A tese discute o tema contemporâneo do ganho indireto dos cooperados de sociedades cooperativas de produção agropecuária e agroindustriais. Procura responder por quais diferentes maneiras essas organizações adicionam valor econômico aos cooperados, e como os cooperados percebem as diferentes categorias de benefícios econômicos e não-econômicos. Foi realizada análise da cooperação na linha teórica da Nova Economia Institucional (NEI), com ênfase no mapeamento das percepções econômicas e não-econômicas dos cooperados nas relações existentes com a sociedade cooperativa de produção agropecuária e, ainda, na ótica da teoria da renda, com a análise dos benefícios econômicos e sociais do cooperado produtor rural pessoa física dentro da sociedade cooperativa de produção agropecuária. Para o estudo de caso, utilizaram-se como fonte de informações entrevistas com técnicos especializados e aplicação de questionários aos cooperados, cuja finalidade foi extrair dados qualitativos das sociedades cooperativas de produção agropecuárias e agroindustriais, de objetos sociais variados, localizadas no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul. Constataram-se transferências indiretas pelas sociedades cooperativas que são percebidas pelos cooperados na forma de ganhos pecuniários e não-pecuniários. Os ganhos não-pecuniários são relacionados ao status, conforto, conhecimento, segurança, entre outros, descritos como privilégios no âmbito dessas organizações. Tais ganhos não são voltados ao aumento de riqueza, mas contribuem para o aumento do bem-estar de todos os cooperados. Então, ao fim, é possível formular a conclusão que os cooperados percebem os ganhos indiretos das mais variadas formas, principalmente pela melhoria do bem-estar econômico e social. / The thesis discusses a contemporary theme on the indirect gain of members of the agricultural production cooperative society. It seeks to answer by which different ways these organizations add economic value to the cooperative member and how the member realize the various categories of economic and non-economic benefits. An analysis of cooperation was conducted under the theoretical framework of the New Institutional Economics - NIE, emphasizing the mapping of economic and non-economic perceptions of the existing cooperative relations with agricultural production cooperative society and yet from the perspective of the theory of income, analysis of the economic and social benefits of the cooperative member rural producer as individual into the cooperative agricultural production. To the case study, it were used as a source of information interviews with technical experts and applied questionnaires to cooperative members, to obtain qualitative data of agricultural and agro-industrial production cooperative societies, of various corporate purposes, located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Forms of indirect transfers from cooperative societies are perceived by the cooperative members as pecuniary and non-pecuniary gain. The non-pecuniary gain is related to status, comfort, knowledge, security among others, described as privileges within those organizations. These gains are not geared to increasing wealth, but contribute to increase the well-being of all cooperative members. Therefore, in the end, one can conclude that the cooperative realize the indirect gains in the most variable ways, mainly by improving economic and social well-being.

