What does cooperative law have to do with food? A conversation with Simon Blondeau, legal officer at the FAO

06 Jul 2026

What does cooperative law have to do with food?

In the latest episode of the ICA Legal Office’s “Interviews with Members and Experts” series —where we explore the various dimensions and aspects of cooperative law with lawyers, public policy professionals, and practitioners— our Director of Legislation, Santosh Kumar, speaks with Simon Blondeau, Legal Officer at the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations, where he works on legal issues related to agrifood transformations, cooperatives, and family farming, as well as the ongoing UN International Year of Women Farmers.

Listen to the full interview here!

We had a deep conversation on the role of law in building fairer and more resilient agrifood systems. In this interview, Simon and Santosh discussed cooperatives as a type of enterprise shaped by international law, socio-economic rights and responsibilities, and practical country-level legal frames that sometimes work, or not, across different regions and legal traditions. Based in Rome, Simon works closely with governments and development partners to support legal and institutional frameworks that help rural communities, farmers, and cooperatives thrive.

The conversation further explored why cooperative law is needed for agricultural development, food security, and rural livelihoods, and, quite interestingly, what made a cooperative enterprise different from other forms? The discussions also touched upon how legislation could protect cooperative identity while still leaving room for local realities, innovation, and growth? Finally, Simon reflected on the importance of aligning national cooperative laws with cooperative principles, while also recognizing the diversity of agricultural systems, legal traditions, and other contexts.

Listen, offer us your feedback, and let us know who you’d like to interview next!

Below are some of the key resources mentioned throughout the interview:

Web resources:

• FAO Development Law Service: https://www.fao.org/development-law-service/en
• International Year of the Woman Farmer: https://www.fao.org/woman-farmer-2026/en
• International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists: https://www.fao.org/rangelands-pastoralists-2026/en
• United Nations Decade of Family Farming: https://www.fao.org/family-farming-decade/home/en/
• Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS): https://www.fao.org/giahs/en/
• Agrifood Systems: https://www.fao.org/food-systems/en/
• FAO Strategic Framework 2022–2031: https://www.fao.org/strategic-framework/en

Publications:

• Legal Services for Development (2026): https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/fdd0ef81-db44-4269-946d-d41212b6ff9c
• Analysis of the Cooperative Legislation of the Russian Federation and Other Commonwealth of Independent States Countries (2025): https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/84ff24d6-c15e-432c-b657-e9c4e8f90378
• Enhancing the Livelihoods of Family Farmers with the Law (2023): https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/c47ff52d-0d5d-42bb-b0b9-eaf89c3268aa
• Family Farming (2022): https://openknowledge.fao.org/items/982787c5-6d6a-448c-923c-93304bbe576e

Listen to this and more episodes at: www.legislation.coop/en/article/interviews-members-and-experts.

This episode has been produced under the ICA-EU Partnership (2024–2028), also known as #coops4dev🌍, a five-year international cooperative development programme co-funded by the European Union, aimed at strengthening the ICA network and positioning cooperatives as key actors in international development.