Sustainable Community-Owned Enterprises

Book excerpt: Sustainable community-owned enterprises are owned by members of the community with no individual owning more than five percent of the enterprise. All members have equal voting rights—and everyone benefits. John Makilya, a native of Kenya who has implemented numerous sustainable community-owned enterprises, shares examples of successful initiatives in this book. He explains how they distributed benefits to members without depleting resources for future generations. He also highlights models that have not helped everyday people, such as Kenya’s sugar industry, which relies on small-scale producers. Even with government subsidies, the country continues to import most of its sugar from neighboring countries that rely on plantation-style models. Likewise, the beef cattle industry—as a result of mismanagement and other problems—has failed to live up to its promise. Join the author as he explores how selected projects in water, savings and credit, coffee, horticulture, and other sectors qualify as sustainable community-owned enterprises—and how they help everyday people, the world, and future generations.