Ação coletiva no contexto da agricultura familiar: um estudo na Associação de Produtores de Corumbataí do Sul

Abstract

The current context and perspectives of small rural production property have sparked scientific studies that reveal the profile and different ways of working the family farm. In Brazil, it has played an important role in economic and social spheres, being classified as an important factor of development, despite the difficulties she faced in regional contexts. Over the years, family farming has established itself as a heterogeneous sector, due to the income diversity, activities, size of property, among other factors. Consolidated its position in order to have as its main strategy, diversification of products and processes for economic survival and now has the challenge of contributing to food security as it produces 70% of the food consumed internally in the country. Thus, after observing that among the strategies and alternatives sought by family farmers are the actions of cooperation such as the formation of associations and cooperatives to economic and social representation, this research has as main objective to understand how the collective governance structure - APROCOR - has influence (social, economic, informational, cultural and political) on family farmers associated to it. For this, the qualitative research of explanatory character was used to display the results, with the object of study, South Corumbataí Producers Association - APROCOR, established in the city to meet the demands of producers of fruits in the region. It attempted to, through interviews, consider what the country gains and losses of producers associated with collective governance structure and identify which variables of Collective Action Theory interfere with the creation of value the people studied. The results of empirical research have shown that collective action results in higher proportion of benefits to members, compared with the difficulties in acting collectively. Among the numerous benefits generated to the family farmers, there is the role of APROCOR to provide economic and financial gains, informational, social, environmental and health to rural workers. Regarding the difficulties faced by family farmers, there is the existence of cognitive nature failures, behavioral, structural, institutional and political. Despite the existence of collective failure, there was the feasibility of collective action. Finally, it was concluded that the variables of Collective Action Theory "Group Size" (intermediate), "Group Size" (intermediate) combined with "trust", "Heterogeneity of the group" (strong ties), "Communication face face "," Leadership "and" partnerships "exert positive influence on the creation of value. Jas variables "Free riders" and "Trust" combined with "heterogeneity of interests" exert negative influence on the creation of value. There is the "individual rationality versus collective rationality" as a variable of the Theory of Collective Action that has the capacity to influence on all the other variables, as it reflects the way of understanding and hence the attitude of individuals in the joint action with other individuals.