cooperative farm: meaning, definition, pronunciation and examples
C1Technical / Political
Quick answer
What does “cooperative farm” mean?
A farm owned and operated collectively by a group of people who share the work and the profits.
Audio
Pronunciation
Definition
Meaning and Definition
A farm owned and operated collectively by a group of people who share the work and the profits.
Any agricultural enterprise structured as a cooperative, emphasizing shared ownership, democratic control, and equitable distribution of benefits among its members.
Dialectal Variation
British vs American Usage
Differences
Terminology is consistent, though more commonly associated with historical/socialist contexts in British usage, while in the US it may be associated with modern agricultural co-ops.
Connotations
UK: May evoke historical references (e.g., Soviet-era farms). US: More neutral, associated with local, community-based agriculture.
Frequency
More frequent in historical, economic, and agricultural texts than in everyday conversation.
Grammar
How to Use “cooperative farm” in a Sentence
The [cooperative farm] + [verb: produces, operates, employs]Workers + [run/own/manage] + [cooperative farm].Vocabulary
Collocations
Examples
Examples of “cooperative farm” in a Sentence
verb
British English
- The villagers decided to cooperative their land holdings into a single unit.
American English
- The farmers cooperatived their resources to buy new equipment.
adverb
British English
- The land was farmed cooperatively by the entire community.
American English
- They worked cooperatively to bring the harvest in on time.
adjective
British English
- The cooperative farm model saw a revival in the post-industrial region.
American English
- They adopted a cooperative farming approach to reduce costs.
Usage
Meaning in Context
Business
A business model for risk-sharing in agriculture.
Academic
A subject of study in agricultural economics and political sociology.
Everyday
A farm where the neighbours all work together.
Technical
An enterprise structured under cooperative principles as defined by the International Co-operative Alliance.
Vocabulary
Synonyms of “cooperative farm”
Vocabulary
Antonyms of “cooperative farm”
Watch out
Common Mistakes When Using “cooperative farm”
- Confusing 'cooperative' (adjective) with 'cooperative' (noun referring to the business entity).
- Using 'cooperative farm' to refer to any farm that collaborates informally.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Not exactly. A commune often implies shared living and broader social integration, while a cooperative farm is primarily a business and agricultural structure.
Yes, many are. Their profitability depends on good management, market access, and member engagement, similar to other business models.
Ownership and decision-making. A regular farm is usually owned by an individual or a corporation, while a cooperative farm is owned and democratically controlled by its worker-members or user-members.
They exist worldwide but are not the dominant model. They are more common in specific sectors like dairy (e.g., Fonterra in NZ) or organic produce, and in regions with strong cooperative traditions.
A farm owned and operated collectively by a group of people who share the work and the profits.
Cooperative farm is usually technical / political in register.
Cooperative farm: in British English it is pronounced /kəʊˈɒpərətɪv fɑːm/, and in American English it is pronounced /koʊˈɑːpərətɪv fɑːrm/. Tap the audio buttons above to hear it.
Phrases
Idioms & Phrases
- “Pulling together like a well-run cooperative farm.”
Learning
Memory Aids
Mnemonic
Think CO-OP: CO-workers OPERATE a farm TOGETHER.
Conceptual Metaphor
FARMING IS A JOINT VENTURE.
Practice
Quiz
Which term is most historically specific and NOT a direct synonym for 'cooperative farm'?