COOP
Dialogue

Issue 4
Cooperatives’Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements
and Way Forward

Table of Contents
01

03

07

Editorial

The Role of Cooperatives
in the Social andSolidarity Economy for
Achieving Sustainable
Development Goals:
Insights from Voluntary
National Reviews

In Conversation with Mr.
Andrew Allimadi on
Cooperatives’ Role &Contribution to SDGs

09

11

20

In Conversation with Ms.
Eva Sundari on Gender
Equality & Coop
Landscape in Indonesia

Cooperatives asChampions for the
Implementation of the2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development

Guidelines on
Sustainable Development
Goals for Cooperative
Movement in Nepal

26

30

34

Coop Kobe's Food Waste
Reduction Initiatives

A Perspective on the UN
Sustainable Development
Goals and Australian
Cooperatives

From Lectures to Lunch:
SDGs Initiatives at
Yokohama City
University Coop

37

41

Social and Financial
Education Contribution
to SDG 4: Case of
NATCCO Philippines

Carbon Neutral
Agriculture in Korea

Editorial

Dear Readers,
We are delighted to present the fourth edition of COOP Dialogue (CD4) on Cooperatives’Contribution to SDGs: Achievements and Way Forward!
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development with its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
sets a course to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030.
Cooperatives support and promote the vision of sustainable development based on a triplebottom-line of people, planet, and profit. The 2030 Agenda explicitly recognizes cooperative
enterprises as important players within the private sector to achieve the SDGs. Cooperatives in
the Asia-Pacific region are present in diverse sectors like agriculture, banking and credit,
consumer, health, work, education, etc., and their work cuts across all the SDGs. Their efforts arerecognized and reflected in national SDG plans and in the Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) of
many countries.
2023 marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. In this issue, we bring thework carried out by cooperatives over the past 7 years towards the achievement of SDGs. We
reinforce the fact that cooperatives contribute effectively towards the implementation of the2030 Agenda and play a vital role in their countries' development. There is a need for the national
apexes representing cooperatives and departments overseeing cooperatives to show how the
work of cooperatives is aligned with the national development strategies and why it should bereflected in the VNRs.
We spoke with Mr. Andrew Allimadi, the Coordinator of Cooperative issues at the United Nations
Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), to get his views on the role andcontribution of cooperatives to SDGs. Ms. Eva Sundari, an advocate for women's rights and a
supporter of cooperatives in Indonesia, in her interview, discusses gender equality, thecontribution of Indonesian cooperatives to SDGs, Indonesia’s G20 experience, and the scope for apotential Asia-Pacific parliamentarians network.
We report the progress made on the pledges by national and international cooperative federationsin the region as part of the Coops for 2030 campaign, their perspective and the challenges faced
during the implementation of their work. We feature case studies of various initiatives bycooperatives in Australia, Japan, Korea, Nepal, and the Philippines in achieving SDGs. These
include response to climate catastrophes, renewable energy, low carbon footprint, food waste
reduction, carbon neutral agriculture, sustainable food systems, social & financial education, anddevelopment of guidelines and strategies for sustainable development.
We take this opportunity to thank the Advisory Committee – Prof. Akira Kurimoto, Chairperson,
ICA Committee on Cooperative Research and former Professor at the Institute for Solidaritybased Society, Hosei University, Japan; Dr. Sidsel Grimstad, Vice-Chairperson, ICA-AP Committee
on Cooperative Research and Senior Lecturer, Griffith Centre for Systems Innovation, Griffith
Business School, Australia; Mr. Dudz Samson, Brand Consultant, C&S Coop Supermart, Philippines

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forward01

Editorial

Dr. Hema Yadav, Director, Vaikunth Mehta National Institute of Cooperative Management, India;
and Ms. Anahita Eslapazhir, CEO, Rah-e-roshd Cooperative Educational Complex, Iran – for theirrich advice, inputs and guidance.
We would like to hear from you about your work on the SDGs and if you have any feedback
regarding the contents of this issue. We encourage you to continue having a dialogue on the topics
covered in this issue within your organisation and country. For feedback and queries, feel free towrite to us at: coopdialogue@icaap.coop.
You can read the previous issues at www.icaap.coop.

Best wishes,
Coop Dialogue team

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forward02

The Role of Cooperatives in theSocial and Solidarity Economy
for Achieving Sustainable
Development Goals: Insightsfrom Voluntary National Reviews
Balasubramanian Iyer, Mohit Dave, and Simren Singh, ICA-AP

Introduction
The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA) has been committed to promoting the Social andSolidarity Economy (SSE) as cooperatives are one of the main institutional pillars constituting theSSE. The recently adopted United Nations (UN) resolution, "Promoting the Social and Solidarity
Economy for Sustainable Development,” seeks to promote social and environmental objectives
alongside economic ones and to support micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises andcooperatives throughout the value chain. The resolution aims to identify, formulate, implement,
and assess coherent and enabling policy measures and frameworks to develop SSE as a tool forachieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Cooperatives, as SSE actors, have beenrecognized for their significant contributions towards achieving the SDGs and have been actively
contributing towards poverty reduction, gender equality, and environmental sustainability. The
Voluntary National Reviews (VNRs) are important mechanisms for monitoring progress towards
the SDGs at the national level. Many countries have recognized cooperatives in their VNRs,
highlighting the contributions that cooperatives make towards achieving the SDGs. Through their
participation in VNRs, cooperatives and SSEs can raise awareness about their role in promoting
sustainable development and encourage governments to support their growth and development.
ICA and SSEs
The ICA has been committed to promoting the SSE because it recognizes its contribution towards
inclusive and sustainable development. Cooperatives have been one of the main institutionalpillars constituting the SSE from its historical origin back in the 1830s. In July 2020, the ICA
released its Position Paper "Cooperatives as a key constituent of the SSE,” in which it supported
the common SSE features that are broadly used by other SSE actors and enshrined in many legal
frameworks and advocated for an enabling environment and support towards the promotion of
SSE following an actor-based approach, including cooperatives. The paper emphasized that theformulation and adoption of SSE policies should not replace the existing legislation and policies
for cooperatives at the national level. The position paper also put forth ICA’s commitment toestablishing strong partnerships with other global bodies in the SSE and promoting SSE at theinternational level.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forward03

In May 2022, the ICA, the Global Social Economy Forum (GSEF), the SSE International Forum(SSEIF), the Association Internationale de la Mutualité (AIM) and the International Cooperativeand Mutual Insurance Federation (ICMIF) signed the charter for the International Coalition for theSocial and Solidarity Economy (ICSSE). The ICSSE was formed to deepen advocacy for therecognition of SSE, and to promote SSE as a field of economic activity that must be recognized
and that is useful for the implementation of the SDGs.
UN Resolution on SSEs
In April 2023, the UN adopted the resolution "Promoting the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE)for sustainable development" which proposes measures to support micro, small, and mediumsized enterprises and cooperatives throughout the value chain, in particular businesses andenterprises in the SSE, operating in both the formal and informal economies. The resolution
encourages relevant entities of the UN development system to give due consideration to the SSE
as part of their planning and programming instruments, particularly the UN Sustainable
Development Cooperation Framework. The resolution also aims to identify, formulate, implement,
and assess coherent and enabling policy measures and frameworks for developing the SSE as atool for achieving the SDGs.

Picture Credit: UNSSE.ORG
Adoption of Resolution on Promoting SSE for Sustainable
Development at the 77th session of the UN General Assembly

The ICA considers the resolution as ahistoric moment for the SSE as it
recognizes how the social and solidarity
economy can contribute “to theachievement and localization of theSDGs,particularly
in
terms
of
employment and decent work, theprovision of social services, thepromotion of gender equality andempowerment of women, access toaffordable finance, and local economic
development (...), as well as inclusive andsustainable growth”, among others. The
resolution recognizes cooperatives aspart of the SSE (together withassociations,mutualsocieties,
foundations, social enterprises, self-helpgroups and “other entities operatingin accordance with the values andprinciples of the social and solidarity economy”), and the resolution will coexist with existing UN
resolutions on cooperatives in social development, ​adopted since the 1950s. According to Mr. Ariel
Guarco, President of the ICA, “the resolution will be a key instrument in increasing the visibility of
the SSE and providing the opportunity for a focused exchange of knowledge and learning bymember states, guiding UN agencies on SSE priority areas of work and documenting ourcontributions to sustainable development”.
Cooperatives and VNRs
Cooperatives contribute effectively towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and play avital role in the national development of countries. Even before the 2030 Agenda became amilestone in institutionalised development, cooperatives have been instruments of change andcommunity development, and continue to be so. They are also recognised as a strategic pillar for
development in many countries.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forward04

The ICA-AP paper, “Cooperatives: Present but Not Visible Evidence from Voluntary National
Reviews” published in the International Journal of Cooperative Accounting And Management,
2020, showed that most countries have presented a qualitative account of their experience andprogression in the realization of SDGs. While reporting on an SDG, countries have showcased avariety of work being pursued at local and national levels through examples and case studies of
exemplary initiatives by the government, cooperatives, private sector and civil society
organisations.
For the period 2016 to 2022, 28 countries from the Asia-Pacific region which have one or moremembers of the ICA presented their VNRs. Cooperatives in some form or the other are mentioned
in the VNRs of 15 countries - China, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan, Kiribati, Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia,
Nepal, New Zealand, Palestine, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Timor Leste, and Vanuatu.
Cooperatives are largely mentioned in relation to SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 8(Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 13 (Climate Action). This is a reflection of thenumber of cooperatives working in agriculture and rural areas. The frequent reference tocooperatives in SDG 8 shows that Governments expect them to play their role in promoting
inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work.