A presente investigação traz para a discussão a dinâmica das cooperativas agropecuárias do Rio Grande do Sul e seu papel com o desenvolvimento socioeconômico dos locais onde atuam. Este trabalho tem como propósito principal analisar a atuação das cooperativas agropecuárias no Planalto gaúcho e sua relação com a cadeia produtiva da soja, verificando a continuidade da atividade delas, no recorte espacial estudado. Para compreender a dinâmica do cooperativismo agropecuário, a pesquisa foi estruturada tendo por base os seguintes objetivos: a) estudar a evolução da atividade cooperativa agropecuária no Rio Grande do Sul e sua continuidade no contexto atual; b) investigar as mudanças na atividade cooperativa do Planalto gaúcho após a inserção do agronegócio da soja; c) averiguar o ponto de inflexão da atividade cooperativa considerando os aspectos políticos e econômicos no Rio Grande do Sul; d) analisar as transformações socioeconômicas e espaciais ocorridas no Planalto gaúcho e qual o papel das cooperativas agropecuárias na estruturação da cadeia produtiva da soja, como a modernização agrícola, a infraestrutura e a comercialização. A escolha em desenvolver a pesquisa nessa região do RS deveu-se a três fatores: a) pela expressiva área destinada à lavoura de soja e por estar localizada nessa parte do estado; b) por ser a parte do RS em que é expressiva a atuação socioeconômica das cooperativas agropecuárias; c) pelo cooperativismo agropecuário ter surgido no Planalto gaúcho. A pesquisa fornece informações que fundamentam as hipóteses de que as cooperativas agropecuárias são os principais responsáveis por fornecer suporte ao desenvolvimento da cadeia produtiva da soja no planalto do Rio Grande do Sul e por apresentarem capacidade de armazenamento e garantirem os negócios da produção agrícola para seus associados. Além disso, a pesquisa confirma que na década de 1970 iniciaram-se as crises no cooperativismo agropecuário gaúcho, entretanto, foi na década de 1980 que essa atividade passou a desestruturar-se economicamente pela abertura ao mercado externo, favorecida pela globalização. Essa nova situação forçou as cooperativas agropecuárias a reorganizarem a forma de gerenciar e conduzirem a atividade frente à nova dinâmica do mercado. As cooperativas agropecuárias conquistaram seu espaço e reconhecimento de seu papel na cadeia produtiva da soja. Constatou-se que o cooperativismo agropecuário gaúcho se encontra em período de redefinição e retomada da atividade, após ter superado o período de maior instabilidade e endividamento nas décadas de 80 e 90. Além disso, as cooperativas agropecuárias fazem a intermediação entre as atividades desenvolvidas no espaço urbano e rural, sendo esse tipo de cooperativa considerada um indicador de desenvolvimento socioeconômico. / The present investigation discusses the dynamics of agricultural cooperatives from Rio Grande do Sul and their role in relation to the socioeconomic development of the locations they function. This paper aims mainly at analyzing the performance of agricultural cooperatives at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and its relation with soy production chain, verifying the continuity of their activities at the region selected. In order to understand the dynamics of agricultural cooperativism, the research was structured based on the following objectives: a) to study the evolution of agricultural cooperative activity in Rio Grande do Sul and its continuity in the current context; b) to investigate changes in the cooperative activity from Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau after soy agribusiness insertion; c) to determine the inflection point of cooperative activity considering political and economic aspects in Rio Grande do Sul; d) to analyze socioeconomic and spatial transformations occurred at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and what role agricultural cooperatives play at the soy production chain structure, such as agricultural modernization, infrastructure and marketing. The choice of developing the research at this region of RS was due to three reasons: a) the vast area designated to soy farming and its localization at this part of the state; b) it is the region of RS in which the socioeconomic performance of agricultural cooperatives is significant; c) the agricultural cooperativism arose at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau. The research provides information that bases the hypotheses that agricultural cooperatives are mainly responsible for providing support for the soy production chain development at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and that they present storage capacity and guarantee their associates agricultural production businesses. Besides, the research confirms that crises emerged in the RS agricultural cooperativism in the 1970’s, however, in the 1980’s this activity began to disassemble economically because its opening to external market, favored by globalization. This new situation forced agricultural cooperatives to reorganize the way of managing and conducting the activity in the face of the new market dynamics. Agricultural cooperatives conquered their space and acknowledgement for their role in soy production chain. We noted that RS agricultural cooperativism is in a redefinition and activity resumption phase, after having overcome the biggest instability and debt period in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Furthermore, agricultural cooperatives intermediate activities developed in urban and rural areas, and this kind of cooperative is considered a socioeconomic development sign.

