Abstract
In recent years, organizational structures of the cooperative have been applied generally by many governments in Europe and the USA to the promotion of community development. In view of its functions in society, economy, education, and culture, the cooperative can actively promote community development and foster community autonomy. Therefore, this research investigates the practical operation results from the participation of Taiwan’s cooperative in community development and predicaments which confront the cooperative, further reviewing the results from the participation of the cooperative in the development of community economic industry.
This research aims to review rural community economic development under the traditional context of promoting rural community economic development mainly through farmers association and cooperative. Farmers association and the cooperative have respectively brought into their important functions into play to promote rural community economic development. However, issues about weak market competitiveness or feckless management and strategy of farmers association have resulted in plights facing most businesses operated by each of its division, thus making the cooperative farm which has the same supply and marketing business to that of the farmers association stand out under the circumstances that the immense social networking and organizational strengths the farmers association has enjoyed, as the farm even receives support from community farmers and gets more feedbacks. The researcher of this study conducted interviews with staff of farmers association, members, directors and supervisors of cooperative farm, and top 10 outstanding farmers to probe into how farmers association and cooperative farm bring their strengths and opportunity into play to benefit community economic development.