Students at school coop stores demonstrating the introduction ofbamboo straws in Nishi-Chiba Campus

Cooperatives are largely
mentioned in relation to
SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 2(Zero Hunger), SDG 8(Decent Work andEconomic Growth) and SDG
13 (Climate Action). This isa reflection of the numberof cooperatives working in
agriculture and rural areas.

In preparation for COOP Dialogue 4, the ICA-AP reviewed the latest VNRs (2020-2022), in
addition to the previous ones. Between 2020 and 2022, 17 countries from the Asia-Pacific region
where one or more ICA members are present published their VNRs. Cooperatives in some form or
the other are mentioned in the VNRs of 11 of them - Bhutan, China, Indonesia, Japan, Jordan,
Kyrgyzstan, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, PNG and Thailand. The noteworthy mention comes fromIndonesia and Japan. In the 2021 VNR of Indonesia, it is mentioned that “strengthening
entrepreneurship, micro small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and cooperatives is one of thefour national priority programs of the government, closely related to SDG 8. For the recovery fromthe COVID-19 pandemic, the government laid down “policies” to increase access to cooperatives
and MSMEs. In the 2021 VNR of Japan, the Japanese Consumers’ Cooperative Union (JCCU) and
its initiative in formulating and adopting the "Coop SDGs Action Declaration" and contribution
towards SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) have been included as a goodpractice.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forward05

2023 and Beyond
For cooperatives and SSEs to be adequately recognised in national plans and the VNRs, it isimperative that apex and representative cooperative organisations, departments responsible forcooperatives, play a proactive role in increasing the visibility of cooperatives’ contributions andtheir alignment with national development frameworks and SDGs. The paper by the ICA-AP officementioned earlier included a number of suggestions for ICA members which could also be adopted
by SSE actors:
1. Understand the VNR in terms of process, timelines, and requirements.
2. Engage with the Focal Point for VNR early in the preparation process.
3. Make a submission on the role of cooperatives and SDGs to the Focal Point.
4. Coordinate with the Line Ministry/department responsible for cooperatives in the country toensure the work on SDGs is communicated.
5. Participate actively in the VNR consultation process and engage in civil society platforms.
6. Engage with UN bodies and international agencies to advocate for cooperatives and inclusion
in key documents. ICA can play a role in communicating with focal points and international
agencies, bringing in experiences from across the region, facilitating dialogue with key players
and building the capacity of members.
7. Follow-up to know about the consultation process and communicate work being carried out bycooperatives.
Conclusion
The SSE has gained recognition in recent years as an essential tool for inclusive and sustainable
development that contributes to the achievement of the SDGs. In April 2023, the United Nations
adopted the resolution which recognizes the SSE's contribution towards the localization of theSDGs, among others. The resolution identifies cooperatives as part of the SSE and aims toformulate and implement policy measures and frameworks for developing the SSE as a tool forachieving the SDGs. Cooperatives have been effective instruments of change and community
development, contributing towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda. Cooperatives have along and vast presence in the region, but they are not visible enough in the national plans,monitoring, and reporting. There is a correlation between cooperatives being mentioned innational development plans and their being reflected in the VNRs. This indicates the need for
apexes and departments responsible for cooperatives to show how the work of cooperatives isaligned with the national development strategies and the need to reflect their work in the VNRs.
The visibility of cooperatives, especially in VNRs can be enhanced by promoting the work ofcooperatives on SDGs, involving cooperatives actively in national consultations, developing strong
partnerships to advocate for cooperatives, and ensuring that cooperatives are included byagencies responsible for measuring and reporting. This learning can be adopted by other actors
working in the SSE space.
To read the full paper on “Cooperatives: Present but Not Visible Evidence from Voluntary National
Reviews”, click here: https://bit.ly/3BdFnZ3.
To read your country’s VNR report, click here: https://bit.ly/3VH1hxv.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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In Conversation with Mr. Andrew
Allimadi on Cooperatives’ Role &Contribution to SDGs

Watch the Interview with Mr. Andrew Allimadi here.

2023 marks the mid-point of the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable
Development and the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This is a significant milestone forthe people and the planet. We spoke to Mr. Andrew Allimadi, Coordinator of Cooperative issues at
the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA) to get his views on therole and contribution of cooperatives to SDGs.
Mr. Allimadi shared that before the COVID-19 pandemic hit the world, progress on SDGs was being
made in some areas and a Decade of Action was declared in 2020. The Decade of Action called foraccelerating sustainable solutions to some of the world’s biggest challenges like poverty, genderinequality, climate change, etc. However, around the time when the pandemic was spreading
globally, other critical issues, violent conflicts, natural disasters, financial crises etc. were also
making frequent news. The pandemic wiped out considerable progress made towards the
reduction of poverty. For example, about 100 million people have been added to the list of
extremely poor since the beginning of the pandemic. There is a need for urgent action to focus on
the SDGs and the SDG Summit for member states this September is expected to call for bolder
actions by the governments to expedite the process.
Mr. Allimadi noted that Cooperatives work in every sector to empower people through democracy.
This helps people in making decisions about their own lives, the lives of others and theirbusinesses. Cooperatives emphasize social cohesion and inclusion and that has a cascading effecton the goals of society.

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He added that cooperatives do a lot for SDGs, but the problem is that their contribution is not wellknown because they are not measured properly. The Coop Monitor by the ICA is an important
publication that helps measure the contribution of cooperatives, he added.
Mr. Allimadi noted that the government and national apex organizations for cooperatives can playa very important role to amplify the good work that cooperatives at the grassroots are alreadydoing.
The Asia and Pacific region is well endowed with rich young demography who are ambitious,
entrepreneurial and risk-takers. They are also more sensitive and receptive towards working forthe people and planet. There are many big cooperatives in the finance sector. They can develop
mechanisms to support youth-led cooperative start-ups. This kind of support will be very helpful
for young people who have bright ideas that are people and planet driven. They can educate
young people on the benefits of organizing as a cooperative instead of working individually.
2022 marked 20 years since the adoption of ILO Recommendation 193 on the Promotion of
Cooperatives. One of the countries in the Asia-Pacific that has a favourable legal and policy
environment for cooperatives to contribute to sustainable development is Fiji, he noted.
Cooperatives have the best capacity to engage in partnerships with each other. They can network,
share information, and exchange knowledge. They can realize the full potential of this networkwith more communication, coordination, and frequent exchanges via a suitable platform.
Measuring an organization's impact in quantifiable terms and communicating its contribution to
SDGs is important. Mr. Allimadi mentioned that in one of the conferences hosted by the ILO, thestatisticians who participated suggested having a separate section in the national accounts ofcountries to report on the contribution of cooperatives to GDP. This system if established, would
be very helpful to mainstream the measurement processes and report the cooperative impact
effectively.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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In Conversation with Ms. Eva
Sundari on Gender Equality &Coop Landscape in Indonesia

Watch the Interview with Ms. Eva Sundari here.

Ms. Eva Sundari is an advocate for women's rights and a supporter of cooperatives in Indonesia.
We spoke with Ms. Sundari on a range of topics such as gender equality, the contribution ofIndonesian cooperatives to SDGs, Indonesia’s experience hosting the G20 in 2022 and the scopefor a potential Asia-Pacific parliamentarians’ network to take up the cause of cooperatives at thenational and regional level.
Ms. Sundari provided a broad overview of the cooperative sector in Indonesia. She noted that thenegative perception of people towards cooperatives is growing because some cooperatives
engage in malpractices where they cheat people and take away their money. There are some fakecooperatives as well. On the other hand, there are some cooperatives run by women households
which are doing well, and they are actively ensuring that Cooperative Identity is practised as wellas protected. So, the cooperative sector in Indonesia is mixed and both types of cooperatives exist– the ones which are doing well and working for the people and the ones which are not.
The experience of Indonesian cooperatives in the context of G20 was mixed. Cooperatives werelate in joining the G20 discussions and could not make necessary interventions in mainstream
events or meetings. However, parallel events on SDGs were organized by cooperatives. Ms.
Sundari said, cooperatives need to play a proactive role in the G20 process from the beginning
otherwise they will miss an important opportunity to showcase their contribution and impact on
economic development and society.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forward09

The Voluntary National Review (VNR) is an important mechanism to report on the implementationof the SDGs. Indonesia has made mention of cooperatives in its VNRs for 2017 and 2021. During
the pandemic, cooperatives continued to serve the needs and concerns of its members. The role
played by cooperatives during the pandemic has brought recognition from the government. In the2021 VNR, for example, it is mentioned that “strengthening entrepreneurship, micro small andmedium enterprises (MSMEs), and cooperatives is one of the four national priority programs
closely related to SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth”). For the recovery from the COVID19 pandemic, the government has laid down “policies” to increase access to cooperatives and
MSMEs. This kind of recognition is important and promising for the future.
Ms. Sundari shared stories about some women-run cooperatives whose members were initiallypart of donor-based projects on maternal health, child trafficking, etc. But even after the project
ended, the women who were brought together as a group did not dissolve, and instead formed acooperative to work on their common needs and agendas. This, she highlighted is interesting andhas potential for further research. She further emphasized the role of educating women on
cooperative principles to make businesses sustainable.
Similar to the group of parliamentarians in Australia who are “friends of cooperatives”, Ms.
Sundari noted that there is potential for developing an informal advocacy group ofparliamentarians in Indonesia as well as at the Asia-Pacific level to promote economic democracy
and cooperatives.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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Cooperatives as Champions for
the Implementation of the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable
Development
Shivali Sarna, ICA-AP

In this article, we present the work carried out by cooperatives in the Asia-Pacific region over the
past 7 years to contribute to the achievement of SDGs. The Cooperative Bulk Handling Ltd. (CBHGroup; Australia), the National Cooperative Union of India (NCUI), the Japanese Consumer
Cooperatives Union (JCCU), the Economic and Social Development Center of Palestine (ESDC)
and the Association of Asian Confederation of Credit Unions (ACCU; Pan Asia) report progress ontheir pledges made as part of Coops for 2030 campaign. They also share their perspective andchallenges faced during the implementation of their work.
Coopsfor2030
In September 2015, the Heads of State and Government, and High Representatives in their
meeting at the United Nations (UN) adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development which
comprises of 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and aims to take forward the work of theMillennium Development Goals started in 2000. This ambitious agenda sets a course to end
poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all by 2030.

