Our first completed case study explores the governance and operations of La Centrale Agricole. Based in the heart of Montreal, La Centrale Agricole is a non-profit cooperative organization that brings together agriculturally based organizations to work with one another using a model of circularity. This case study demonstrates the many benefits of a cooperative and circular model as we consider its application in Atlantic Canada.
Why a Cooperative?
The Coop has eighteen agricultural businesses housed within a central urban hub. Benefits of La Centrale Agricole’s cooperative structure include distributing overhead costs across members, improving power for lobbying and advocacy, and facilitating the development of networks among owners and members.
Why Circularity?
Centrale Agricole is committed to supporting Montreal’s ecological transition to a circular economic system. Within the cooperative, La Centrale Agricole coordinates thirty-five synergistic relationships among organizations. For example, byproducts and waste of one manufacturer or process could become feedstock for another, and resources remain at their highest productive value for as long as possible.
Transferable to Atlantic Canada
Ongoing research will explore whether a cooperative, circular model makes sense for one aspect of the flax fibre to fabric value chain (e.g., a spinning cooperative) or across various aspects (e.g., growers, scutchers, and spinners). The model supports both for-profit and not-for-profit organizations, with flexibility and growth built into the structure, which is especially important to rural and remote growers, processors, and artisans in the region.
