Adaptive Strategies and Economic Resilience

Abstract

Using sustainable farming methods, agricultural cooperatives strive to preserve the longevity of the land on which they cultivate crops. Agricultural land conversion (ALC) poses significant challenges to food security and rural livelihoods globally. The notion of economic resilience pertains to farms that are subjected to shocks and their ability to withstand, adjust, and attain new equilibrium points that improve their long-term sustainability. This meta-analysis synthesizes findings from 52 studies published between 2004-2023 to examine agricultural cooperative and enterprise responses to ALC across diverse contexts. The study addresses two key questions: (1) What strategic responses are employed by these organizations and their success rates? (2) How do these strategies contribute to economic resilience of agricultural cooperatives? Six main response strategies were identified: diversification of activities, intensification of production, value chain integration, technological innovation, land consolidation, and policy advocacy. Diversification was the most common (30% frequency) with a 76% success rate, while technological innovation, though less frequent (15%), showed the highest success rate (82%). Meta-regression analysis revealed significant positive relationships between all strategies and economic resilience, particularly income stability. Technological innovation demonstrated the strongest effect (β = 0.465, p < 0.001). Important regional variations emerged, with African cooperatives benefiting from strategies emphasizing member education, while developed countries focused more on technological innovation and value-added processing. The findings underscore the importance of context-specific approaches in enhancing the economic resilience of agricultural cooperatives and enterprises facing ALC. While strategies like diversification and technological innovation show broad applicability, their implementation must be tailored to local conditions. This study contributes valuable insights to the literature on ALC impacts and agricultural adaptation strategies, offering a foundation for future research and policy development to enhance resilience of agricultural cooperatives.