Coopsfor2030 campaign by International Cooperative Alliance

The 2030 Agenda explicitly recognizes cooperative enterprises as important players within theprivate sector to achieve the SDGs, creating an opportunity for cooperatives to position
themselves as partners with global, national, regional, and local institutions to achieve sustainable
development.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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The International Cooperative Alliance (ICA), as the global voice of the cooperative movement, iscommitted to educating cooperatives about the SDGs, helping them respond to the UN’s call toaction and collecting information about their contributions to the 2030 Agenda, to better position
cooperatives as partners throughout the implementation process. ICA started the Coops for 2030
campaign for cooperatives to learn more about the SDGs, commit to pledges to contribute toachieving the SDGs, and report their progress.
Pledges
Cooperatives from across the globe including the member countries from the Asia-Pacific region
submitted their pledges under four key action areas, these were:Protecting the Environment
Cooperative Principle 7 – ‘Concern for Community’ is an important one. It means that cooperatives
work for the sustainable development of their communities and run businesses that make thewell-being of the natural world a priority. Cooperatives were exploring ways to reduce their carbon
footprints and make their communities sustainable even before Corporate Social Responsibility
was a standard corporate practice.
Improving Access to Basic Goods andServices

Women cooperator from Palestine making pickle from the produce ofagricultural cooperatives

Cooperatives are a way for people to beable to meet their social, economic, andcultural needs. These needs are often
related to access to shelter, energy,
water, markets, decent work, financial
services fresh and quality food, primaryeducation, or skill-based training toname a few. By creating access to basic
goods and services, cooperatives fill avoid in the communities in which they
operate. This is even more evident inrural areas and is vital to the 2030 visionof leaving no one behind.

Eradicating Poverty
Poverty alleviation was the core of the cooperative idea and remains the driving force forcooperative initiatives in many parts of the world. Cooperatives mobilize self-help andempowerment to create opportunities and economic protection. They provide access to shortterm credits and opportunities for the communities to live and work with dignity.
Progress Against the Pledges
The following table presents a snapshot of the progress made against each pledge in three action
areas – protecting the environment, improving access to basic goods and services, and eradicating
poverty.

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Cooperatives’ Contribution to
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Cooperatives’ Contribution to
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Cooperatives’ Contribution to
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Challenges & Key Learnings
One of the major roadblocks during the last 7 years was the Covid-19 pandemic that started in2020 and the world is still bearing the brunt of it.
For the CBH Group, the implementation of their bio-energy plant got delayed due to supply chaindifficulties during the COVID-19 pandemic, which in turn, delayed the targets of this project.
Inconsistencies in government policy across federal and state jurisdictions make biodiversity
targets challenging to meet in highly cleared landscapes. Support from the Board and senior
management is crucial in identifying and implementing programs to address key material themes.
‘Transparent reporting is good, meaningful action is better’ says CBH Group.
In Palestine, limited resources and conflicted borders were already big factors causing the highcost of production and the pandemic made it only worse. ESDC continued guiding and networking
for cooperatives to get production inputs at lower prices with substitute vendors as much as
possible. It also supported the communities with food baskets made from agricultural cooperative
products and this way they were able to generate both food and income for the communities. They
also helped communities to sell their products outside the country. For example, Al Ibdaa Women
Cooperative could sell products to Arab and European countries and in the process create four
permanent jobs for women members, and 1,848 working days for other women members as well.
Jenin Women Cooperative conducted 7 shipments to outside countries and created eight
permanent job opportunities for women members with around 2,688 working days.
Credit unions faced several challenges in reaching out to the poorest communities. Convincing
people to prioritize saving for their future instead of relying on credit can take time and effort. The
pandemic created further challenges, particularly regarding liquidity. Many marginalised people
had to withdraw their savings to make ends meet. As a result, those who started their businesses
were severely affected, and it may take another three to four years for them to recover the losses
incurred due to the pandemic. ACCU notes that providing services to the poorest communities in
Asia is labour-intensive work, with one staff serving at least 350 members. The provision of onlysaving and credit services is insufficient. There is a need for credit unions to take a holistic
approach to serving the poorest communities, focusing on providing financial services andsupporting their development and growth as entrepreneurs.
In Japan, the overall energy-saving situation remained almost at the same level despite anincrease in vehicle fuel due to increased supply, and progress was also made in the introduction ofrenewable energy. The main business of consumer coops is home delivery and they consider it
important to reduce emissions associated with transport. Therefore, they have been
experimenting with the introduction of biodiesel-fuelled vehicles and electric trucks. Japanese
consumer coops are also preparing to calculate the emissions of the entire supply chain, as
emission reductions throughout the supply chain are becoming more and more important insociety.
Furthering Contribution to the Achievement of SDGs
While CBH Group still continues their work on their pledges, it has refreshed its sustainability plan.
In 2016 its UN SDG commitments were SDG 7 (Affordable and Clean Energy), SDG 12 (Responsible
Consumption and Practice), and SDG 15 (Life on Land). In 2022, its UN SDG commitments were
SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 5 (Gender Equality), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth), SDG
13 (Climate Action), and continuing with their work in SDG 7 and SDG 15.
JCCU continues to work on the same goals with additional targets like a) Reducing food waste by
50% by 2030 compared to 2018, b) Reducing paper consumption for product catalogues by 25%
by 2030 compared to 2021, and c) Reducing the use of disposable plastic containers andpackaging by 25% by 2030 compared to 2018.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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The reduction target in the use of disposable plastic and paper used for catalogues and the foodwaste reduction targets have been met with increases. In terms of intensity (e.g. usage per unit ofsales), JCCU has achieved reductions except food waste. Further efforts will be made to reduce
the total volume. JCCU believes that a different approach is needed in this regard for which theyplan to work with new partners and put new ideas into practice.
NCUI is continuing its efforts towards the training and education of cooperative stakeholders. The
programmes are reviewed and updated regularly and additional programmes are conducted tocater to the requirements of various cooperative sectors.
ESDC is continuing its work for SDG 1 (No Poverty), SDG 7, SDG 8, and SDG 13 as part of its
strategic plan.
ACCU further pledges to reach out to the poorest communities and create job opportunities andeconomic activities to contribute to reducing poverty (SDG 1). It encourages and motivates its
network members to report their progress toward achieving the nine SDGs to the General
Assembly and the country's SDG office. These are SDGs 1, 2, 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 4(Quality Education), 5, 6 (Clean Water & Sanitation), 7, 8, and 13.
Recognition
Governments

Leadership Development Program (LDP) for women cooperators from
Looms of Ladakh was conducted at NCCE, Delhi

Seikatsu Club Consumers' Cooperative Union at the rice paddies toincrease feed self-sufficiency in the Shonai region of Yamagata
Prefecture

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
Forwardfromthe

National

In Japan, the government has
acknowledged and recognised theefforts of cooperatives. In July 2021, FCo-op concluded an agreement with thetown of Oki in Fukuoka Prefecture(Japan) on resource recovery. By
October 2022 it had collected 3,692 kg
of milk cartons from four elementary andjunior high schools in the town. The milk
cartons collected are recycled into toilet
paper and delivered to each primary andjunior high school. The coop received theMinister of the Environment's Award in
2022 Reduce, Reuse and Recycle
Promotion Merit Award in recognition of
the face-to-face relationship it built in
the process from collection of resources
to production, sale, distribution andconsumption of products.
Seikatsu Club Consumers' Co-operative
Union, in the Shonai region of Yamagata
Prefecture, is not limited to the primary
relationship between consumers andproducers but is working together tomaintain the local rice paddies andincrease feed self-sufficiency, build solar
power plants, create local cooperatives
with producers, and ensure thesustainability of the region by promoting
migration and settlement.

