Governments should recognise and support the role of local co-operatives in improving natural disaster risk mitigation and resilience in rural communities, a report says.

The Business Council of Co-operatives and Mutuals (BCCM) report, which includes a foreword by NSW Bushfire Inquiry Co-Chairman Mary O’Kane, outlines four case studies to highlight benefits that can be achieved and makes recommendations for governments.

Proposals include that the establishment of member-driven resilience funds and insurance pools for primary producers be included in models for consideration by governments when addressing insurance and risk issues, in partnership with the mutual insurance industry.

It recommends that co-operatives should be engaged in disaster response and recovery planning as part of measures to ensure risks are locally understood and managed and says the multi-faceted role of co-operatives should be recognised and promoted.

Ms O’Kane says that co-operatives are a largely unknown and undervalued economic model.

“I would like to encourage government, farmers, and communities to consider how the co-operative model may be used to transfer risk from the farmgate to collective risk pooling models and shared infrastructure, marketing and buying power,” Ms O’Kane says.

“I see the role of co-operatives in rural communities being a major catalyst for the retrofitting of our vulnerable regional communities as they adapt to face bushfires, floods, storms and other disasters.”

Case studies in the report include the Cobargo Co-operative in NSW, the Sweeter Banana Co-operative in Carnarvon WA, TAFCO in the Myrtleford region of Victoria, and the Organic and Regenerative Investment Co-operative (ORICoop), which involves farmers across Australia.

“As governments look for ways to increase the resilience and preparedness of communities to respond to threats and disasters, part of the answer is right in front of us, in the form of co-operatives,” BCCM says.