'Food Democracy in Practice' - UCC study of Co-op published

April 2009

A new paper examines Dublin Food Co-op and its progress toward the ideal of a fully democratic and participatory method of food supply. Authored by Aisling Murtagh and Professor Michael Ward of UCC's Centre for Co-operative studies, the study has just been published in the Journal of Co-operative Studies.

Abstract:

"Today's food co-operatives are faced with finding solutions for more difficult problems because of the length and complexity of food supply chains. This consequently means effective solutions are more challenging to develop, which the Dublin Food Co-op case highlights. The case also shows that even when co-operation exists in the food supply chain; it could also be improved upon by involving a greater range of stakeholders, to move towards the ideal of a fully democratic and participatory method of food supply. However, in the Irish case, examples of consumer co-operation in food supply are isolated, so rather than aiming for the ideal of a perfect participatory food supply system, it could be more valuable to first mobilise and facilitate the development of more organisations with this alternative, more equitable approach so as to begin to challenge the conventional retailer who currently dominates Ireland's food retailing."

The paper, which is available online, is a wide-ranging and accessible assessment of both the Co-op's progress and the challenges it faces.