INVESTIGATION OF SEA BUCKTHORN PRODUCER COOPERATIVITY POSSIBILITIES: CASE OF LITHUANIA, LATVIA AND POLAND

Farmers' strong individualism limits their competitiveness. Smaller commercial agricultural producers find themselves at particular disadvantage. The sustainable agricultural paradigm requires farmers to receive adequate and regular income (which is independent of economic crisis factors), and to preserve the environment and its biodiversity. However, Lithuanian farmers rarely take such common actions in the market. The aim of article is to create an organizational system that allows different sizes of sea buckthorn growers' farms to work together, merging into cooperatives and producers' organizations. A merging system is suggested for different size buckthorn growers' farms, which allows for the unionization of local, zonal, and national cooperatives.