International Day of Cooperative’s 100th Anniversary – How Cooperatives Build a Better World
The International Day of Cooperatives is celebrated annually on the first Saturday of July, which was marked by cooperatives worldwide in 1992 and officially recognized by the U.N. in 1995. This year, cooperatives around the globe celebrated the 100th International Day of Cooperatives under the slogan, “Cooperatives Build a Better World.”
The cooperative movement is highly democratic, locally autonomous, and is internationally integrated. Cooperatives aim to support the economic, environmental, cultural, and social needs of their community, including addressing climate change and job security.
In observance of this day and aligned with this year’s theme, Shumei International would like to shed light on our partnership with the Natural Agriculture Development Program Zambia (NAPZ). Led by CEO, Barbara Hachipuka Banda, NADPZ utilizes the cooperative structure and systems to encourage local rural women, youth, and smallholder farmers in Zambia to implement Natural Agriculture, a farming technique similar to the local indigenous and cultural practices which promote the practice of seed-saving, the elimination of fertilizer and chemicals, and living in harmony with nature.
Through the adoption of Natural Agriculture, Zambian women farmers are able to cultivate healthy crops which do not require expensive inputs and earn incomes to support their households and the local community. In addition, Natural Agriculture reduces harmful emissions and promotes climate resilience and biodiversity.
As we honor the cooperatives for all their hard work, it is important to continue supporting these movements for the betterment of our society and planet.
To learn more about the International Day of Cooperatives, visit https://www.coopsday.coop/.