17

In recognition of these efforts, the project received the Minister of the Environment's Award for
Excellence at the 10th Good Life Awards of the Ministry of the Environment.
In India, NCUI works in close coordination with the government since the very beginning. In 1976,
the Government of India approved NCUI’s scheme of Cooperative Education for strengthening thecooperative movement in cooperatively underdeveloped states/ areas and reducing regional
imbalance in the level of development. This is a central sector scheme funded by the Ministry ofAgriculture and Farmers Welfare (now Ministry of Cooperation). Its main objective is to develop
and promote cooperative societies in project areas and through them increase the productivity offarmer members and improve their socio-economic conditions.
The Palestinian Cooperative Work Agency (CWA), the government body for cooperatives inPalestine, has always been in the loop with ESDC’s interventions for cooperatives. They areusually part of the planning, implementation and evaluation with ESDC. Also, the Ministry ofAgriculture is a partner in implementing agricultural activities in cooperatives and other generalactivities.
ACCU and its members are yet to receive adequate recognition from national governments fortheir cooperative contributions toward achieving the SDGs. The cooperative sector, especially inbanking, has been granted a few privileges such as digitalization or tax exemption, supervision,and monitoring. This lack of recognition and support has resulted in a lack of motivation forcooperative leaders and management to engage with the SDG goals actively. As a result, credit
unions need support to achieve their economic activities independently. Similarly, the CBH Groupalso carries out its sustainability work independently.
Reflections on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development
The CBH Group opines that there are many more standards, frameworks and government
legislations to align to or comply with, which is great as it shows society is moving towards
embedding sustainable development within the existing institutions. However, from a corporate
perspective, it's important to ensure our commitments and targets continue to meet therequirements of our broader stakeholder group.
For ESDC, the 2030 Agenda seems comprehensively suitable and they plan to continue their workin alignment with it.
ACCU states that according to recent reports from the ADB and World Bank, it is not possible toachieve the SDG targets by 2030 due to the impact of COVID-19. The poverty situation has
increased by at least 20-25% in almost all developing countries, and their economic growth has
been negative or significantly slowed down. As a result, it is challenging to reach the targets set by
the SDGs in 2030.
Conclusion
The special edition of the report of the UN Secretary-General entitled “Progress towards theSustainable Development Goals: Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet,” states that, “atthe mid-way point on our way to 2030, the SDGs are in deep trouble. A preliminary assessment of
the roughly 140 targets with data shows only about 12% are on track; more than half, thoughshowing progress, are moderately or severely off track and some 30% have either seen no
movement or regressed below the 2015 baseline. Under current trends, 575 million people will
still be living in extreme poverty in 2030 - and only about one-third of countries will meet thetarget to halve national poverty levels.”

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
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This is an alarming state. The lack of SDG progress is universal and it is evidently clear thatdeveloping countries and the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people are bearing the brunt of
it. The serious climate situation, the Covid-19 pandemic, and economic crises are leaving many
developing countries with fewer options and even fewer resources to make the SDGs a reality.
Cooperatives do bring some hope. Being one of the world’s oldest and largest business networks,
cooperatives were the first to endorse the SDGs and get recognition as a partner in achieving
these goals. Cooperatives are showing their contribution to accelerating the achievement of SDGs
and building a more inclusive and resilient world by 2030.
References
https://www.coopsfor2030.coop/en
https://www.ica.coop/en/cooperatives/cooperative-identity
https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda
UN Secretary-General entitled “Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals:
Towards a Rescue Plan for People and Planet”

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Guidelines on Sustainable
Development Goals for
Cooperative Movement in Nepal
National Cooperative Federation of Nepal

Background
Cooperatives play a vital role in the economic and social development of Nepal. They contributesignificantly to the GDP, in job creation, poverty reduction, and the promotion of Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs). Since its establishment, the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal(NCF) has consistently been working to develop and promote the cooperative movement in Nepal.
NCF has taken the lead to promote the SDGs by mobilizing cooperatives and leading efforts to end
poverty, hunger, and inequality; act on climate change and the environment; improve access tohealth and education; and build strong institutions and partnerships. Realizing the need forpractical implementation, NCF has taken a lead role in developing concrete guidelines designed toencourage cooperatives at different levels to implement activities that could be measured fromthe SDG framework perspective.
Development in Nepal
Nepal has been implementing planned development since 1956. Its development challenge is not
limited to mitigating poverty from an income perspective only but also on social aspects. Large
disparities are seen in a number of social indicators across various geographic regions and socioeconomic groups. While Nepal has been achieving an impressive growth rate; it still lags whencompared to other countries in South Asia. This calls for radical efforts on poverty alleviation andthe creation of employment opportunities. There is a need to drive economic forces towards
improving the opportunities not only for town citizens who already have reasonable access toresources but also for people from rural, semi-urban and small towns; women; low-skilled andother socially disadvantaged groups.
Nepal was listed in the status of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) in 1973. In the early 90s,
the UN established the foundation for developing the human development index (HDI), followed
by Gross Domestic Income (GDI), Gender Equality Index, etc. As a concrete development agenda,
the UN launched MDGs (2000-2015) in 1999. With the MDGs implementation, Nepal was
successful in achieving notable gains in health, education, infant mortality, women empowerment,
and poverty alleviation. Nepal was honored for its remarkable gain in the health sector.
The success of MDGs prompted the UN to develop a more comprehensive strategy, SDGs, which
are guided by the principle of ‘leave no one behind.’ The SDGs (2015-2030) with 17 goals are
aimed at the transformation of the global community and urge member states along with theprivate sector, cooperatives, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders to collaborate witheach other to build a stronger partnership and align the plans and Programs in realizing the goals.

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Nepal has made significant steps in internalizing the SDGs and mainstreamed them into planningand budgeting. The National Planning Commission (NPC) prepared “Sustainable Development
Goals: Status and Roadmap 2016-2030” in 2017. The document has not only localized the SDG
indicators but also brought the baseline values and set milestones for the years 2019, 2022, 2025
and 2030. It serves as a guiding document to all the stakeholders while aligning their programs
and strategies with SDGs. A lot of work is needed, and all concerned agencies need to play anactive role in contributing to achieving the targets of the SDGs. This has called for thecooperatives sector as well to assume its responsibility.
Cooperatives in Nepal
Cooperatives in Nepal are considered the third pillar of the economy and are present at all levels local, provincial, and federal. Article 50.3 of Directive Principles states that:

The economic objective of the State shall be to achieve sustainableeconomic development, while achieving rapid economic growth, by way ofmaximum mobilization of the available means and resources throughparticipation and development of public, private and cooperatives.
The National Cooperative Development Board (NCDB) was established in August 1991 for thedevelopment of policy and research in cooperatives. The Cooperative Act enacted for the firsttime in 1992 tried to value the norms and principles of cooperatives. New cooperative
development policies were introduced in the Eighth Five-Year-Plan (1992-97) which included theobjectives of developing cooperatives as producers and distributors and enhancing theparticipation in cooperatives to create prosperity. The successive plans further reinforced theimportance accorded to cooperatives. The Eleventh Plan for the first time provided a separate
chapter on the cooperative sector which underlined the role of the public, private and cooperative
sectors as the three pillars of the economy. Similarly, the government introduced the National
Cooperative Policy in 2012, which is a milestone guideline for further actions to improve thecooperative sector. To comply with the spirit of the federal structure, the new act and regulation
at the central level were enacted in 2017 and 2019 respectively. The main features of the new
Cooperative Act 2017 are to support the sound management of cooperatives and to ensure more
contribution of the sector in sustainable development.
Currently, 30,879 cooperatives, 311 District Level
Cooperative Unions, 11 Province Level Cooperative Unions,
18 Sectoral Central Level Cooperative Federations, one
National Cooperative Bank and one apex-level organization,
the National Cooperative Federation of Nepal, represent 7.3
million individual members who are present in agriculture,credit and banking, consumer, and a range of sectors.

Guidelines On Sustainable Development Goals For Cooperative
Movement In Nepal

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Cooperatives and SDGs
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development recognizes cooperative enterprises as important
players within the private sector to achieve the SDGs and create an opportunity for cooperatives
to place themselves as partners with similar institutions at global, national, regional, and local
levels to achieve sustainable development.
Cooperatives in Nepal have been actively working on a number of SDGS and gaining recognition
for their work. The National Cooperative Bank Ltd. (NCBL) has pledged to raise awareness of SDGs
by incorporating them into their training activities and supporting SDG activities of cooperatives
in their network. The Nepal Agricultural Cooperative Central Federation Ltd. (NACCFL) is actively
implementing SDG 10 and SDG 5: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment at the grassroots
by ensuring social and economic inclusion of small and marginalized farmers. Specifically,
NACCFL strives to ensure that both male and female small-scale farmers have access to credit
and finance; people from indigenous backgrounds and marginalized castes are integrated into thecooperative movement for their social and economic transformation; and the capacity of women
entrepreneurs to start and manage their own agricultural enterprises is built.
NCF was invited to be part of the consultative process for the Voluntary National Report (VNR)
where they highlighted the role of cooperatives as effective partners to localize implementationand fill the gaps in access, especially financial. NCF used the recognition given to cooperatives towork with the government and UN agencies to ensure they are recognized in the national plan andincluded in the monitoring. The table below from the Status and Roadmap 2016-2030 prepared by
the National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal provides an example of the target where
cooperatives are mentioned.

The 2017 VNR of Nepal identifies the cooperative sector as one of the three pillars of economic
development in the country, making the sector a key stakeholder in creating an enabling
environment, with strong contributions towards SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 (Gender Equality), 7 (Affordable
and Clean Energy), 8, 10 and 17.
Guidelines for Cooperatives on SDGs
Cooperatives in Nepal have been contributing to achieving development objectives which could
have been measured in SDGs. However, there was a felt need to work within a structured
framework to create a synergic effect throughout the cooperative sector.

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The objective of the guidelines is to incorporate the agenda/idea of the SDGs in the functions,tasks, and roles of the cooperatives and their associations to contribute towards theirachievement. The guidelines seek to:
explore the areas of cooperation, partnership, and intervention at various levels of cooperative
organizations to undertake tasks contributing towards the SDGs
review the roles of various hierarchies of cooperatives in attaining SDGs, andprepare a guideline and the action plan to guide the cooperative sector: national and centrallevel federations, district level unions and primary cooperatives
The guidelines will serve as the framework for action by Nepal’s cooperatives—from primary tocentral/federal levels—in mainstreaming SDGs in their work. The guidelines related to SDG1: No
Poverty and SDG5: Gender Equality are given as examples. More can be found in the report:
Guidelines for the Sustainable Development Goals for Cooperative Movement in Nepal.

