Food deserts are not just an urban problem; indeed, 75 percent of the nation’s food-insecure counties are decidedly rural, desperate for fresh food despite rich natural assets and farmland. In Athens County, Ohio, nearly one in five residents lack sufficient access to nutritious and affordable food. For children, the rate is 24 percent, double the […]
Can Our Nation’s Food Co-ops Meet the Twin Challenges of Market Success and Racial Equity?
“Compete, respond, and lead,” urged Doug O’Brien, president and CEO of the National Cooperative Business Association (NCBA), as he moderated the opening panel of this year’s national conference of food co-ops, the Consumer Cooperative Management Association conference, better known as CCMA2019. The CCMA conference has been held annually since 1980. This year’s conference in June brought hundreds of food co-op managers, […]