3.1 Two cases studies

I would like you now to carry out the following activity, which I will then discuss.

Activity 5 Understanding resilience in the Mzuzu Coffee Planters Co-operative Union (MZCPCU) and the Timber Millers Co-operative Union (TMCU)

Timing: Spend about 1.5 hours on this activity.

Please read the MZCPCU case study (Case Study 1)  and the TMCU case study (Case Study 2), which you can locate by clicking on the links.

As you read each case study, using the resilience framework, make notes on:

  • The ways in which each case has demonstrated resilience.
  • The challenges that might constrain resilience in each case.
  • Any issues you would want to know more about or which might concern you in terms of future resilience.

Note: to help you order your thoughts on the evidence in the case studies, you could use a table such as the one below. When you are considering the dimension of innovation, try to identify what type of innovation or upgrading has taken place.

Co-operative X Demonstration of resilience Constraints on resilience
Membership
Collective skills
Networks
Innovation
Role of government

Introduction

3.1.1 Resilience and constraints in the case of MZCPCU