Webinar – Farmer-Led Solutions: Investing in Cooperatives for a Changing Climate
On March 18, Minnesota Farmers Union Foundation (MFUF) hosted a webinar featuring farmers, cooperative developers and program evaluators to explore the importance of cooperative development as a strategy for long-term community stability. View the recording of Farmer-Led Solutions: Investing in Cooperatives for a Changing Climate.
During the webinar, MFUF shared the vision and design behind the innovative Cooperatives for Climate grant program and featured grant recipients discussing lessons learned from launching new cooperatives and the critical role of early-stage funding. In addition, evaluation specialists from Collectivity presented findings from a recent program evaluation, including recommendations for future investment in cooperative infrastructure.
“People are really out of practice doing democratic processes… we need to be talking about cooperatives and give people a chance to participate in meetings where we make decisions together… What we have found is that farmers like us are also really desperate for community, and cooperatives answer that problem too because now you are facing challenges together as a group… There are definitely challenges but also I think that there is a need for cooperatives right now in particular.”
Hannah Bernhardt, East Central Livestock
The evaluation report, Cooperative Development and Climate Resilience, identified five recommendations to further cooperative development:
- Invest in Technical Assistance
- Develop & Circulate Tools
- Coordinate Grant Opportunities
- Connect Co-ops
- Promote the Cooperative Model
The Cooperatives for Climate program offers a compelling proof of concept: targeted, place-based investments in cooperative development can unlock lasting, farmer-led climate solutions while strengthening local economies.
Stay engaged in the cooperative movement by attending the Second Annual Minnesota Cooperative Summit: Meeting the Moment, hosted in Duluth on July 28-29, 2026.
Cooperatives for Climate is a grant program to empower farmer-led cooperatives to build capacity for organizing business that leads climate action.