San Vicente Cooperative Admits Seven New Farms After Year-Long Review

The Cooperative Council in San Vicente approved seven new member-farms on Friday after a year-long review of land titles, cooperative dues structures, and harvest-sharing agreements. The vote, which passed with sixty-three percent support from the existing membership, marks the largest single intake in three years and reflects a quieter shift in how the cooperative manages growth among smallholders in the region.

All seven new members hold certified titles issued under the Federal Office for Cooperative Affairs' streamlined verification protocol, which came into effect last autumn. The farms range from four to eighteen hectares and include three dedicated to organic yerba mate, two to shade-grown coffee, and two to mixed sustainable forestry. Combined, they represent approximately eighty-five hectares of newly registered cooperative land.

The vote follows months of community meetings in the surrounding villages of Salto and Puerto Iguazú, where prospective members presented their harvest records and answered questions about their participation in cooperative maintenance and decision-making. Council members said the deliberate pace—one year from application to vote—reflects the cooperative's commitment to genuine integration rather than rapid expansion.