농협은 지속할 수 있는가?: 지방소멸과 기후변화시대,농협의 앵커기관 역할과 지속가능성 관점에서

This study aims to comprehensively review the research related to farmers’ motivations for participating in agricultural cooperatives and the growth of these cooperatives. Additionally, it will propose new roles and sustainable growth strategies for agricultural cooperatives in the era of regional depopulation and climate change. Specifically, using the mitigation and adaptation methods presented by resource dependence theory, this study suggests strategies to manage population decline and climate change. Mitigation means methods that prevent the deterioration of the current state, while adaptation means methods that enable agricultural cooperatives to achieve sustainable growth in response to environmental changes. These strategies assume close cooperation from agricultural cooperatives, the government, and local autonomous entities and, with stakeholder collaboration, anticipate long-term operation. From the institutional theory perspective, this study proposes that agricultural cooperatives expand their role as anchor institutions, acting as government and local municipality agents, in addition to managing existing economic and credit businesses. It is expected that agricultural cooperatives’ mitigation and adaptation strategies and their anchor agency role in responding to increased ecological uncertainties (e.g., climate change and population decline due to local extinction) will provide useful theoretical and practical implications for academic researchers, policymakers, and managerial and working-level officials with decision-making authority in agricultural cooperatives.