Reducing the Risk of Co-Optation in Alternative Food Networks: Multi-Stakeholder Cooperatives, Social Capital, and Third Spaces of Cooperation

Farming cooperatives are organisations fundamentally based on social capital. However, the neoliberal and globalisation turn in food system have led to economisation of agricultural as their main objective criteria for evaluating performance, a retreat from participation wider cooperative movement. Nevertheless, new models cooperation may provide method divert this neoliberalisation trend by promoting capital mutual learning amongst different actors committed transition sustainable systems. This paper applies anthropological concept third spaces examine case multistakeholder cooperatives. type farming composed diverse membership groups (e.g., producers, consumers, coordinators, buyers, etc). A nuanced analysis these cooperatives’ capacity generate capital, more specifically blur boundaries between bonding, bridging, linking is presented. Evidence five studies suggests that remain at border game, operating both real symbolic spaces, likely be reproduce types well environmental sustainability, while reducing risk co-optation transformative practices.