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Significance of co-operation to agriculture in Finland

1950; Scientific Agricultural Society of Finland; Volume: 22; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.23986/afsci.71283

1795-1895

Seppo Simonen,

Agricultural Economics and Policy

1949 can be considered an anniversary in the history of Finnish Co-operation.Exactly half a century has passed since the start of the movement.In February, 1899, the possibility of introducing on Finnish soil the new form of economic collaboration learnt from abroad, Co-operation, was discussed by certain circles repre- sentative of the Finnish educated classes, and within that year words were translat- ed into deeds.At a meeting on October 2 a new organisation covering the entire country was established and styled Pellervo, The Society For The Promotion of Co-operation Among The Agricultural Population Of Finland.This organisation, the name of which was subsequently changed to Pellervo-Seura (The Pellervo Society), made it its first task to effect the passing of a special Co-operation Act, which entered into force in Autumn 1901.Immediately afterwards The Pellervo Society Was able to initiate its work proper, the establishment of co-operative societ- ies to serve the requirements of the farmers in the various parts of the country.This work was carried on by the Society for some twenty years under the leadership of its founder, Professor Hannes Gebhard, who has been given the honorary title of the »Father of Finnish Co-operation» (16).It is fairly easy to decide which lines of agricultural production, during the past fifty years, have been most perceptibly affected by Co-operation.There is hardly any doubt that milk and dairy economy and agricultural credits have bene- fitted most, relatively speaking, from Co-operation.In the latter half of the 19th century production of grain both in overseas count- ries and in Russia began to grow rapidly, and before long a stream of cheap foreign grain flowed into the European countries.Finland too became a recipient, and, particularly in the late 1880's the profitability of domestic grain growing became doubtful.At the same time the possibility of placing increasing quantities of butter on the English market both necessitated and made possible a complete reversal in the trend of agricultural production in Finland.The 1890's, then, were characteris- ed by a noticeable decline in the cultivation of bread grains, by a corresponding