Rural cooperatives are under the administration of industry and commerce. Agricultural cooperative is a rural production mutual aid organization established in the early days of the People's Republic of China to resume production and enhance farmers' ability to resist natural disasters. It is a lower form of people's commune, which was produced under the condition of limited manpower and material resources at that time. Later, the activities of agricultural cooperatives continued to expand, and it developed into a people's commune in 1958.

in the early days, agricultural cooperatives were small cooperative and mutual-help organizations spontaneously formed by farmers, and their premise was still private ownership of land, that is, the land belonged to each household, and cooperatives only allocated labor during the busy farming season. In the later period, China developed agricultural cooperatives irrationally, and the ownership began to change, which led to people's communes.

Extended information:

Relevant laws of rural cooperatives:

Law of the People's Republic of China on Farmers' Specialized Cooperatives

Article 1. This Law is formulated for the purpose of regulating the organization and behavior of farmers' specialized cooperatives, encouraging, supporting and guiding their development, protecting the legitimate rights and interests of farmers' specialized cooperatives and their members, and promoting agricultural and rural modernization.

article 2. the farmers' professional cooperatives as mentioned in this law refer to the mutual-aid economic organizations which are voluntarily united and democratically managed by producers and operators of agricultural products or providers and users of agricultural production and operation services on the basis of contracted management by rural households.

Article 3. Farmers' professional cooperatives mainly serve their members and carry out one or more of the following businesses:

(1) Purchase and use of agricultural means of production;

(2) production, sale, processing, transportation, storage and other related services of agricultural products;

(3) the development and management of rural folk crafts and products, leisure agriculture and rural tourism resources;

(4) Services such as technology, information and facilities construction and operation related to agricultural production and operation.

article 4. farmers' professional cooperatives shall follow the following principles:

(1) farmers are the main members;

(2) to serve the members and seek the common interests of all members;

(3) voluntary membership and freedom to quit;

(4) Members have equal status and practise democratic management;

(5) The surplus is mainly returned in proportion to the transaction volume (amount) between members and farmers' professional cooperatives.

article 5. farmers' professional cooperatives are registered in accordance with this law and have obtained legal person status.

farmers' professional cooperatives have the right to possess, use and dispose of the property formed by members' contributions, provident funds, direct subsidies from the state, donations from others and other legally acquired assets, and are liable for debts with the above-mentioned property.

Law of the People's Republic of China on Farmers' Specialized Cooperatives-Chapter I General Provisions

Baidu Encyclopedia-Agricultural Cooperatives