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Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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References
Cooperatives Present but not Visible - https://www.smu.ca/webfiles/10.36830IJCAM.202010Singh.pdf
Government of Nepal, National Planning Commission (2017). Sustainable Development Goals Status and Roadmap 2016-2030 https://policy.asiapacificenergy.org/sites/default/files/Sustainable%20Development%20Go
als%20Status%20and%20Roadmap%202016-2030%20%28EN%29.pdf
Guidelines for the Sustainable Development Goals for Cooperative Movement in Nepal https://ncfnepal.com.np/publicationdetail/Guidelines%20On%20Sustainable%20Development%20Goals%20For%20Cooperativ
e%20Movement%20In%20Nepal
Report of the Second National Cooperative Congress (2018) on the “Cooperatives to Achieve
Sustainable Development Goals” - https://ncfnepal.com.np/assets/files/report_files/report2nd-coop-congress.pdf-864336470.pdf

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Coop Kobe's Food Waste
Reduction Initiatives
Onizawa Yasuhiro, SDGs Promotion Department, Coop Kobe

Coop Kobe is a Japanese consumer cooperative with a history of over 100 years. Its businesses
and services area is centred in Hyogo Prefecture, Hokusetsu area in Osaka Prefecture, andKyotango City in Kyoto Prefecture, with approximately 1.74 million members and a household
subscription rate of approximately 49.3%. Its main businesses are store operations and homedelivery service, with 143 stores and 22 home delivery centres. Other businesses include foodproduction, electric power, insurance, and welfare. About 9,622 employees are engaged in thesebusinesses (as of the end of January 2023).
Coop Kobe traces its roots to two cooperatives, Kobe Consumer Cooperative, and Nada Purchase
Association, both founded in 1921, with Kagawa Toyohiko, a social activist playing a central role.
Kagawa Toyohiko, also known as the "Father of Coops," aimed to realize a "mutual aid society." His
ideas have been inherited in Coop Kobe’s organizational philosophy, "One for all, all for one,"which is in line with the worldview of the SDGs, which aim for a society in which "no one is left
behind. "Coop Kobe and Environmental Preservation Initiatives
Hyogo Prefecture, where Coop Kobe’s activities are centred, is bordered by the Seto Inland Sea
and the Sea of Japan, both of which are rich in marine life and provide many benefits. The diverse
geographical conditions have resulted in a varied climate, and the seasonal agricultural andlivestock products nurtured in this region give the local food culture a unique depth.

Coop Kobe
Environmental
Charter

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
ForwardBased on this geographical background,the members have a great desire forenvironmental preservation, which has
led Coop Kobe to take proactive
measuresforenvironmental
preservation for a long time. Coop Kobe
led this through various initiatives,
including a campaign to popularize soap
since the late 1970s, a "shopping bag
reuse campaign" to reduce plastic
shopping bags, and a milk carton
recycling campaign launched in 1990. In
1995, in response to the Great HanshinAwaji Earthquake that hit Kobe, thecooperative adopted the "Coop Kobe
Environmental Charter" and pledged to
do their utmost to solve environmental
problems with the protection of people's
lives in mind.

26

Coop Kobe Environmental Challenge Goal "Eco-Challenge 2030"
Following the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by the United Nations in
2015, the cooperative formulated the Coop Kobe Environmental Challenge Goals "Eco-Challenge
2030" in 2018 to further advance their environmental efforts. The "Eco-Challenge 2030" sets fivechallenge goals, the second of which is to "halve food waste in business activities."
Consumer cooperatives have both abusinessandaconsumer-driven
movement
body,
and
SDG
12
(Sustainable
Consumption
andProduction) is one of the first goals that
consumer cooperatives should address.
Coop Kobe is working to halve theamount of food waste from theirbusiness activities by 2030 compared to
the FY2015 level. As a result, food waste
in FY2021 was 86.9% compared to
FY2015, confirming progress towardachieving the goal.
Eco Challenge 2030

Store Initiatives
The first concrete initiative aimed at halving food waste was the "Mottainai Project" in stores. The
project, which began in 2018, first raised awareness among store staff. Coop Kobe "visualized" thestatus of waste disposal at their stores and shared it with all staff members and watched a video tolearn about the importance of food. They started holding SDGs study sessions to think about how
the social issues advocated by the SDGs relate to daily business activities.
They practised reducing food waste through system reforms, including "reviewing the automatedordering logic for daily delivery products," "reviewing ordering units, lead time, and planneddelivery volume," and "reviewing sales deadlines." For example, for "reviewing sales deadlines,"
they relaxed their own sales deadline rules for food products (disposal before the date of
expiration), and displayed bread, fresh foods, and daily-delivery foods until the day of expiration
to curb waste generation. As a result of these efforts, food waste was reduced by approximately
60 million Yen equivalent in FY2021 compared to the previous year.
TEMAEDORI Campaign
The "TEMAEDORI (take one in the front)" campaign encourages prioritization of the purchase of"discounted products" at the front of store shelves and products that are nearing theirconsumption or expiration dates, under the condition that they are to be consumed immediately
after purchase. This campaign is designed to curb unsold and discarded products and reduce foodwaste. The initiative was first implemented in 2018 in collaboration with Kobe City and has since
been expanded to all Coop Kobe stores.
Currently, the "TEMAEDORI" campaign is attracting attention as a food waste reduction actionthat can be easily implemented by any consumer. It has been featured by national and local
government agencies as well as major convenience stores and supermarket chains, and similar
efforts are spreading to retail stores nationwide. Furthermore, "TEMAEDORI" was selected as oneof the top 10 words in the "U-can New Words and Buzzwords Awards 2022," which honour words
that were popular throughout the year. The term has been widely reported in mass media such as
TV and online news and has contributed to spreading awareness of the food waste issue andbuilding momentum for food waste reduction.

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
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The term has been widely reported in mass media such as TV and online news and has contributed
to spreading awareness of the food waste issue and building momentum for food waste reduction
The origin of this movement was
initiated by cooperative members wholearned about the problem of food waste
and had been engaged in practicalactivities to solve the problem, and who
thought about what they could do. Thisinitiative, in which businesses andconsumers work together to resolve
issues and act, truly embodies SDG 12.
The fact that many stakeholders havedisseminated and shared this approachand expanded it nationwide is a modelcase of SDG Goal 17 (Global Partnershipfor Sustainable Development).
TEMAEDORI Campaign, indicates to take one in the front

Efforts of "Eco Farm," An Environmentally Symbiotic FarmIn Miki City, located about an hour's drive north of Kobe City, there is an environmentally
symbiotic farm called "Eco Farm" operated by Coop Kobe. The Eco Farm consists of two facilities:
the Coop Soil Production Centre, which produces compost, and the Mizuho Cooperative Farm,which produces vegetables.
The Coop Soil Production Centre produces compost from vegetables and meat scraps from Coop
Kobe stores. Mizuho Cooperative Farm uses compost to produce vegetables, which are then soldat the stores. This "food recycling loop" system is a unique feature of Eco Farm.
Since the full-scale launch of these initiatives in 2001, today the farm produces approximately 100
tons of compost per year from approximately 2 tons of food processing scraps per day andproduces approximately 230 tons of vegetables per year.
In this way, the "Eco Farm" is a place to practice resource recycling through the effective use offood waste, and has welcomed more than 1,000 visitors each year (before COVID-19) to learn
about environmentally symbiotic farms and the use of renewable energy through solar sharing(farm-based solar power generation). The Farm also serves as a learning place for SDG 12, SDG 7,
and SDG 13.
Food Drive Initiatives
In 2017, Coop Kobe launched a food drive as an initiative to receive surplus food that is
unavoidably generated at home in stores and home deliveries and give it to those in need in thecommunity. In 2019, it strengthened its efforts by changing the style of the food drive to one inwhich surplus food can be picked up anytime from all standard-type stores.
This initiative contributes to the reduction and effective utilization of food waste generated athome and creates new "connections" in the local community through food support. It was started
from an environmental perspective, but recently an increasing number of cooperative members
are donating not only surplus food generated at home but also products purchased at stores
directly to the food drive. The initiative has developed into broader efforts that contribute to manyof the SDG goals, including community welfare.

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SDGs: Achievements and Way
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Future Outlook
These efforts have been highly
evaluated by the society, and in 2020,
Coop Kobe received the Minister ofAgriculture, Forestry and FisheriesAward for the "Mottainai Grand Prize,"
and its efforts to reduce food waste havealso led to an increase in its corporate
value.
While the issues surrounding food waste
are being widely discussed worldwide,
Coop Kobe aims to continue the active
dissemination of information using SNS
and other PR media, as well as
strengthen existing initiatives.
Food Drive Initiatives by Coop Kobe

Together with cooperative members and local communities, it will continue to implement
practices in line with "Eco-Challenge 2030" by strengthening existing initiatives and taking on
new challenges, while making progress toward achieving the SDGs.

