A dramatic shift in community organization has shown promise in group cooperation to achieving sustainable development. According to the report, "Assessment of the growth in social groups for sustainable agriculture and land management" by Pretty et al. (2020), the number of purposely constituted social groups increased by 1,608% from 0.5 million in 2000 to 8.54 million by 2020. The research attributes the expansion in 55 nations, with 170-255 million members, to the ability of social groups to boost agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, natural resource management, and individual/community well-being.
The evidence appears in many contexts and locations. China's 250,000 Forest Farmer Cooperatives use collaborative decision-making to manage 73 million hectares of local forest. In the Philippines, 3,100 groups oversee 82% of the country's irrigated land, which improves water efficiency and system maintenance.
With 5.4 million members spread across 108,000 groups, the Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee (BRAC) provides another striking example. These organizations combine agricultural help, education, legal services, healthcare, and loans on a single platform. Their effect goes beyond basic services; more than 130 of their female members have been elected to government positions, illustrating how social capital can alter community leadership.
These results mark a substantial shift in community organization. Until the 1970s, agriculture and land management techniques were influenced by powerful social institutions. When economic policies switched to prioritize individual action over communal efforts, many of these community structures faltered or vanished, reducing sustainability and equality.
Today's social groups follow a different route. Their performance is especially notable in less-developed nations, where 98.2% of these groups exist, managing 93.6% of the total land area under collective care, or over 300 million hectares.
The report defines "social groups" as intentionally formed collaborative groups within particular geographic territories. These groups are organized around various functional areas connected to sustainable agriculture and land management, such as integrated pest control, forest conservation, water resources, pasture management, and others. These groups often have between 15 and 30 members, averaging 20 to 25. The primary distinguishing feature is that they are locally oriented, community-level organizations founded with the specific goal of collaboratively managing various components of the agricultural and natural systems in their geographic area.
This community-driven, place-based approach to organizing distinguishes these social groups from larger-scale farmer organizations, cooperatives, and social movements, which are not examined in this paper. By focusing on these purposefully constituted groups inside defined regions, the researchers were able to examine their impact on promoting more sustainable practices and outcomes at the local level.
The Evidence for Community Wellbeing
The research demonstrates clear benefits across several domains when social groups have formed:
Environmental Health
Improved water availability and efficiency.
Improved forest productivity
Reduced soil erosion
Improved soil carbon sequestration
Increased tree and agroforestry coverage on farms.
Community Strength
Improved loan payback rates
Increased agricultural output
Better natural resource management
Improved resource allocation and knowledge-sharing among farmers.
Social Equity
Improved leadership opportunities, especially for women.
Mixed-gender groups demonstrate higher productivity outcomes.
Greater access to resources for previously excluded groups.
More robust knowledge-sharing networks
Improved community decision-making.
The Power of Connection
These social groups are succeeding because they foster trust and reciprocity within their communities. The study found that when individuals collaborate, sharing knowledge and resources through strong social connections, they achieve more sustainable and fair outcomes for both people and the environment.
Looking Forward
As communities around the world face mounting pressures from climate change and limited resources, these 8.54 million social groups provide evidence of tried-and-true examples for developing resilience via collective action. Their success demonstrates that building social capital through groups, networks, and cooperative institutions results in healthier communities than approaches that emphasize individual competitiveness.
The data suggests that when communities build social capital through trust, reciprocity, and mutual respect, they can effect positive change that benefits a greater number of people, particularly those who were previously excluded from development initiatives.
These aren't just statistics; they reflect a fundamental reality about human communities: when we collaborate, we build stronger, healthier, and more sustainable ways of life. As we face increasing environmental and societal issues, this knowledge becomes more important for our shared future.
Source:
Pretty, J., Attwood, S., Bawden, R. et al. (2020). Assessment of the growth in social groups for sustainable agriculture and land management. Global Sustainability 3, e23.