A presente investigação traz para a discussão a dinâmica das cooperativas agropecuárias do Rio Grande do Sul e seu papel com o desenvolvimento socioeconômico dos locais onde atuam. Este trabalho tem como propósito principal analisar a atuação das cooperativas agropecuárias no Planalto gaúcho e sua relação com a cadeia produtiva da soja, verificando a continuidade da atividade delas, no recorte espacial estudado. Para compreender a dinâmica do cooperativismo agropecuário, a pesquisa foi estruturada tendo por base os seguintes objetivos: a) estudar a evolução da atividade cooperativa agropecuária no Rio Grande do Sul e sua continuidade no contexto atual; b) investigar as mudanças na atividade cooperativa do Planalto gaúcho após a inserção do agronegócio da soja; c) averiguar o ponto de inflexão da atividade cooperativa considerando os aspectos políticos e econômicos no Rio Grande do Sul; d) analisar as transformações socioeconômicas e espaciais ocorridas no Planalto gaúcho e qual o papel das cooperativas agropecuárias na estruturação da cadeia produtiva da soja, como a modernização agrícola, a infraestrutura e a comercialização. A escolha em desenvolver a pesquisa nessa região do RS deveu-se a três fatores: a) pela expressiva área destinada à lavoura de soja e por estar localizada nessa parte do estado; b) por ser a parte do RS em que é expressiva a atuação socioeconômica das cooperativas agropecuárias; c) pelo cooperativismo agropecuário ter surgido no Planalto gaúcho. A pesquisa fornece informações que fundamentam as hipóteses de que as cooperativas agropecuárias são os principais responsáveis por fornecer suporte ao desenvolvimento da cadeia produtiva da soja no planalto do Rio Grande do Sul e por apresentarem capacidade de armazenamento e garantirem os negócios da produção agrícola para seus associados. Além disso, a pesquisa confirma que na década de 1970 iniciaram-se as crises no cooperativismo agropecuário gaúcho, entretanto, foi na década de 1980 que essa atividade passou a desestruturar-se economicamente pela abertura ao mercado externo, favorecida pela globalização. Essa nova situação forçou as cooperativas agropecuárias a reorganizarem a forma de gerenciar e conduzirem a atividade frente à nova dinâmica do mercado. As cooperativas agropecuárias conquistaram seu espaço e reconhecimento de seu papel na cadeia produtiva da soja. Constatou-se que o cooperativismo agropecuário gaúcho se encontra em período de redefinição e retomada da atividade, após ter superado o período de maior instabilidade e endividamento nas décadas de 80 e 90. Além disso, as cooperativas agropecuárias fazem a intermediação entre as atividades desenvolvidas no espaço urbano e rural, sendo esse tipo de cooperativa considerada um indicador de desenvolvimento socioeconômico. / The present investigation discusses the dynamics of agricultural cooperatives from Rio Grande do Sul and their role in relation to the socioeconomic development of the locations they function. This paper aims mainly at analyzing the performance of agricultural cooperatives at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and its relation with soy production chain, verifying the continuity of their activities at the region selected. In order to understand the dynamics of agricultural cooperativism, the research was structured based on the following objectives: a) to study the evolution of agricultural cooperative activity in Rio Grande do Sul and its continuity in the current context; b) to investigate changes in the cooperative activity from Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau after soy agribusiness insertion; c) to determine the inflection point of cooperative activity considering political and economic aspects in Rio Grande do Sul; d) to analyze socioeconomic and spatial transformations occurred at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and what role agricultural cooperatives play at the soy production chain structure, such as agricultural modernization, infrastructure and marketing. The choice of developing the research at this region of RS was due to three reasons: a) the vast area designated to soy farming and its localization at this part of the state; b) it is the region of RS in which the socioeconomic performance of agricultural cooperatives is significant; c) the agricultural cooperativism arose at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau. The research provides information that bases the hypotheses that agricultural cooperatives are mainly responsible for providing support for the soy production chain development at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and that they present storage capacity and guarantee their associates agricultural production businesses. Besides, the research confirms that crises emerged in the RS agricultural cooperativism in the 1970’s, however, in the 1980’s this activity began to disassemble economically because its opening to external market, favored by globalization. This new situation forced agricultural cooperatives to reorganize the way of managing and conducting the activity in the face of the new market dynamics. Agricultural cooperatives conquered their space and acknowledgement for their role in soy production chain. We noted that RS agricultural cooperativism is in a redefinition and activity resumption phase, after having overcome the biggest instability and debt period in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Furthermore, agricultural cooperatives intermediate activities developed in urban and rural areas, and this kind of cooperative is considered a socioeconomic development sign.

