Agri-food cooperatives in the European scientific literature in the period 2005-2024

• Juliá-Igual, Juan F. ^[1] ; López-Becerra, Erasmo I. ^[1] ; Meliá-Martí, Elena ^[1]
  1. [1] Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

     Universidad Politécnica de Valencia

     Valencia, España

     
• Localización: CIRIEC - España. Revista de economía pública, social y cooperativa, ISSN 0213-8093, Nº. 114, 2025 (Ejemplar dedicado a: Avances y perspectivas en la agenda de investigación en economía social), págs. 163-196
• Idioma: español
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• Resumen

  • Cooperativism is a topic of growing academic interest due to its role in the competitiveness and sustainability of the agri-food sector. Over the past two decades scientific production in this field has increased significantly, reflecting concerns about its impact on the  economy, governance, and innovation. In this context, this study analyzes the evolution of research on agri-food cooperatives between 2005 and 2024, considering articles published by authors affiliated with institutions in the European Union (EU). However, the  cooperatives studied come from various regions of the world.Through a bibliometric analysis in the Web of Science (WOS), 292 articles were selected from an initial total of 652, using impact  criteria. Subsequently, the Latent Dirichlet Allocation (LDA) model, supported by artificial intelligence, was employed to identify thematic trends and research patterns, with a qualitative analysis.The findings show a steady growth in the publication of articles, with a concentration in journals specializing in agricultural economics and cooperativism. Key research areas identified include governance and social capital, sustainability and social responsibility, innovation and digitalization, economic performance and profitability, and new cooperative business models.It is concluded that research on agri-food cooperatives continues to expand and is increasingly aligned with the needs of digital transformation and sustainability in an international context. Furthermore, emerging research lines include the impact of new technologies on cooperative management or the role of cooperatives in resilience to economic and climate crises. These findings can guide future research and public policies in order to strengthen agri-food cooperativism globally.