ABSTRACT
One characteristic which differentiates between the rural and the urban sectors is the need for cooperation which pervades the rural sector. The rural sector, trying to counter natural hazards as well as marketing difficulties, has turned to cooperation as a means of pooling resources and providing mutual help. Numerous agricultural cooperatives exist in various countries, but other organizational forms of cooperation can be found as well. All the organizations of rural cooperation function within a formal organizational framework which affects their effectiveness and their relationships with the surrounding environment. Various regions differ by their specific physical, social and economic characteristics, and each region evolves its own pattern of cooperation. A general pattern of evolution can be identified. The system of rural organizations in Israel is relatively fragmented. Although there is a central coordinating and controlling agency - the Agricultural Centre, there is also a multiplicity of organizations, each one with its own purpose, its specific set-up and scale of action.
