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In Spain, the interests of farmers are represented by an enormous range of associative
forms, making farming the sector with the largest number of organizations within the
economy. Cooperatives, chambers of agriculture, farmers’ unions, organizations of
producers of a specific commodity, irrigation communities, federations of cooperatives,
local organizations for farmers of mountainous regions, and farmers’ assurance mutuals
are but some examples of this diversity. Many of these organizations, such as the
cooperatives, the chambers of agriculture or the irrigation communities, have their
origins in the past, dating back to the old institutions created in the late 19th and early
20th century which have continued to function uninterrupted despite the political
changes taking place in Spain in the last century. Others, such as the agricultural
cooperatives or the organizations of producers were founded in response to the policies
of agricultural modernization developed in the last middle of the 20th century, especially
following Spain’s entry into the European Union in 1986. Finally, farmers’ unions have
their origins in the early 20th century too, but contrary cooperatives they were
suppressed during the Francoist regime (1939-1977). |
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