Underexplored and barely known, the Malawian co-operative movement has experienced serious
challenges since its inception in 1946. Rural co-operatives in the country have endured crises and
yet they are thriving in adverse circumstances. In this article we asked to what extent and in what
ways rural Malawian co-operatives are resilient social and economic organisations? In the absence
of a consolidated body of literature on ‘co-operative resilience’ we address this question by 1)
reviewing the existing literature on co-operatives and identifying key factors that appear to be
conducive to resilience and 2) by analysing extensive field data on four of the biggest co-operatives
Unions in Malawi and establishing how they have coped with challenges. The field-based data and
our literature findings shed new insights into the nature of resilience. Co-operative resilience is a
long term processes, one based on reflexivity and interactions between members, leaders and
national and international organisations. Resilient strategies developed by rural Malawian cooperatives
are also outlined and explored.
Key words: Co-operatives, resilience, reflexivity, Malawi, co-operative unions, adaptive capacities