Meet the Member: OR-KOOP (Turkey) Date : 2015-08-17 Views : 5926



OR-KOOP
Forest villages are located very far from cities. Their living conditions are severe and the forest villagers have low-incomes, about one quarter of the national average. Their main income comes from working in the forest and a very small amount of their income comes from few agricultural activities. They don’t own large agricultural land to make farming a main source of income. Forestry work, however, lasts no more than 5 months, mostly in winter and under very hard working conditions.
Forest co-operatives create employment opportunities for cooperative members in Turkey’s forests. Almost 60% of the total timber production in Turkey is carried out through the cooperatives every year. This income is very important for the villagers’ living conditions in the forest.
The foundation of OR-KOOP was legally realized on July 11, 1997 with a foundation partnership of seven Forestry Cooperative Regional Unions. In July 2012, OR-KOOP Central Union with its 3,000 member Cooperatives attached to 28 Regional Unions with 318,005 members, is continuing to develop as a democratic public movement defending the economical and social rights of the forest villagers.
OR-KOOP fulfills a variety of roles to forest villagers. First, OR-KOOP provides financial assistance to co-operative members whenever occupational accidents occur. At the same time, the cooperative organizations sell or help market non-wood forest products and agricultural products produced by cooperative members.
OR-KOOP is one of the main active agriculture cooperative in Turkey. OR-KOOP gives support to the national cooperative movement and works to solve problems. OR-KOOP strives for the development of cooperative relations and cooperation between cooperatives both domestically and internationally.
OR-KOOP objectives:
• Ensure sustainable development in rural areas
• Improve the welfare of members
• Protect the environment by building a respectful work environment
• Contribute to local and national economy
• Cooperate among cooperatives to produce solutions to economic and social problems
• Cooperate in the world to contribute to the sharing of experience
• Contribute to the development of the cooperative movement
OR-KOOP has held 18 General Assemblies and opened a new building on July 29, 2015 in Ankara. Delegates discussed important issues at the General Assembly and made new decisions in accordance with the objectives of OR-KOOP. OR-KOOP knows that cooperatives contribute to the solution of global problems in the world, and in Turkey, that begins in the forests.