What role can a livelihood strategy play in addressing climate change? Lessons in improving social capital from an agricultural cooperative in Ukraine

Increasing support to small-holder farmers plays an important part in meeting the climate and development challenges of agriculture: realizing global food security under increasing climate variability, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and conserving natural resources. Cooperatives offer a well-established livelihood strategy and means to support small-holders. This case study examined a Ukrainian cooperative using the sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF) to understand the role cooperatives play in addressing climate change, and the process by which capacity is used to adapt and/or mitigate climate change. Climate change does not prompt cooperative formation and climate change mitigation might not be a planned outcome in a livelihood strategy. However, modifying the SLF to include climate change outcomes provides a means of understanding the process by which building capacity results in mitigation and adaptation. Cooperative members and stakeholders outside of the cooperative participated in semi-structure interviews. Social capital emerged as a theme with interviewees from all backgrounds. Initially closed networks and distrust prevented members from joining the cooperative. As the cooperative built new networks, the benefit of joining became apparent to members. Information gained through networks improved access to other capitals, improved livelihood outcomes and addressed climate change. Social capital fulfils key roles in the process of capacity building and implementation of sustainable measures; thus improving social capital could arguably be the chief benefit of cooperatives.