Cooperative organisations have often been created from above without the genuine participation
of members. As a result the members have, in many cases, become alienated from what should
have been their own organisations, with little or no influence on issues that should be of direct
concern to them, such as the marketing and pricing of their own products. The potential of
genuine cooperative organisations to contribute to rural development based on popular participation
has to a large extent been wasted and the very concept of cooperative self-help has fallen into
widespread disrepute. Thus, in many countries a review of policy concerning cooperatives is
needed with a revised approach being based on the principles of participation, and consultancy
rather than intervention. This does not necessarily mean that existing policies need to be completely
abandoned, in many cases, they can be adapted to suit a more participative and market oriented
approach