There is a huge interest of Agriculture and food cooperatives on monetizing the social value (Monetized Social Accounting or Stakeholder Accounting) that they create. There is a first step to communicate what it is, and for that it is relevant to extend it in Europe, as the European AgriCoopValue, project is doing. In this project GEAccounting (www.geaccounting.org) is a participant, and therefore Cooperativas Agro-alimentarias of Castilla-La Mancha. They have done, in collaboration with CEPES (Confederación Empresarial Española de la Economía Social https://www.cepes.es) and CooperaCTIVA foundation (https://www.agroalimentariasclm.coop) this clear image in which there are three questions answered:

  1. What is it? It is to quantify the value that we contribute as an organization to society
  2. How? Market value (What value do we generate in our economic activity?), non-market value (What value do we transfer to our environment beyond the price?) and emotional value (What satisfaction do we generate for our stakeholders?)
  3. For What?
    1. know our real value
    2. reformulate strategies
    3. strengthen our brand image
    4. Value what we really contribute to society

A great deal of work has been done to sensitize agri-food companies that need a system to demonstrate the real value generated, and monetized social accounting is a valid formula, since it collects not only the social value that comes from the transactions , but also the value of priceless and emotional activities. Undoubtedly, this is the way of AgriCoopValue, but it is not easy because the unification of variables by subsectors and the consequent monetary valuation of the same (proxies) will be fundamental parts for the process to end successfully. Among all we can achieve it, we are sure of it!