French farmers create bioenergy cooperative
Quicknote institutional development
Institutional capacities and appropriate organisational structures are crucial for the transition to a viable biofuels and bioenergy industry. We have previously referred to governmental policies that create institutional frameworks for the nascent bioenergy industry, but producers themselves can go a far way by choosing a smart organisational strategy. The traditional farmers' cooperative looks like one of the most promising forms when a bottom-up approach for the production of biomass is favored.
France has a long tradition of exactly such cooperative and mutualist movements, which make up its strong social economy. Today, the Fédération régionale des coopératives agricoles de Picardie (Regional Federation of farmers' cooperatives of Picardie) announced the creation an overarching mutual producers corporation, baptized "Coopénergie", uniting 22 existing cooperations.
The ambition of the new structure is to partner with industrial actors and civil social organisations for the development of their biomass and bioenergy projects. Coopénergie will be responsible for analysing proposals, drafting feasibility studies and business plans, but also for the negotiation of biomass supply contracts that should benefit the mutual interests of the member-producers. Moreover, the cooperative will actively follow up on calls for proposals for concrete investments and examine ways to maximize the benefits for the producers. Finally, Coopénergie will not only raise funds for biotech research, but it will also actively lobby the regional governments. Other farmers' cooperatives in France have already announced they will soon join Coopénergie.
[Entry ends here.]
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: institutions ::
Institutional capacities and appropriate organisational structures are crucial for the transition to a viable biofuels and bioenergy industry. We have previously referred to governmental policies that create institutional frameworks for the nascent bioenergy industry, but producers themselves can go a far way by choosing a smart organisational strategy. The traditional farmers' cooperative looks like one of the most promising forms when a bottom-up approach for the production of biomass is favored.
France has a long tradition of exactly such cooperative and mutualist movements, which make up its strong social economy. Today, the Fédération régionale des coopératives agricoles de Picardie (Regional Federation of farmers' cooperatives of Picardie) announced the creation an overarching mutual producers corporation, baptized "Coopénergie", uniting 22 existing cooperations.
The ambition of the new structure is to partner with industrial actors and civil social organisations for the development of their biomass and bioenergy projects. Coopénergie will be responsible for analysing proposals, drafting feasibility studies and business plans, but also for the negotiation of biomass supply contracts that should benefit the mutual interests of the member-producers. Moreover, the cooperative will actively follow up on calls for proposals for concrete investments and examine ways to maximize the benefits for the producers. Finally, Coopénergie will not only raise funds for biotech research, but it will also actively lobby the regional governments. Other farmers' cooperatives in France have already announced they will soon join Coopénergie.
[Entry ends here.]
ethanol :: biodiesel :: biomass :: bioenergy :: biofuels :: energy :: sustainability :: institutions ::
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