An analysis of the agricultural cooperative system in Karlovac County

U Hrvatskoj, zadrugarstvo se razvilo s ciljem ostvarivanja specifičnih društvenih ciljeva, okupljajući članove s istim interesima unutar takvih zadruga. Zadrugarstvo je pokazalo svoju vrijednost u stvaranju i održavanju radnih mjesta, pridonoseći promicanju pristojnog rada i ostvarivanju ciljeva održivog razvoja u Hrvatskoj. Međutim, analiza zadrugarstva i njegovog razvoja u Hrvatskoj pokazuje slabu perspektivu rasta, s tendencijom smanjenja broja zadruga i zaposlenih u njima. Zadrugarstvo u Hrvatskoj gubi snagu koju je nekad imalo zbog povezivanja s prošlim socijalističkim sustavom te nedostatka svijesti o društvenoj koristi koju donosi. Jedan primjer zadrugarstva je Poljoprivredna zadruga Zelena Polja, koja okuplja branitelje i poljoprivrednike na području Karlovca. Udruživanjem svojih interesa, članovi zadruga uspješnije prodaju svoje poljoprivredne proizvode nego što bi to mogli samostalno. Unatoč relativno kratkom postojanju na lokalnom karlovačkom tržištu, zadruga bilježi povećanje broja članova i financijskih uspjeha, posebno tijekom pandemije kada nije pretrpjela gubitke. Njihova buduća usmjerenost leži u širenju na nacionalno i međunarodno tržište, gdje potencijalni kupci mogu prepoznati visoku kvalitetu poljoprivrednih proizvoda karlovačkih poljoprivrednika.In Croatia, cooperatives have developed with the aim of achieving certain social goals by uniting members with the same interests in these cooperatives. Cooperatives have proven their value in creating and maintaining jobs and contribute to the promotion of decent work and the achievement of sustainable development goals in Croatia. However, the analysis of the cooperative system and its development in Croatia shows a weak growth perspective with the tendency that the number of cooperatives and their employees is decreasing. Cooperatives in Croatia are losing the strength they once had because they are associated with the former socialist system and the social benefits they offer are not recognized. One example of a cooperative is the Zelena Polja agricultural cooperative, which brings together veterans and farmers in the Karlovac region. By pooling their interests, cooperative members are able to sell their agricultural products more successfully than they could on their own. Despite its relatively short existence on the local market in Karlovac, the cooperative saw an increase in membership and financial success, especially during the pandemic when it did not suffer any losses. Its future direction lies in expanding to the national and international markets, where potential customers can recognize the high quality of agricultural products produced by farmers from the Karlovac region