A presente investigação traz para a discussão a dinâmica das cooperativas agropecuárias do Rio Grande do Sul e seu papel com o desenvolvimento socioeconômico dos locais onde atuam. Este trabalho tem como propósito principal analisar a atuação das cooperativas agropecuárias no Planalto gaúcho e sua relação com a cadeia produtiva da soja, verificando a continuidade da atividade delas, no recorte espacial estudado. Para compreender a dinâmica do cooperativismo agropecuário, a pesquisa foi estruturada tendo por base os seguintes objetivos: a) estudar a evolução da atividade cooperativa agropecuária no Rio Grande do Sul e sua continuidade no contexto atual; b) investigar as mudanças na atividade cooperativa do Planalto gaúcho após a inserção do agronegócio da soja; c) averiguar o ponto de inflexão da atividade cooperativa considerando os aspectos políticos e econômicos no Rio Grande do Sul; d) analisar as transformações socioeconômicas e espaciais ocorridas no Planalto gaúcho e qual o papel das cooperativas agropecuárias na estruturação da cadeia produtiva da soja, como a modernização agrícola, a infraestrutura e a comercialização. A escolha em desenvolver a pesquisa nessa região do RS deveu-se a três fatores: a) pela expressiva área destinada à lavoura de soja e por estar localizada nessa parte do estado; b) por ser a parte do RS em que é expressiva a atuação socioeconômica das cooperativas agropecuárias; c) pelo cooperativismo agropecuário ter surgido no Planalto gaúcho. A pesquisa fornece informações que fundamentam as hipóteses de que as cooperativas agropecuárias são os principais responsáveis por fornecer suporte ao desenvolvimento da cadeia produtiva da soja no planalto do Rio Grande do Sul e por apresentarem capacidade de armazenamento e garantirem os negócios da produção agrícola para seus associados. Além disso, a pesquisa confirma que na década de 1970 iniciaram-se as crises no cooperativismo agropecuário gaúcho, entretanto, foi na década de 1980 que essa atividade passou a desestruturar-se economicamente pela abertura ao mercado externo, favorecida pela globalização. Essa nova situação forçou as cooperativas agropecuárias a reorganizarem a forma de gerenciar e conduzirem a atividade frente à nova dinâmica do mercado. As cooperativas agropecuárias conquistaram seu espaço e reconhecimento de seu papel na cadeia produtiva da soja. Constatou-se que o cooperativismo agropecuário gaúcho se encontra em período de redefinição e retomada da atividade, após ter superado o período de maior instabilidade e endividamento nas décadas de 80 e 90. Além disso, as cooperativas agropecuárias fazem a intermediação entre as atividades desenvolvidas no espaço urbano e rural, sendo esse tipo de cooperativa considerada um indicador de desenvolvimento socioeconômico. / The present investigation discusses the dynamics of agricultural cooperatives from Rio Grande do Sul and their role in relation to the socioeconomic development of the locations they function. This paper aims mainly at analyzing the performance of agricultural cooperatives at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and its relation with soy production chain, verifying the continuity of their activities at the region selected. In order to understand the dynamics of agricultural cooperativism, the research was structured based on the following objectives: a) to study the evolution of agricultural cooperative activity in Rio Grande do Sul and its continuity in the current context; b) to investigate changes in the cooperative activity from Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau after soy agribusiness insertion; c) to determine the inflection point of cooperative activity considering political and economic aspects in Rio Grande do Sul; d) to analyze socioeconomic and spatial transformations occurred at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and what role agricultural cooperatives play at the soy production chain structure, such as agricultural modernization, infrastructure and marketing. The choice of developing the research at this region of RS was due to three reasons: a) the vast area designated to soy farming and its localization at this part of the state; b) it is the region of RS in which the socioeconomic performance of agricultural cooperatives is significant; c) the agricultural cooperativism arose at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau. The research provides information that bases the hypotheses that agricultural cooperatives are mainly responsible for providing support for the soy production chain development at Rio Grande do Sul’s Plateau and that they present storage capacity and guarantee their associates agricultural production businesses. Besides, the research confirms that crises emerged in the RS agricultural cooperativism in the 1970’s, however, in the 1980’s this activity began to disassemble economically because its opening to external market, favored by globalization. This new situation forced agricultural cooperatives to reorganize the way of managing and conducting the activity in the face of the new market dynamics. Agricultural cooperatives conquered their space and acknowledgement for their role in soy production chain. We noted that RS agricultural cooperativism is in a redefinition and activity resumption phase, after having overcome the biggest instability and debt period in the 1980’s and 1990’s. Furthermore, agricultural cooperatives intermediate activities developed in urban and rural areas, and this kind of cooperative is considered a socioeconomic development sign.

