External Web sites
Britannica Web sites
Articles from Britannica encyclopedias for elementary and high school students.
- cooperative - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up)
In the production and marketing of goods, it is profitable to both producer and consumer to avoid middlemen. If, for instance, farmers can set up their own markets instead of sending their produce to a wholesaler, they can sell at a price that includes only their costs and a fair profit: Additional wholesale and retail costs are avoided, and prices to the consumer are kept relatively low. In order to take part in this kind of direct production-marketing enterprise, people have formed cooperatives-popularly known as co-ops in the United States. These are voluntary associations of either producers or consumers who band together for the group members’ benefits.