Commodity Risk Management Expertise Center: A Multidisciplinary Perspective to Cooperative Education & Training

Abstract Submitted for the Proposed Organized Session on: “The Future of Cooperative Education: A Comparison of Current African, European and US Models”, ICA-Committee on Co-operative Research: 2016 International Research... [ view full abstract ]

Abstract Submitted for the Proposed Organized Session on: “The Future of Cooperative Education: A Comparison of Current African, European and US Models”, ICA-Committee on Co-operative Research: 2016 International Research Conference “New Strategies for Co-operatives: Understanding and Managing Co-operative Creation, Transition and Transformation,” Almeria, Spain, 24-27 May 2016

Recent research in cooperative economics, education and extension argues that training for stakeholders in the value chains require a multi-disciplinary approach. We apply a multi-disciplinary approach to organize and deliver high quality educational and training classes for MSc / PhD students, market leaders, first line managers, and employees of agribusiness and services cooperatives within the newly-established Commodity Risk Management Expertise Centre (CORMEC) hosted by Wageningen University in the Netherlands. Global synergies with international recognized cooperative leadership programmes and governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations (e.g., University of Missouri; University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States Agency of International Development/USAID, International Centre for Advanced Mediterranean Agronomic Studies/CIHEAM) enhance the unique dimensions of our educational/training programmes in the areas of: a) commodity risk management; b) cooperative life-cycle and market behaviour; c) member relationships and heterogeneity and c) cooperative organizational restructuring and innovation. The fusion of the state-of-the art academic knowledge, strong engagement in action research initiatives, and substantial consulting experience in developed and developing countries of CORMEC’s renowned scholars and educators in combination with the application of innovative educational and teaching techniques (e.g., problem-based learning approach), will enhance the session’s participants knowledge curve on crucial managerial issues that their cooperative organizations face.