Submitted by Edineia Teixeira (edineia.teixeira@unioeste.br) on 2018-10-11T14:01:58Z No. of bitstreams: 2 Tabatha _Santos - 2018.pdf: 4871103 bytes, checksum: dac5eb30acdb621c2e57d529c3381c8c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2018-10-11T14:01:58Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 2 Tabatha _Santos - 2018.pdf: 4871103 bytes, checksum: dac5eb30acdb621c2e57d529c3381c8c (MD5) license_rdf: 0 bytes, checksum: d41d8cd98f00b204e9800998ecf8427e (MD5) Previous issue date: 2018-06-21 / In the context of the discussion about sustainable development emerges a paradigm based on social and environmental values, derived from the conscious and responsible use of natural resources, whose premise is to reach the satisfaction of the needs of the present generation, in a way that does not compromise the ability to attend the demands of future generations. In this sense, organizations have adopted more sustainable strategies and practices to minimize environmental and social impacts, in addition to achieving economic-financial gains and achieving legitimacy in the face of stakeholders. In view of this, this dissertation aims to analyze how is the sustainability management for organizational legitimacy in front of the pressures of the stakeholders in an agricultural cooperative in western Paraná. A theoretical model based on Stakeholder Theory, Legitimacy Theory and the Triple Bottom Line was developed, which presupposes that organizations are pressured by their stakeholders through the power, legitimacy and / or urgency to adopt sustainability practices economic, environmental and social, in order to gain, maintain and / or regain legitimacy in the face of these pressures. With a qualitative approach, it was aimed to explain these relationships through the case study procedure in an agricultural cooperative, in this way, interviews were conducted with managers and main stakeholders. From the content analysis, the research propositions were confirmed: stakeholders pressure organizations to adopt sustainability practices, through power, legitimacy and / or urgency; sustainability involves the balance of economic, environmental and social dimensions; organizations seek strategies to win, maintain and / or regain legitimacy. Therefore, it was concluded that there are pressures for adoption of sustainable practices by the main stakeholders, nevertheless, the cooperative has a proactive position in adopting economic, environmental and social practices, since it does more than is required by the legislation. This has brought financial benefits, as well as minimizing environmental impacts and demonstrating social responsibility, which is reflected in the image and reputation to its stakeholders and to a greater competitive advantage / No contexto de discussão acerca do desenvolvimento sustentável emerge um paradigma baseado em valores sociais e ambientais, provenientes do uso consciente e responsável dos recursos naturais, cuja premissa consiste em alcançar a satisfação das necessidades da geração presente, de forma que não comprometa a capacidade de atender as demandas das futuras gerações. Neste sentido, as organizações têm adotado estratégias e práticas mais sustentáveis para minimizar os impactos ambientais e sociais, além de obter ganhos econômico-financeiros e alcançar legitimidade perante os stakeholders. Diante disso, essa dissertação tem como objetivo analisar como é a gestão da sustentabilidade para legitimidade organizacional frente às pressões dos stakeholders em uma cooperativa agropecuária do oeste do Paraná. Para tanto, foi desenvolvido um modelo teórico embasado na Teoria dos Stakeholders, Teoria da Legitimidade e no Triple Bottom Line, o qual pressupõe que as organizações são pressionadas pelos seus stakeholders por meio do poder, legitimidade e/ou urgência, para adotar práticas de sustentabilidade econômica, ambiental e social, a fim de ganhar, manter e/ou recuperar legitimidade frente a estas pressões. Com uma abordagem qualitativa, objetivou explicar estas relações por meio do procedimento de estudo de caso em uma cooperativa agropecuária, dessa maneira, foram realizadas entrevistas com gestores e principais