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A Perspective on the UN
Sustainable Development Goals
and Australian Cooperatives
Peter Watts, Watts Sustainability

The 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim to end poverty, protect theplanet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030. Cooperatives work towards
achieving the SDGs through their principles of democracy, equality, equity and solidarity. This
article explores examples from the Australian context to demonstrate how cooperatives are anatural fit for implementing sustainable development.
Australia is one of the world’s most developed economies. Yet, it is still highly reliant on theextraction of minerals and fossil fuels (compared to other advanced economies, which are moreheavily reliant on service-based industries, such as finance). The low-carbon transition comes withthe risk of unemployment and other economic harm to communities in sectors that are reliant on
fossil fuels.
Australia is at the sharp end of environmental risks such as forest fires, floods and drought, water
scarcity, degradation of soil and loss of biodiversity, influenced by climate change, diseases spreadby pests, and adverse impact of human activities. This negatively impacts people, crop yields andthe liveability of rural communities. The SDGs provide a pathway to building resilience anddelivering prosperity.
In Australia, cooperatives are active in a variety of sectors, including agriculture, finance, housing
and energy. For example, in the agriculture sector, cooperatives help small farmers accessmarkets and resources, which can contribute to ending poverty and hunger (SDGs 1 and 2). In thefinance sector, cooperatives provide access to credit for small businesses and low-income
communities, helping to promote inclusive economic growth (SDG 8). In the housing sector,
cooperatives provide affordable housing for low-income households, contributing to the goal of
ensuring access to adequate, safe and affordable housing for all (SDG 11).
Some cooperatives, such as motor vehicle membership organisations, networks of motor vehicle
repair garages and agricultural producers, are particularly exposed to fossil fuels. There is animmediate need to carefully plan their transition towards a future which is economically, as well as
environmentally, sustainable for their employees, members and surrounding communities.
Case study: Summerland Credit Union and the response to the 2022 flood disaster, Lismore, NewSouth Wales
There is evidence[1] that due to strong links to their communities, cooperatives are resilient, wellequipped and set up to cope with shocks, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, by providing a rapid
response to natural disasters.

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The flood disaster that hit Lismore in New South Wales and the surrounding region is an exampleof how the cooperative model provides advantages for climate-related disaster responses.
The Northern Rivers region of Eastern Australia is home to expansive surfing beaches, tropicalforests and a network of rivers and wetlands. Lismore is a regional city with a population of justunder 30,000 people supported by a relatively diverse economy including agriculture (inparticular, dairy production) and light manufacturing, and is situated on flat and low-lying terrain
adjacent to the Wilsons River.
Lismore is renowned for its frequent
floods. However, in 2022, Lismore andother parts of northern New South Walesand South East Queensland were subject
to a flood disaster with unprecedented
impact. The Wilsons River in Lismore
reached 14.37 metres at its peak, thelargest flood since modern records
began (the previous record was 12.1
metres from 1974). 22 people tragicallydied and families, communities andbusinesses suffered profound losses andongoing disruptions.
Image courtesy: Image - Creative Commons - "IMG_2792" by scout
nurse is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.

Summerland Credit Union is a familiar presence in the region with 30,000 members and a disaster
response capability helping members recover financially from climate disasters such as the 2019–
20 Black Summer bushfires. The 2022 flooding, however, was unprecedented in its impact on the
bank’s branches and general operations. For example, in Lismore every bank branch and ATM wasdestroyed, leaving the Lismore community with no access to cash withdrawal facilities.
Through their strong community connections, Summerland Credit Union worked with Southern
Cross University and other cooperative banks to get banking facilities up and running. Within fourdays a community banking hub was established at the university campus, supporting local people
to access cash for food and other essentials in the aftermath of the disaster. They invited fiveother cooperative banks to share the hub, demonstrating the cooperative spirit, as well as putting
support in place for the large local dairy cooperative Norco to pay wages in cash to their staff.

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The Summerland Credit Union CEO John Williams referred to the pivotal role of cooperatives andmutuals in harnessing local knowledge: “If we did not have a local presence and a deep
understanding of the community and who to talk to, that community-banking hub would not haveeventuated. It's about knowing who to contact and the people at the local level.”
Case study – Cooperative Bulk Handling Group (CBH) and agricultural community partnerships

The CBH Group is Australia’s largest cooperative, owned and controlled by approximately 3,700
family farm businesses. CBH is responsible for the majority of Western Australia’s grain harvest ofwheat, barley, oats, canola and lupins as well as businesses in fertiliser and grain logistics. As well
as being a vital part of Australia’s food system, CBH has a global export network.
In line with its cooperative principles, CBH recognises its intrinsic links with the agriculturalcommunities of Western Australia where its employees and members live and access services. In
many communities, CBH member businesses are the main source of employment.
Working in partnership to create access to decent work and supporting long-term prosperity is in
the best interest of both CBH and Western Australian regional communities (as reflected in SDG
8). This is further supported by investment in community-based initiatives and community
projects, with CBH creating two new internal community-focused roles to better understand andrespond to community needs.
A recent contribution was $248,000 towards Growers – Harvest Mass Management. In thisprogram, grain transporters whose trucks are unintentionally overloaded contribute the surplus
grain to a charitable fund. Growers appreciate that the money raised is supporting theircommunities.
CBH also develop and support training and capacity-building programs. For example, CBH has apartnership with the Grower Group Alliance (GGA) which is a not-for-profit, farmer-driven
organisation connecting grower groups, research organisations and agribusiness in a network
across Western Australia. GGA partnership activities include the CBH Growing Leaders
Scholarship – a 10-month program to equip people with skills, knowledge and confidence to takeon leadership positions in the grain industry and further contribute to the prosperity of theircommunities. CBH has also partnered with AIM WA and the University of WA Business School todevelop a grassroots leadership program[2] as part of the cooperative’s commitment tosupporting leadership capacity within their regional communities.
Case study – CoPower and building capacity for renewable energy and a resilient energy system
In Australia, power has been historically distributed through private distributors. The majority ofelectricity has been produced through the burning of coal despite Australia being blessed withvast regions of desert and some of the longest sunshine hours in the world. Australia recently
unveiled new decarbonisation targets including a move to net zero before 2050, providing
significant opportunities for a clean energy future.

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Energy cooperatives are helping with the shift towards renewables and are providing increased
value to their members as a more secure long-term asset. The collective purchasing power
created by individuals coming together through an energy cooperative returns control back to
people and helps to drive down costs.
Cooperative Power, or CoPower for short, is a community-based initiative operating in large partsof Australia, bringing with it a unique not-for-profit and democratic model that redistributes profit
back to the people. CoPower invests in community renewable energy (like solar plants, windenergy, battery storage and home energy efficiency).
In 2021, 100% of electricity revenue went towards mitigating the impact of COVID-19. In 2022
members actively participated in decisions around excess revenue distribution.
BCCM supports cooperatives with their sustainability programs
The cooperative and mutual sector can significantly impact the pursuit of SDGs in Australia andbeyond. However, this requires an intentional, long-term and sustained strategy within eachorganisation. To this end, the Business Council of Cooperatives and Mutuals (BCCM) has been
undertaking work to help cooperatives implement the SDGs – including providing forums forcooperatives and mutuals to collaborate and share knowledge.
The BCCM has developed a policy on climate action for the cooperative sector. It has also
developed a new online, internationally accredited training course[3] to help cooperatives develop
a sustainability strategy. Considered to be the first approach to accredited sustainability trainingthat focuses on the needs of cooperatives specifically, the “Sustainability Strategy for Cooperatives and Mutuals” course challenges cooperatives to demonstrate best practices insustainability.
Through its commitment to Cooperative Principle 5 (education, training and information), theBCCM is ensuring that cooperatives are equipped to generate tangible results and provide
leadership in their respective industries, allowing them to be part of the worldwide movement
towards achieving the SDGs.
References
1. https://bccm.coop/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/BCCM-Leading-Resilience-Report.pdf
2. https://www.cbh.com.au/community/cbh-grass-roots-leadership-short-course
3. https://bccm.coop/training/sustainability-strategy-for-co-operatives-and-mutuals/

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From Lectures to Lunch: SDGs
Initiatives at Yokohama City
University Coop
Student Committee, National Federation of University Cooperative Associations (NFUCA), JapanNFUCA is the National Federation of University Cooperatives in Japan, implementing joint
activities locally and at national universities. University cooperatives are registered and operated
under the Consumers’ Livelihood Cooperative Society Law and membership consists of current
students, graduate students, faculty, staff, and coop staff of respective universities.
The Seagull Cafeteria, which is managed by the university cooperative at Yokohama City
University (YCU), has introduced a menu that includes Sustainable Seafood. It is the first
university in Japan to do so. The seafood offered at the cafeteria adheres to the Marine
Stewardship Council/ Aquaculture Stewardship Council (MSC/ASC) Chain of Custody
Certification. This initiative is expected to contribute to the achievement of SDG 14 (Life Below
Water) which aims to conserve and sustainably use the ocean, sea, and marine resources.
The implementation of the Sustainable Seafood menu was conceived and executed by TEHs, astudent organization at YCU that is actively promoting initiatives on SDGs within the university.
THEs students wanted to apply what they learned in class and inspire other students to take aninterest in the SDGs by eating sustainable seafood. The YCU Coop, recognizing the potential of
the project, collaborated with TEHs to make it a reality. By offering a Sustainable Seafood menu,
the cafeteria not only provides students with healthy and environmentally conscious food options
but also educates them on the importance of sustainable seafood consumption.
According to Mr. Hiroki Takenouchi, theExecutive Director of YCU Coop, thecollaboration with TEHs was crucial in
executing the project. The students’eagerness to put their knowledge into
practice and promote the SDGs was adriving factor in YCU Coop’s decision towork with them. Mr. Takenouchi statedthat YCU Coop was confident that they
could sustain their collaboration with
TEHs and hence agreed to cooperatewith them. The success of this initiative
demonstrates the effectiveness ofstudent-led initiatives in promoting
sustainability on campus and beyond.
TEHs students, faculty member and the Executive Director of YNU
Coop

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After the students conceived and implemented the project, they were primarily responsible fordeveloping the menu that included Sustainable Seafood at the Seagull Cafeteria at YCU, which ismanaged by the university coop. To ensure that the seafood dishes were both appetizing andcost-effective, a tasting session was organized by the students in conjunction with YCU Coop to
review and refine the taste and cost of the menu. During this session, Mr. Takenouchi emphasized
the significance of maintaining a consistent price-to-cost ratio for the new menu items incomparison to the regular menu items. He pointed out that several students will only appreciate
the significance of Sustainable Seafood when it is both delicious and reasonably priced, and it wasnecessary for the YCU Coop to attentively consider the students’ feedback during the tasting
sessions. As a result, YCU Coop made adjustments to the selling price based on the cost andfeedback received during the tasting sessions, which allowed for the Sustainable Seafood menu to
be both accessible and affordable to students.

