Associativismo rural, agroindústria e intervenção: estudo de caso em uma associação de produtores familiares

Abstract

The farmers association is suggested as a local alternative to rural development A case study was performed in a family farmers association, situated in the state of São Paulo, Brazil, that was originated, stimulated and followed by an outside intervention process. The aims of the study were: to identiíy the results obtained by the Association for the farmers; identiíy and analyse the constraints faced along its path, focusing on the intervening factors for the maintenance or not ofthe farmers as partners and difficulties faced in the process oforigin and management ofthe association under the aspects ofthe participation and actuation of the externai agents. It was used the triangulation and interactive model of research in social science as methodology. After nine years' existence, at present the Association has been being able to provide a number of services for its associates: it facilitates the purchase of inputs as a whole, it offers technical assistance for its associates, it receives resources, stands for the farmers in local development council, in addition to commercialising the output ofits partners by means of its own dairy industxy. To the partner farmers those services proved to be a possibiHty of relating better with the setting externai to the organisation. However, it was found that some partners left the Association. They were pointed out as factors which intervened for the maintenance or not of the individual in the group: individual characteristics, different expectations in the associativism as a mechanism capable of bringing benefíts; particularities of the process of group work and the intervention process. It follows that individual's maintenance in the group was directly influenced by the orientation ofhis action in this setting and how the group had been developing its criticai faculty. However, those factors had been being influenced directly by the individual^ integration process, by the nature of the intervention and being framed by the options of acting and performance of the Association. The Association also faced difficulties in obtaining the participation ofthe partners at the moments ofdecision making, the meeting dynamics being pointed to as one ofthe intervening factors, for there were method problems and the problematic feltin the relationships werenot worked, whichcould favour the participationdynamics. Itwas identified that the individual contribution to the collective action (work) was concentrated in few individuais. The existence ofthose most active partners proved to be fundamental for the Association to have continuity. However, the changes in the characteristics ofthe group (by the incorporation of an mdustrial activity) and the long time ofwork within the group with the lack of reciprocity ofcontribution by the others present themselves as limiting to acting without changes. It was found that the discussions about cooperation (process of group work) and special attention to the equity standards are important issues to be incorporated into the implementation ofassociative processes which depend upon voluntary work. Incorporation ofagroindustry to the activity ofthe Association brought about an increased independence as to the oligopolysed agents in the market, however, also implied into a greater and more diversified demand ofwork. Despite ofthe case study having focused into the limitations faced by the group, to the partners who remained associated, associativism has presented itselfas a form oforganisation capable ofbringing benefits which would hardly be obtained ofthey were unorganised. The same may be said of the dairy factory, because the farmers have with them the possibility of the value aggregated to their production and redirect that appropriation in favour of theirs own development.