stakeholders. A partir da análise de conteúdo confirmaram-se as proposições da pesquisa: os stakeholders pressionam as organizações para adotar práticas de sustentabilidade, por meio do poder, legitimidade e/ou urgência; a sustentabilidade envolve o equilíbrio das dimensões econômica, ambiental e social; as organizações buscam estratégias para ganhar, manter e/ou recuperar a legitimidade. Portanto, concluiu-se que existem pressões para adoção de práticas sustentáveis pelos principais stakeholders, apesar disso, a cooperativa tem um posicionamento proativo na adoção de práticas econômicas, ambientais e sociais, visto que faz além do que é exigido pela legislação. Isso tem trazido benefícios financeiros, além de minimizar os impactos ambientais e demonstrar a responsabilidade social, o que se reflete na imagem e reputação perante seus stakeholders e em maior vantagem competitiva.

La thèse porte sur les organisations de coopération agricole au stade de la production (OCAP) en Belgique. Elle s’inscrit dans le champ de l’économie institutionnelle, de l’économie sociale et de l’économie politique agraire. À partir d’une enquête empirique, la recherche s’efforce d’étayer la thèse de la complexité du fonctionnement interne des OCAP en Belgique étant donné la multiplicité des objectifs poursuivis par leurs membres et la nature des relations sociales dans lesquelles sont insérées ces structures coopératives de production agricole. En tant qu’objet d’étude, les OCAP sont définies comme les formes volontaires de coopération qui portent sur les processus biologiques de la culture des plantes et de l'élevage des animaux. Ces arrangements institutionnels sont caractérisés par la construction d'un ensemble de règles collectives qui organisent la mise en commun de ressources et d’activités et par la négociation entre associés des critères de répartition des résultats monétaires et non monétaires issus du travail. Les OCAP se distinguent des coopératives agricoles largement développées depuis le 19e siècle en Europe de l’Ouest pour offrir des services en amont ou en aval de la production. Ces coopératives de services ont été constituées pour faciliter l’intégration verticale sur les marchés d’exploitations indépendantes tandis que les OCAP, en intervenant au stade de la production, organisent la coopération horizontale entre agriculteurs associés.Les OCAP sont relativement peu développées en Europe et ailleurs dans le monde. Pourtant, les arguments pour coopérer au stade de la production agricole sont multiples et articulent des motivations d’ordre économique, social, politique, écologique et idéologique. Elles relèvent notamment de la volonté d’accéder aux ressources productives, de bénéficier d’économies d’échelle, d’améliorer les conditions de travail ou de renforcer les interdépendances des exploitations avec leur environnement biophysique et socioéconomique. Plusieurs raisons peuvent toutefois expliquer le fait que les OCAP sont peu répandues, comme l’attachement des agriculteurs à leur terre ou l’apparition de déséconomies d’échelle à partir d’un seuil de dimension relativement bas, liées aux coûts de déplacement des travailleurs et du matériel et aux coûts de coordination du travail. Malgré ces difficultés, depuis les années 2000 en Belgique, de nouvelles initiatives coopératives au stade de la production agricole sont portées par des néo-agriculteurs et coexistent avec les autres types d’exploitations agricoles. Notre recherche interroge en particulier la diversité des pratiques organisationnelles déployées au sein des OCAP à travers l’analyse des conditions sociales de production, des mécanismes qui permettent d’articuler la multiplicité des objectifs poursuivis et des processus de démocratisation de l’économie rurale. Pour cela, nous avons mené trois enquêtes empiriques complémentaires à partir d’une combinaison de méthodes de recherche qualitative. La première permet de caractériser la diversité organisationnelle des OCAP par la construction d’une typologie empirique menée sur la base d’un échantillon de 31 organisations. Trois variables dichotomiques définissent les types d’OCAP :la mise en commun du travail de la terre, le contrôle de la