Sustainable Seafood Menu 1: Chikuwa Fish Paste
Salad

Sustainable Seafood Menu 2: Deep Fried
Seafood Rice Bowl

Mr. Takenouchi notes, “In May of 2022, we achieved a remarkable feat by launching a Sustainable
Seafood menu, which has earned us a place in history as the first university in Japan to do so. Ourcommitment to sustainable practices has been instrumental in enabling us to serve a total of
2,972 meals over the past year. Notably, our monthly cafeteria service and the University Festival
Hamadaisai have received significant appreciation and generated widespread discussions
throughout the campus.”
Their efforts have garnered media attention from prominent news outlets such as Nippon
Television and Kanagawa Shimbun. Furthermore, they participated in several noteworthy events
such as the Sea Expo in Yokohama and the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation(Miraikan). The culmination of the hard work was the selection of the project as a finalist in theU30 category of the 4th Japan Sustainable Seafood Award.
The YCU Coop views this project as an extremely valuable initiative since it allowed them to work
closely with a student organization that is dedicated to promoting the SDGs. The cafeteria, whichis conveniently located near its members, now offers sustainable seafood, which has been received
positively by its patrons.
Moving forward, “we are committed to continuing our partnership with our members in thedevelopment of improved cafeterias and co-op stores. This will provide students with
opportunities to put their knowledge into practice and take on new challenges, in line with our
vision of fostering a sustainable future”, says Mr. Takenouchi.

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NotesThe MSC/ASC Chain of Custody (CoC) Certification aims to prevent the improper mixing ofcertified and non-certified marine products during processing and distribution, ensuring proper
management of the supply chain.
Sustainable Seafood refers to seafood that is harvested and managed in an environmentallyconscious and responsible manner that takes into account the preservation of marine resources.
TEHs is a student organization at Yokohama City University dedicated to promoting awareness of
the SDGs both on and off campus by leveraging social media and participating in events outside
the campus.
References
Yokohama City University. Kokunai Daigaku-hatsu! Shokudō de MSC/ASC CoC Ninshō
Menyuu “Sastenaburu Shiifuud” no Teikyō wo Kaishi Shimasu. [online]. Available from:https://www.yokohama-cu.ac.jp/news/2022/20220506sasusiproject.html [Accessed 1
March 2023]
Circular Yokohama. “Kyō, Sasushii ni Shiteminai?” Yokohama Shiritsu Daigaku ga, Seikyo
Shokudō ni Sasutenaburu Shiifuudo wo Dōnyu Suru Made. [online]. Available from:https://circular.yokohama/2022/09/26/sustainable-seafood/# [Accessed 25 February2023]

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Social and Financial Education
Contribution to SDG 4: Case of
NATCCO Philippines
Lucky Lumingkewas, Aflatoun International and Lasalette M. Gumban, NATCCO
Some parts of this article were taken from the Coop Youth as Change Makers: Manual for Financial
Literacy for Youth.

Aflatoun International – Social Franchise Model
Aflatoun International’s mission is to socially and economically empower children and young
people to make a positive change for a more equitable world. Aflatoun is not a typical NGO,
employing the social franchise model has allowed it to develop, roll out and replicate programmes
through a partner network of 300+ organisations (including cooperatives, NGOs, CSOs, theprivate sector and governments) that implement these programmes in over 100 countries. The
dynamic, bottom-up network of interlinked partner organisations is based on reciprocal
empowerment. It is a flexible low-cost/ high-impact model with strong South-South cooperation,building resilience amongst children and youth. Aflatoun creates high-quality curricula fordifferent age groups, which can be contextualised to local needs or specific circumstances andrealities. Aflatoun also provides educators with training and conducts research to evaluate thequality and effectiveness of its programmes.
Social and Financial Education CurriculumChildren aged 6-14 years old form a group that has not received much attention in the context ofsocial and financial education. Aflatoun is an easy-to-use life skills curriculum which targets thisage group in a very unique way. It focuses on children of primary school age since new attitudes
and behaviour are formed during this time. Along with acquiring literacy, it is essential for children
to acquire attitudes and skills. Aflatoun International believes that combining economic
empowerment and social education can lead to holistic and sustainable development.
Aflatoun’s social and financial education curriculum is built on the principle that everyone’s
personal, social and economic lives are interconnected. The programme should be taught in aholistic manner to enable children to pursue their goals. Social and financial education is also atool which has the potential to help countries achieve the SDGs. Using active learning methods,
Aflatoun International improves the attitude of children towards education.
Aflatoun Movement and the Cooperative Movement in the Philippines: Brief History
Aflatoun 's first engagement with the cooperative movement was with NATCCO Philippines backin 2006. In 2005, NATCCO Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mr. Cresente C. Paez, attended Aflatoun
International conference in Amsterdam. Upon learning about Aflatoun in that meeting, Mr. Paez
saw it as a perfect opportunity to strengthen the existing savings program of cooperatives.

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“It was aimed at empowering poor children (both rural and urban settings) by giving them indepth awareness of their rights (according to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child) and
responsibilities, with financial education rooted in ethical values, and embedded in the
curriculum,” Mr. Paez recalls. An active participant in that Aflatoun meeting, the charisma andbrilliance of Mr. Paez earned the much-needed nod of the international funders in the meeting tosupport Aflatoun and which helped lay the foundation of the program across the world.
Aflatoun, Cooperatives, and the SDG
Quality and relevance of education – Over 250 million primary-school-age children around theworld are not able to read, write or count well enough to meet minimum learning standards,
including those to the post-2015 agenda with a special focus on early reading. Learning to read!
But what are children going to learn once they can read? Schools are struggling to keep up with
rapidly changing job markets, and children and youth are exposed to more financial decisions ofgreater complexity at an increasingly early age. Education needs to change so that future
graduates are better equipped to face global challenges such as poverty, inequality, youth
unemployment, migration and protection of the environment. Social and financial education cancontribute greatly to children’s and youth’s abilities to empower themselves.
For
cooperatives
andAflatoun,sustainability is among the corecomponents that are embedded in theirvision, mission, goals, and objectives.
Aflatoun teaches children and young
people about the importance of local andglobal issues as they actively involve
themselves in schools, cooperatives, andcommunity activities. Cooperatives offer
a myriad of learning and involvement
opportunities for children and youth—from environmental campaigns toentrepreneurship projects—that harness
the awareness and capacities of young
people to become change-makers.
Aflatoun Day Celebrations (Image courtesy: Aflatoun.org)

The Aflatoun Program directly contributes to the advancement of four of the 17 SDGs i.e. SDG 1(No Poverty), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) and SDG 10(Reduced Inequalities).
Contribution to SDG 4: Quality Education
When the Philippines’ Department of Education (DepEd) shifted to the K to 12 Program in 2016,
NATCCO and Aflatoun International saw it as an opportune time to strengthen their partnershipwith DepEd and contribute more actively to ensuring the K to 12 Program’s success.
A tripartite Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) among DepEd, NATCCO, and Aflatoun
International was signed on June 16, 2016, and became the basis for NATCCO’s and Aflatoun’s
inclusion as members of the Technical Working Group for the Financial Literacy Program of the
DepEd. The MOA guides the DepEd, NATCCO, and Aflatoun partnership in promoting social
education, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship lessons in relevant courses in the K to 12
education system, and is made available in four Philippine languages for grades 1 to 3. With thesedevelopments, the years of advocacy work and stakeholder engagement of NATCCO and Aflatoun
finally led to these two organizations’ official presence in the DepEd system.

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One of the key areas of reform in the K to 12 Program is being able to respond to different learningneeds and the inclusion of relevant life skills to develop holistic learners. This is at the core of
DepEd’s global commitment to Goal 4, ensuring quality and inclusive education for all learners.
SDG 4 aims at providing equal access to affordable training and eliminating gender and wealthdisparities with the aim of achieving universal access to quality education. The Goal reaffirms thebelief that education is one of the most powerful and proven vehicles for sustainable development.
Aflatoun’s child-centred methodology improves the attitude of children toward education by
providing practical platforms to actualize learning. Financial education taught in schools is not atheoretical concept because there is a practicum that gives the learners first-hand experience inthe concepts of savings, planning, and entrepreneurship. Through the schools’ partnership withthe cooperatives, savings will mean not only knowing the difference between needs from wants
but actually implementing it by owning an Aflatoun savings account. With its enormous potential
to grow, the savings account becomes the springboard for future entrepreneurial projects.

