Book Project and Workshop: Cooperatives in Natural Resource Management

The Young Scholar Initiative (YSI) Cooperative working group was invited to partner with the Africa Cooperative Institute of South Africa (ACI-SA) in organising a young scholar workshop as part of its 2023 Conference on Cooperatives and the Solidarity Economy (CCSE). The Young Scholar Workshop will precede the main conference to be held in Johannesburg South Africa in November 2023. The YSI, in partnership with ACI-SA, will organise a series of write-shops to support the young scholars in drafting abstracts and developing them into full manuscripts. Established academics will anchor the write-shops. The workshop will culminate in helping the young scholars to share lessons learned through the write-shop with their peers, network with established academics and finalise their manuscripts. The manuscripts will be published as an edited volume by a leading publishing house.

Theme
The cooperative movement is an important development in modern history. The cooperative model provides a social organisation model that advances inclusive, member-centred and democratic structure that advances members’ needs. They play an important role in role creation, livelihoods, building of social capital and providing services to millions of people worldwide. However, the potential contribution of cooperatives to managing natural resources remains under-explored. Around the world, natural resources such as forests, water, grazing fields, fisheries and wildlife are important livelihoods for millions of people and ecosystem health. However, unsustainable practices, including over-exploitation, pollution, and the rinsing impacts of climate change degrade and deplete these resources and threaten the livelihoods and well-being of dependent communities and the planet's future. Competition over depleting resources sometimes leads to conflict. These challenges call for novel approaches and understanding of the roles of cooperatives in managing natural resources. Because of their principles and values, cooperatives are positioned for the sustainable management of natural resources. By pooling members’ resources, knowledge, and expertise, cooperatives can address the challenges associated with natural resource management and promote conservation, preservation, and sustainable use of natural resources. Cooperative’s principle of democratic member control also ensures an equitable sharing of the benefits of natural resources among members.

This book project and conference aims to advance the body of knowledge on the roles of cooperatives in sustainable natural resource management. The project welcomes contributions across disciplines, including public policy, community development, ecological science, economics, sociology, anthropology, political science, and conflict transformation. Submissions must be original, unpublished, and not being considered for publication elsewhere. We welcome innovative contributions that draw on theoretical/empirical work on the following themes:

Themes
• The role of cooperatives in the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources
• The contributions of cooperatives to the resolution of conflicts related to natural resource management.
• The impact of cooperatives on the livelihoods and well-being of communities and the ecosystems they depend on.
• The opportunities and challenges for establishing and sustaining cooperatives in natural resource management.
• The potential of cooperatives in promoting sustainable use of natural resources in food and livestock production
• Cooperative law and natural resource management

Submission guideline
• Abstracts should be between 250 to 300 words
• Abstracts must be submitted in MS Word, using Arial font, size 12, and 1.5 line spacing.
• All submissions must include the name of the author(s) and affiliation.
Sumissions must be sent to the WG's mail: coop@youngscholarsinitiative.org
NB Young Scholars with abstacts accepted will be offered accommodation at the conference and partial travel stipend depending on the region they will be travelling from.

Review process
• All abstracts will be submitted to double-blind peer-review
• Authors of accepted abstracts will be invited to develop their papers into full manuscripts.
• The YSI, in partnership with ACI-SA, will organise a series of write-shops to support the young scholars in drafting their abstracts and developing their abstracts into full manuscripts. Established academics will anchor the write-shops
• Young scholars who submit their full manuscript by the due date will be sponsored to attend a young scholar workshop as part of the 2023 CCSE in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Important dates
• Abstract submission opens: 20 March 2023
• Abstract submission closing date: 12 May 2023
• Decision on abstracts: 19 May
• Submission of full manuscripts: 17 August 2023
• Feedback on full manuscripts: 10 September
• Submission of revised manuscripts: 10 October 2023
• Young Scholar Workshop: 01 November 2023