Cooperative Contributions to SDG 2: Zero Hunger — New Policy Brief Published by COPAC and ICA
A new policy brief, "Building a Better World Together: Cooperative Contributions to the SDGs — End Hunger, Achieve Food Security and Improved Nutrition and Promote Sustainable Agriculture," has been published jointly by COPAC and the International Co-operative Alliance (ICA), together with its regional and sectoral organisations including ICAO.

This brief highlights how cooperatives worldwide are building resilient and inclusive food systems by addressing structural barriers to food security — from fragmented production and weak bargaining power to post-harvest losses and unequal access to markets, finance, and technology. With 673 million people still experiencing hunger in 2024, the brief underscores the critical role cooperatives play as institutional solutions for advancing SDG 2.
 

ICAO's Contribution to the Brief
ICAO played an important role in ensuring that the voices and experiences of agricultural cooperatives were well represented in this global publication. Several case studies featured in the brief come directly from ICAO member organisations:

Brazil — Agricultural cooperatives bringing together over one million rural producers, the majority family farmers, contributing substantially to national staple food production in grains, dairy, and beans (OCB/Brazilian cooperative system).
 

Japan — The systematic input cost reduction programme launched by Japan's agricultural cooperative federations (JA Group), which consolidated purchasing across 496 primary cooperatives serving 3.89 million farmer members, reducing fertiliser brands from 550 to 24 and lowering machinery costs by 10–30% through joint procurement.
 

Republic of Korea — NACF's Nongshim Cheonsim ("Farmers' Will is Heaven's Will") movement, an integrated cooperative framework coordinating retail networks, domestic food consumption campaigns, rural regeneration, and smart farming technologies for 2.1 million farmers.
 

Poland — The National Cooperative Council's advocacy leading to the 2019 Act on Counteracting Food Waste, with dairy, meat-processing, and bakery cooperatives developing tailored logistics to redirect near-expiration food to social welfare centres and food banks.

These case studies demonstrate the diversity and scale of cooperative approaches to fighting hunger — from input cost reduction and market integration to food waste prevention and national food system resilience.
 

Jungsik Jung, Agricultural Sector Adviser at the ICA Global Office on secondment from NACF (Republic of Korea), served as a liaison in coordinating ICAO member contributions to this publication.
 

The brief also presents five key policy recommendations, calling on governments and international organisations to institutionalise cooperatives within food security frameworks, establish enabling legal environments, scale blended finance for cooperative infrastructure, strengthen capacity with a gender-transformative focus, and build evidence and partnerships to scale cooperative impact.​