A SITUAÇÃO E AS PERSPECTIVAS DAS COOPERATIVAS AGROPECUÁRIAS NO ENTORNO DO RESERVATÓRIO ITAPARICA NO NORDESTE DO BRASIL

• Autor(a) principal: Hagel, Heinrich
• Data de Publicação: 2015
• Outros Autores: Huerta, Lucy Rocío Zavaleta, Doluschitz, Reiner, Hoffmann, Christa, Reiber, Christoph, Irmão, José Ferreira
• Tipo de documento: Artigo
• Idioma: eng
• Título da fonte: Revista Brasileira de Ciências Ambientais (Online)
• Texto Completo: https://www.rbciamb.com.br/Publicacoes_RBCIAMB/article/view/198
• topic: Agriculture; cooperatives; Itaparica reservoir; semi-arid region.

Over 20 years after the implementation of irrigation schemes in the surrounding area of the Itaparica Reservoir, in the semi-arid region of Northeast Brazil, insufficient infrastructure and low market power still impact smallholders’ incomes and development of market strategies to support rental increase from the smallholders.Lack of access to credit, high input costs, and low producer prices for major crops have helped to maintain the poverty status of smallholders that equally affects small agricultural producers like cattle breeders. Agricultural cooperatives have contributed to increase their members’ market power in agricultural commerce andfacilitate their access to credit and agricultural expansion. To analyze the historicalcontext of this situation, as well as the potentials and constraints of agriculturalcooperatives and associations, 24 qualitative expert interviews were conductedamong members of cooperatives or associations and consultants involved withtechnical assistance to smallholders. During the study period, no active agriculturalcooperatives could be identified. Financial problems related with lack of financialresources, inadequate government support, absence of leadership and poororganization, and missing solidarity and mistrust were considered the main reasonsfor the cooperatives’ poor situation. However, the potential of these cooperativesare illustrated by the efficiency of the fishery and apiculture associations.