Summary

Tomato is one of the most popular vegetables all over the world and the production was 145 million tonnes in 2011. In Taiwan and The Netherlands, tomato also became an important vegetable nowadays. In both countries, the farmer cooperatives are the way to help farmers accessing markets. However, Taiwanese farmers consider the cooperatives can only provide limited services compare to better functioning cooperatives in other countries for example The Netherlands. The purpose of this thesis is to examine Taiwanese and Dutch tomato cooperatives in every aspect and to conclude recommendations for Taiwanese cooperatives.