ABSTRACT
Among agricultural cooperatives, dairy cooperatives are the most durable. They have been around for 150 years, and they continue to hold a large share of the national and international dairy markets, both in the Global North (particularly Europe, North America, and New Zealand) and the Global South. This chapter explores the theoretical and practical background of the strong position cooperatives maintain in the dairy sector. It describes the particularities of dairy farming and the dairy value chain. As distinct types of dairy cooperatives exist in different parts of the world, this chapter describes and explores these variations. In addition, this chapter looks ahead and discusses whether cooperatives can remain strong in the dairy industry, given the societal challenges of climate change, loss of biodiversity, healthy nutrition, and animal welfare.
