생활협동조합의 경제적 역할 분석 - 친환경농산물의 가격 수준과 변동성을 중심으로-

With '2012 International year of Cooperatives' by the United Nations (UN), and supplying the eco-friendly agricultural products like Chinese cabbages with a very competitive price, social attentions to Consumer Cooperatives(CCs) increased as a alternative economic and social model. Compared to normal considerable distribution whose pricing is decided by demand and supply in market, CCs productions which cultivated with demand-based contract and distributed with low logistics cost are competitive in price and price-stabilization. Although distribution scale of agricultural productions by CCs is very small as an alternative economic model, CCs can give considerable meanings for the agricultural policy in deciding prices and price-stabilization, profit sharing between consumers and producers. Comparing monthly prices of 18 eco-friendly agricultural products at iCOOP Korea with those of agricultural products generally distributed in hypermarkets during 2009~2011, average prices of CCs are cheaper than those of discount stores by about 30%. The volatility of prices is almost same. But comparing volatility with general agriculture produce of the big chain store, CCs is more stable. Despite of CCs' excellent pricing features, CCs have some realistic limitations like slight distribution scale, fewer production categories, difficult accessibility to stores, and reliability issue about eco-friendly agricultural production. So, to share merits of CCs socially, government should carefully review policy funds and taxation system relevant to CCs or agricultural productions, and reconcile government policy with CCs.