Some projects are simply too large to be undertaken by individuals, requiring economies of scale to allow for efficient production or requiring group participation to ensure success. This is where the cooperative movement continues to play a key role in the evolution of economically disadvantaged populations. Today, over 730 million people are engaged in cooperative enterprises through credit unions, agricultural cooperatives and retail co-ops, among others. Uniting individual producers or service workers in cooperative or collaborative enterprises can provide individuals with the same benefits that larger institutions afford. For rice producers in central Thailand, cooperation allows them to produce organic rice in quantities large enough to make export to Europe economically feasible.
Cooperative action can also yield political clout.
The Thai Holistic Health Foundation's lobbying against restrictions on natural products would not have been as effective if it hadn't represented a substantial community of producers, distributors and retailers. Jaworski's efforts and those of his colleagues on behalf of the Strug Valley Association convinced local government to match the community's contributions for rural telephone service. Creating Superior Value Cooperatives, like any other corporation, must provide superior value if they are to succeed. Since competition on price alone is increasingly difficult in our globalizing economy, the focus of social entrepreneurs is to find the right markets where they can offer an improved product and distribution for a higher price. In Poland, Chmielnik Springs offers direct distribution of farm fresh products to Polish townspeople, who are also willing to pay more for fresh, largely organic produce delivered to the door.