Cooperative Principle #4 Autonomy and Independence At the General Assembly of the International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) held in Manchester,

England in 1995, the old cooperative principles got a face lift. They now rest within "The Statement on the Cooperative Identity", complete with a definition and a values statement. Two of the old principles were rolled into one, and two new ones added. The new fourth principle states: "Cooperatives are autonomous, self-help organizations controlled by their members. If they enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, or raise capital from external sources, they do so on terms that ensure democratic control by their members and maintain their cooperative autonomy." More than a few of us in the natural foods retail cooperatives probably said "Huh?" in response to that statement. Large cooperatives in the agriculture or housing sectors are more likely to enter into agreements with other organizations, including governments, than our small grocery co-ops. I believe the new principle is meant to remind all of us that cooperatives are not supposed to surrender their fundamental identity in order to get money or business partners. Underlying this thought is the basic concept that cooperatives exist to serve the interests and needs of their member-owners, period. They do not serve any ideology whether defined by politics, religion or business theory! The cooperative principles outline a basic framework without specifying goals or purposes. If there is any such thing as one overarching goal of cooperatives in general, it is to provide goods and/or services to the member-owners who participate in it, and to do it in a manner consistent with the cooperative principles. The new definition statement states: "A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned and democratically-controlled enterprise." Notably absent from the definition is any ideological statement such as "Co-ops must eliminate the bosses and pay everyone the same wage" or "Co-ops are vegetarian, pacifist social service organizations" or even "Co-ops must maximize profit (or reduce costs) for member-owners."

2. It is said that co-operation is an economic movement that utilizes educational activities, but it can also be said that co-operation is an educational movement that utilizes economic activities. Don Jos Mara Arizmendiarreta A fun exercise, well maybe interesting more than fun, at co-operative gathering centers around the principles. Ask the co-operators present, Which is the most important principle. If there are more than seven people in the room, you will likely get about eight different answers. People often focus on the user principles and democracy as being the principles that separate co-operatives from other businesses. Of course, in my opinion, the best answer is that they are all equally important and feed into each other. Case in point: how strong can democracy be if the electorate isnt educated or informed? Education, training and information play a vital role in co-operatives. It requires transparency. It requires honesty and openness. These three qualities feed the democratic nature of the co-operative as well as informs the abilities of the members to maintain economic control. They help the co-operative movement grow. The Statement on Identity describes this principle as follows: Co-operatives provide education and training for their members, elected representatives, managers, and employees so they can contribute effectively to the development of their cooperatives. They inform the general public particularly young people and opinion leaders about the nature and benefits of co-operation.

3. "All cooperative organizations, in order to best serve the interests of their members and their
communities, should actively cooperate in every practical way with other cooperatives at local, national and international levels." There were reasons why early cooperators identified what is now an internationally accepted principle. Some of those reasons were negative: the often demonstrated weaknesses of independent operations, which must continually reinvent the methods and recapitulate the struggles of numerous other cooperatives. Other reasons for establishing the principle were positive: the sounder corporate structures and improved operating practices that arise through copying model primary cooperative societies and through associating to form secondary level organizations. Our generation of cooperatives has again demonstrated the limitations imposed by independent development. But this edition's reports from regional associations provide exciting evidence that many food cooperatives are now making serious efforts to overcome inertia and other barriers to working together. These cooperative grocer associations are carrying out projects that are vital to the future of all our businesses. An important and comprehensive review in the board of directors column also echoes historical lessons, such as the recognition that a point of sale discount is a blunt and risky instrument for management of cooperative earnings. Many of today's co-ops, in their third decade, have yet to design a membership package that is sustainable in a competitive market and that encourages longterm growth in member sales and longterm growth in capital. 4. Concern for Community GROWMARK is committed to being a good corporate citizen. We support programs and projects that correspond with our core values. Our efforts are focused on agricultural and consumer education, environmental stewardship, and leadership development. We also encourage our employees to volunteer through the GROWMARK Volunteer Network and on their own. Each year our employees give thousands of hours of their own time to makes our communities better places to live.