Rizoma Cooperativa Integral

Rizoma Cooperativa Integral is a nonprofit, multi-sector cooperative located in the Anjos neighbourhood of Lisbon, Portugal. Its name comes from the botanical term 'rhizome', a stem that grows horizontally — reflecting the cooperative's aspiration to grow organically, naturally and democratically as a network of mutual support. Rizoma began as a community-run grocery store and has since expanded into a multi-sector cooperative with active sections covering Consumption (which runs the grocery store), Culture (the Cave Cultural space), Services (a co-working space), Housing (Habirizoma), Agriculture, and Crafts. New members choose which section(s) to join and contribute a minimum of social shares to each. Rizoma's core organisational units are the Working Groups (Grupos de Trabalho), each with a Representative who voices the group in the General Meeting and a Coordinator who represents it in the Coordination Circle. Decisions within each group are ideally reached by consensus among active members. At least once a month, the General Meeting brings members together to make collective decisions by consent, and twice a year a General Assembly decides on the annual budget, strategic plan and any changes to bylaws, requiring a 50% quorum and a three-quarters majority vote. Unlike conventional capitalalist businesses where capital investment determines power, Rizoma gives every member equal decision-making power, collectively managing the fruits of their labour and reinvesting generated wealth into shared community assets such as multi-use spaces, equipment and educational materials — building a fairer, more resilient local economy in an increasingly privatised city.