Children International Philippines, partner of Aflatoun International
implementing the Aflatot, Aflatoun & Aflateen programme in 2017.
(Picture credits: Twitter.com/Aflatoun

The teachers’ training provided by
Aflatoun equipped the teachers further
as the Aflatoun training drives learners
toward improved learning outcomes. The
Aflatoun training emphasizes theimportance of child-centred learning toensure that learners’ needs, capacities,
and situations are at the centre of thelearning
process.
Aflatoun’s
methodologyof“Explore,Think,
Investigate, and Act” promotes criticalthinking, discovery, developing one’s
own opinions based on facts, andactualization of learning. This is verymuch in line with DepEd’s learning cycleof 4As - Activity (explore), Analysis(think), Abstraction (investigate), andApplication (act).

To support this goal, Aflatoun’s Teacher’s Guides are provided for free during the Teachers’
Training. The Teacher’s Guides are a rich source of methodologies, concepts, and knowledge tofurther enrich the learning experience inside and outside the classroom.
Benefit to NATCCO and its young future cooperative members
With its ardent belief in youth empowerment through cooperatives, NATCCO took on thechallenge of being the pioneer partner of Aflatoun in the Philippines. With NATCCO’s passionate
heart and tenacity to make a difference in the lives of children and young people, one school at atime, one Peso at a time, the flickering light of Aflatoun burst into a strong flame. More than 1,743
schools with 1.4 million students are in the Aflatoun network, and 8,255 teachers across thecountry actively implement Aflatoun. The teachers’ efforts translate to the inspiring financial
behaviour of the children. Through the years, the small yet consistent savings of Aflatoun kids
have reached PhP278 million—a testament to the fact that children, especially the poor, if given
the education and access, can save and can break the intergenerational cycle of poverty.

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The Social and Financial Education Program in Asia: The Way Forward
Currently, Aflatoun International works with partners in 16 different countries in the Asia Pacificcovering South Asia i.e. Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India; East Asia i.e. China,
Mongolia; South East Asia i.e. Thailand, Lao, Cambodia, Myanmar, Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia,
Vietnam; and Pacific i.e. Papua New Guinea.
One major initiative that is currently ongoing in this region is curriculum integration of social andfinancial education within the national/state/province level curriculum. It's been ongoing in Nepal,
Pakistan (Sindh and Balochistan), India (Andhra Pradesh), Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Laos andIndonesia. We work with the Ministry of Education in those countries through our local partners.
Conclusion
Aflatoun International is hoping that the NATCCO case can be replicated also in different
countries in Asia. Aflatoun International has been an official advocacy partner of ICA-AP since2019 and is always open to exploring partnerships with national-level umbrella cooperative
organizations in any country in Asia and the Pacific and pushing forward SDG 4 on Quality
Education together.
References
Aflatoun International (2017). Bridging the gap: evidence brief 2017. Aflatoun International.

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Carbon Neutral Agriculture in
Korea
National Agriculture Cooperative Federation, Korea/ International Cooperative Agriculture
Organization

Agricultural activities (crop and livestock production for food) are major contributors to global
Green House Gas (GHG) through methane (CH₄) and Nitrogen Oxide (N₂O) emissions. Achievingcarbon neutrality (net-zero) by 2050 has become a global priority following the Paris Agreement
and the Climate Summits and National policy agendas are rapidly shifting to focus on carbon
neutrality. In Korea, the agriculture food system with intricate linkages between production,
consumption, disposal and more contributes an estimated 20% of national GHG emissions. Korea
has adopted the First and Second Climate Action Masterplans and the 2030 Roadmap for National
Greenhouse Gas Reduction. Korea’s agricultural sector with the National Agriculture Cooperative
Federation (NACF) at the lead is taking action on carbon-neutral agriculture by building a solid
foundation of low-carbon agriculture, promoting digital transformation in agriculture, and seeking
sustainable agriculture management.
Agriculture Food System and GHG
Agricultural activities (crop and livestock production for food) account for 47% of all methane and
58% of all nitrous oxide emissions (IPC, 2007). The impact of methane and nitrous oxide
emissions on global warming is 28 times and 265 times that of carbon dioxide emissions,
respectively (IPCC, 2014). Agriculture and land use account for 18 to 29% of GHG emissions, which
increases to 21 to 37% when the global food system is included. The contribution to GHG happens
in a variety of ways:
Management practices on agricultural soils (such as the application of synthetic and organic
fertilizers)
Livestock (ruminants such as cattle) produce CH₄ as part of their normal digestive processes
Livestock manure treatment
Rice cultivation, burning crop residues etc.
Korea GHG emissions

Agricultural Activities and CO2 Emissions

Cooperatives’ Contribution to
SDGs: Achievements and Way
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In Korea, the average temperature overthe past 100 years (1911~2010) has risen
by 1.8°C, more than double the world
average of 0.75°C. In 2018, crops
accounted for 55.6% and livestock
44.4% of ag GHG emissions. Rice
farming is the biggest source ofagricultural GG emissions, accountingfor 20.7% of the total, followed byfarmland soils (25.8%), animal waste
processing (23.3%) and gastrointestinal
fermentation (21.1%).

41

However, when compared with 1990 figures, emissions from crop farming decreased by 22.3%
while emissions from livestock farming increased by 62%. This is due to a continued decline in rice
farming land and increases in livestock. When including energy used for necessities – machinery,buildings, greenhouses, barns, etc. – agricultural production contributes 4.5% of nationalemissions. The agriculture food system with intricate linkages between production, consumption,
disposal and more contributes an estimated 20% of national GHG emissions. There is a need toaddress the entire agrifood system to ensure GHS can be reduced from both supply and demandsides.
Policies to Reduce Agricultural GHG
In response to the new international climate change regime, the Korean government has adopted
the First and Second Climate Action Masterplans and the 2030 Roadmap for National Greenhouse
Gas Reduction. The national target is to cut 2030 GHG by 37% BAU levels (down 24.4% from 2017
emissions). The agricultural, livestock and fishery sector is targeted to be reduced by 27.1%
compared to 2018 by 2030 and 37.7% by 2050.

NACF’s Role for a Soft-Landing of Net-zero Agriculture
NACF if focusing on three areas to ensure soft-landing for framers towards the quest for net-zero
agriculture: 1) Building solid foundation of low-carbon agriculture, 2) Promoting digitaltransformation in agriculture, and 3) through Sustainable management.
Building Solid Foundation of Low-Carbon Agriculture
Agriculture: Establishing Sustainable, Eco-friendly Infrastructure
Development and distribution of NH-style SMART farm models best fitted for small andmedium-sized farms and young farmers
Expansion of handling of low-carbon agricultural and livestock products, and local foodExpansion of the supply of eco-friendly fertilizers, agricultural materials and machinery

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Livestock: Improving the Livestock Management and Manure-to-Energy
Reinforcement of resource and energy conversion of livestock manure
Enhancement of support of SMART livestock system
Development of low-methane(CH₄) feed to reduce the environmental burden
Expansion of supply of high-quality roughage
Farmers: Inducing Farmers’ Voluntary Low-Carbon Activities
Expansion of education and support for SMART farming
Encouraging farmers to voluntarily participate in eco-friendly agricultural practices

Promoting Digital Transformation in Agriculture
Expansion of SMART Farming Infrastructure
A smart farm education center, ‘Smart Agriculture Support Center’ led byagricultural/livestock cooperatives, provides various support measures for the early
dissemination and diffusion of smart agriculture
Distribution of a Digital Comprehensive Farming Platform
Application ‘Today Farming’ to provide the latest farming technique and education and attainimportant information for life in rural communities
SMART farm comprehensive support platform,
Data Infrastructure Construction
NACF’s big data platform, ‘N-Hub’ to provide internal and external data distribution, big data
analysis infrastructure

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Sustainable Management
Establishing Sustainable Management (ESG)
Establishment of ‘NH ESG Promotion Committee’ in 2021 and support of a soft-landing ofagriculture and farmers responding to climate change and contribute to achieving Net-zero
agriculture and Net-zero society at large
Operation of an ESG academy for heads of all agricultural/livestock cooperatives
Supporting for Net-zero, Sustainable Agriculture and Rural Areas
Expansion of renewable energy business using livestock manureParticipation in low-carbon cattle breeding method improvement policy project
Expansion of eco-friendly business (Electric vehicle charging infrastructure, low-carbon
product development such as no-label, recycled PET product, multi-use disposables, etc.)
Expansion of community-based welfare service for aged and vulnerable farmers
Agricultural waste collection campaign
Beautiful rural village development contest
Conclusion
Agriculture needs to contribute to achieving a carbon-neutral society through a low-input andlow-carbon agricultural transition. Carbon neutrality is a transformative opportunity for
agriculture to leap forward as an eco-friendly industry with great future potential by actively
adopting low-carbon agricultural innovation and technologies. South Korea’s agriculture
cooperatives are committed to working with the government, farmers, and the private sector tovoluntarily engage farmers in the transition to carbon-neutral (Net-zero) agriculture and support
them to make better choices for the environment and society.
References
Global Trend of Carbon Neutrality and South Korea’s Agricultural Policy
Carbon Neutral Agriculture: Innovation and Strategy, A Case of Korean Agriculture.
Presentation made during the 2022 Conference on Demand vs. Opportunities in Cooperative
Business: Bridging the Gap through Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure (SDG 9)

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COOP Dialogue 4 - June 2023

9, Aradhana Enclave,
Sector-13, R. K. Puram
New Delhi-110066

ICAAsiaandPacific+91-11-26888067

ICA Asia and Pacific+91-11-26888250

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info@icaap.coop

icaasiapacificwww.icaap.coop

International Cooperative
Alliance - Asia & Pacific