Longo Maï
| Company type | Cooperative |
|---|---|
| Industry | Agriculture |
| Founded | 1973 in Limans, France |
| Headquarters | Basel , Switzerland |
Area served | Europe, Central America |
| Products | Wool, viticulture products, olives, geese, sheep |
Number of employees | Approximately 32 adults (at Treyne site as of 1999) |
The Longo Maï Co-operatives represent a collective of agricultural co-operatives established in 1973 in Limans, France, characterized by their egalitarian and anti-capitalist ethos. Emerging from anarchist student movements in Austria and Switzerland, this network subsequently extended its presence throughout Europe and Central America.
History
Following the social upheavals of 1968, students pooled resources to acquire 270 hectares near Forcalquier intended for communal agriculture. Roland Perrot, known both as a military deserter and ideological figurehead, played a pivotal role in defining the community’s pacifist, anti-militarist, and anti-capitalist values. The cooperatives prioritize autonomy, shared living arrangements, artisanal and agricultural production, alongside environmentally conscious resource use.
Longo Maï has also been active in global solidarity efforts, notably opposing authoritarian regimes.
Facilities
This network consists of ten cooperative sites:
- Within France:
- Limans
- Briançon, Saint-Chaffrey (Hautes-Alpes), processing approximately 12–15 tons of wool each year
- Mas de Granier, Caphan located at Saint-Martin-de-Crau (Bouches-du-Rhone)
- Treyne, Chanéac in Upper Ardèche (housing about 20 adults and 12 children as of 1999)
- Cabrery, focused on viticulture and olive farming
- International branches:
- Ulenkrug in Mecklenburg, Germany
- Hof Stopar Eisenkappel in Carinthia, Austria (covering 17 ha plus an additional 25 ha leased; specializing in sheep husbandry)
- Montois farm in the Swiss Jura region (12 ha; raising geese and sheep)
- Uzhgorod, Transcarpathia, Ukraine (site of a French school during the 1990s)
- Finca Sonador located in Costa Rica
The cooperative’s central administration is based in Basel, overseeing fundraising initiatives that amassed roughly five million francs annually during the 1990s.
Media-related activities include:
- , a non-commercial radio station established in 1981 atop Limans hill; affiliated with the European Federation of Free Radio
- l'Agence Indépendante d'information (AIM), a news agency supported by about one hundred contributing journalists
- le journal Archipel, a publication issued by the European Civic Forum
- A range of published books
See also
- Coopératives Longo Maï – article available on French Wikipedia
- La coopérative Européenne Longo Mai de Limans