Rossiyskiy gosudarstvennyy agrarnyy zaochnyy universitet
Abstract. The purpose of this article is to present to scientific community the results of the research on the available opportunities to expand the activities of agricultural cooperatives in the direction of providing ecosystem services by them. The demand for their provision is caused both by the new challenges associated with the environmental degradation and climate change, and the existing potential of cooperative organizations in solving the various problems arising within the boundaries of rural areas due to threats of different nature (political, ecological, climatic, biological and others). In the course of the work qualitative and quantitative methods corresponding to the objects of research (agricultural cooperative, ecology, climate, rural development) were applied, including review-analytical, discursive, comparative, statistical. The use of these methods has provided some significant results regarding the potential of participation of agricultural consumer cooperatives in the implementation of a wide range of important socio-ecological and bio-ecological (ecosystem) functions for society, namely, in the restoration, conservation and increase of biodiversity, improving water management mechanisms, preventing soil erosion and improving its quality characteristics, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, promoting the conservation and sec The main conclusion of the research is that under the existing conditions (taking into account the variety of ecosystem problems in rural areas) it is agricultural cooperatives (as internationally proven forms of cooperation and mutual assistance) that can act as drivers of successful rural development involving diversification of the rural economy, increasing rural employment, improving the environment and climate conservation. The scientific and practical significance of the results obtained in the study lies in the clear specification of the special role of agricultural cooperatives not only in the successful functioning of farms and other small and medium agricultural enterprises, but also in solving environmental and climatic problems arising both during the evolutionary development of society and during unpredictable environmental fluctuations.
climate change, ecology, rural economy, ecosystem services, agricultural consumer cooperative, challenges, threats
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