Linking food sovereignty and social economy: rebalancing farmers’ position and addressing power relations in multi-stakeholder food cooperatives

Multi-stakeholder cooperatives (MSCs) are a powerful tool for food system transformation. Their key strength lies in their ability to bring together diverse actors, foster a shared vision, and facilitate agreement among groups of stakeholders with varying and sometimes conflicting interests. However, power imbalances are an inherent challenge within MSCs. Addressing these imbalances is critical to ensure collaboration and avoid the risk of capture by dominant interests. Drawing on the experiences of the three largest MSCs in the southern region of Belgium, this paper fills an important research gap by documenting practical ways to effectively rebalance farmers’ position in agri-food MSCs. From a governance perspective, farmers can be considered actors with “low power” relative to other stakeholders in MSCs. This study documents three innovative governance mechanisms that MSCs can employ to safeguard the interests of farmers. It also identifies six critical factors that enhance the ability of MSCs to address power imbalances, thereby promoting more inclusive and equitable governance. This paper makes a significant contribution by showing that mapping and addressing power imbalances within MSCs is not only essential for food system transformation but is also achievable and effective.