הפירוק של קואופרטיב לשיווק תוצרת חקלאית: המקרה של תנובה

Tnuva was a central cooperative for the marketing of agricultural produce, which was founded in the mid-1920s and underwent de-cooperativization in the first decade of the twenty-first century.The process of de-cooperativization is recognized worldwide and occurs when a cooperative ceases to be such, or continues within another organizational framework. The article examines the mechanisms underlying Tnuva's de-cooperativization process, perceived as unique in terms of global cooperative experience. These mechanisms can be divided into two main groups: those that motivated the process and those that tried to prevent it. Both mechanisms can also be divided into those internal to the cooperative and to those operating outside it. The main mechanisms in promoting the de-cooperativization of the present case were Tnuva's management, and its support to the process. The settlement movements that sought to finance the repayment of debts of their members, kibbutzim and moshavim and the individual members themselves. Most of Tnuva's members were no longer interested in the services of the cooperative, and sought a way to stop their membership, while at the same time receiving the real value of their shares from the sale. At the same time, mechanisms were also employed to keep Tnuva as a cooperative society.Tnuva had decisive geographical importance, providing marketing advantages to Jewish cooperative agriculture in mandatory Palestine, first by enhancing the value of milk, through pasteurization. Later on, it helped Jewish agriculture grow, during the great Arab rebellion, the Second World War and Israel’s first three decades. The shrinking numbers of farmers, the reduction of their dependence on Tnuva’s services, the crisis of collective agriculture, its declining standing, and the undervaluation of Tnuva’s real estate, led to the cooperative’s privatization.