says Belén Cáceres from 60 Decibels: "Fundamentally, farmers feel really proud to be cooperative members, to belong to something bigger than themselves. Because they see that their whole community benefits." In the end, Cáceres points out, farmers really are the cooperatives. As they say: 'You can go far alone, but further together.'