Established in June 1997, the Mississippi Association of Cooperatives’ Center for Cooperative Development [The Center] is supported by six partner organizations: the Mississippi Department of Agriculture and Commerce (MDAC); Alcorn State University’s Extension Service and Small Farm Development Center; the Mississippi State University Cooperative Extension Service; and the Mississippi Development Authority’s Energy Division. The Center is unique in having both 1862 and 1890 land grant universities as partner organizations. All partner organizations recognized the need for a new entity to coordinate technical assistance for and focus resources on cooperative development in rural Mississippi.

The Center, through its projects and with its partners, provides rural communities with options and tools for expanding, creating, diversifying, and strengthening cooperatives throughout rural Mississippi. The Center is unique in its mission, its coordination with other rural development organizations, and its focus on cooperative development in limited-resource communities. The Center is one of two centers in the country to focus virtually 100 percent of its resources on providing opportunities in minority and limited-resource communities.

Mission
The Mission statement adopted by partners focuses on the essence of the : to use cooperative development as a strategy to enhance the quality of life and economic opportunties for rural Mississippi residents.

Goals
The goals of this project are complementary and supportive of the overall goals of The Center. The Mississippi Center for Cooperative Development, together with its implementing partners, will:

• Provide early-stage technical assistance and training to individuals and groups considering cooperatives based on need.
• Provide development assistance to groups actively working to launch new cooperatives.
• Provide on-going post-launch technical assistance and support to new and emerging cooperatives.

Actively work to build staff and center capacity through participation in programs such as Cooperation Works!, and client capacity for successful cooperative development through programs such as the rural credit union program and our annual Small Farmers, Women in Business and Marketing Conference.