Why do cooperatives fail? Blind spots in agricultural devoloping cooperatives and their relationship to failure

WHY DO COOPERATIVES FAIL? BLIND SPOTS IN AGRICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT COOPERATIVES AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP TO FAILURE The blind spot factors leading to the failure of agricultural development cooperatives, which constitute the focus of this study, were analyzed based on interviews conducted with 13 individuals, including members, managers of six agricultural development cooperatives, and local residents. The period emphasized in this thesis spans from post-1960 urbanization to the post-2000 rural repopulation period. The research was conducted in five districts of Sivas and focused on six cooperatives that operated between 1985 and 2023, with lifespans ranging from 7 to 26 years. These cooperatives have either ceased operations, suspended activities, entered liquidation processes, or continue to operate while facing managerial challenges. The study analyzes the operational processes of agricultural development cooperatives, including their objectives, member profiles, management and decision-making processes, production capabilities, environmental and external influences, areas of conflict, participants' perceptions of cooperatives, the historical and current state of cooperatives. Additionally, the study examines the underlying factors—remaining within blind spots—that prevent the ability to anticipate issues contributing to failure. The study examines the extent and priority of issues overlooked during the establishment phase of cooperatives—topics that remained outside the focus of entrepreneurs—and how these issues manifested in each cooperative analyzed. Additionally, it explores the impact of these factors on the failure of the cooperatives. Key Words: Cooperatives, blind spots, failure, locality, community development.