Farmers' cooperatives and sustainable food systems in Europe / created by Raquel Ajates Gonzalez.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Introducing agricultural cooperatives in the context of a failing food system: context, clashing definitions, principles and typologies -- Past and present: the evolution of agricultural cooperatives in Europe from the 1800s to the 21st century -- Theorising cooperativism and food sustainability: disciplinary, thematic and chronological streams -- Why methods and theory matter when studying cooperativism and sustainability in food and farming: from critical approaches to crystalisation -- Experts' views on the European policy context: the price of remaining competitive and certifiying sustainability -- Country cases, UK and Spain: from workers' union to the European Union -- Consolidation of the agricultural cooperative sector: from Farmway to Mole Valley Farm and Anecoop in the sea of plastic -- Emerging models of cooperation in food and farming: multi-stakeholder cooperatives -- Third spaces: fighting the cooperative corner and interrogating the alterity of emerging cooperative models -- Theoretical implications: a new integrated framework for deconstructing agricultural cooperatives -- Conclusions: implications for agricultural cooperatives, food policy and alternative food initiatives.