Cooperativismo em Goiás: como equalizar competitividade e solidariedade?

• Ano de defesa: 2015
• Autor(a) principal: Santos, Mauro Pereira dos
• Orientador(a): Medina, Gabriel da Silva
• Banca de defesa: Medina, Gabriel da Silva, Oliveira, Adriano Rodrigues de, Wander, Alcido Elenor
• Tipo de documento: Dissertação
• Tipo de acesso: Acesso aberto
• Idioma: por
• Instituição de defesa: Universidade Federal de Goiás
• Programa de Pós-Graduação: Programa de Pós-graduação em Agronegocio (EAEA)
• Departamento: Escola de Agronomia e Engenharia de Alimentos - EAEA (RG)
• País: Brasil
• Palavras-chave em Português: Cooperativismo; Competitividade; Economia solidária; Mercado; Agricultura familiar
• Palavras-chave em Inglês: Cooperatives; Competitiveness; Solidarity economy; Market; Family farming
• Área do conhecimento CNPq: CIENCIAS AGRARIAS::AGRONOMIA
• Link de acesso: http://repositorio.bc.ufg.br/tede/handle/tede/5866

Cooperatives have become a key tool for socio-economic development of countless people around the world, both in cities and rural areas. In Brazil, much of the agricultural production is sold through cooperatives for local as well as foreign markets. This study aims to understand how cooperatives of family farmers manage to play a dual role of benefiting its membership as well as becoming competitive in the market. Specifically, it seeks to assess the cooperatives’ competitiveness by evaluating the management approaches adopted, the markets accessed and the financial viability. It also aims to assess how family farmers are benefiting from their membership in the cooperatives by evaluating the market accessed, the actual income generated and the strengthening of social relations. Five cooperatives based in the State of Goiás, Brazil, were selected as case studies because their members are mostly family farmers. Interviews were carried out with associated family farmers in order to understand how members benefit from their cooperatives. As a result, the study revealed that cooperatives can foster rural development. The studied cooperatives have different degrees of market integration and management efficiency, but respond in a similar manner to farmers’ demands for markets and social integration. Overall, the survey indicated that cooperatives are an important tool for rural development, although some still lacks improved access to markets as well as management skills.