production et l’étendue de la coopération. L’analyse des conditions sociales de production dans chacun des types procède ensuite à l’examen des formes d’accès au foncier et au capital d’exploitation, des modes de prise de décision, des conditions de travail et des modalités de répartition des résultats produits. Cette première étude met finalement en évidence les tensions qui caractérisent la nature des relations que les agriculteurs nouent entre eux et avec d’autres catégories d’acteurs. La deuxième enquête empirique investigue les mécanismes par lesquels les membres des structures intégrales de coopération agricole, dont la particularité est d’organiser en commun le travail de la terre selon des principes agroécologiques, parviennent à construire une cohérence interne à leur organisation étant donné la multiplicité des objectifs qu’ils poursuivent. À travers une analyse comparative de dix organisations, les structures coopératives de production agroécologique sont alors étudiées à travers le prisme des organisations hybrides car, au-delà de la logique commerciale, elles combinent des demandes contradictoires issues de leur engagement dans des logiques d’autogestion, d’agroécologie et d’ancrage territorial. Après avoir défini les propriétés de ces logiques institutionnelles, l’analyse met en évidence les tensions paradoxales qui découlent de leur combinaison et les réponses organisationnelles mises en œuvre pour poursuivre dans la durée les multiples rationalités engagées. La troisième analyse consiste en une monographie d’une OCAP dont la singularité est de répartir le contrôle de la production agroécologique entre agriculteurs et citoyens. L’analyse vise à préciser la notion de démocratie économique à partir des principes qu’elle sous-tend et des principales praxis démocratiques mises en œuvre par les acteurs pour réguler leurs activités économiques. En particulier, nous avons cherché à comprendre les contradictions des pratiques organisationnelles avec les principes de démocratie économique et avec certains fondements du mouvement coopératif, ainsi que les tensions internes qui en résultent. Ce travail nous permet finalement d’appréhender dans une perspective critique et nuancée la transformation du rôle des citoyens dans les activités économiques et la diversification contemporaine des formes coopératives dans le secteur agricole et alimentaire induites par l’émergence d’initiatives aux multiples parties prenantes. / This thesis focuses on agricultural production cooperatives (APCs) in Belgium. It is framed within the fields of institutional economics, social economics, and agrarian political economy. Based on qualitative empirical research, this work seeks to untangle the thesis of the complexity of the internal functioning of APCs in Belgium, given the multiplicity of objectives pursued by their members, and the nature of the social relations in which these agricultural production cooperatives are embedded. APCs are defined here as voluntary forms of cooperation that deal with the biological processes of cropping plants and rearing animals. These voluntary arrangements are premised upon the construction of a set of collective rules that organize the pooling of resources and activities, as well as the negotiation between associates of the criteria for redistribution of monetary and non-monetary working outcomes. APCs are different from the agricultural cooperatives that, since the 19th century, have developed widely in Western Europe to offer upstream or downstream production services. The latter were established to facilitate the vertical integration of independent farms into markets. Instead, APCs, by intervening at the production stage, organize horizontal cooperation between associated farmers.APCs are relatively undeveloped in Europe and elsewhere in the world. However, incentives for cooperating at the agricultural production stage are multiple, and articulate economic, social, political, ecological, and ideological motivations. Such motivations relate to the desire to access productive resources, to benefit from economies of scale, to improve working conditions, or to strengthen the interdependence of farms with their biophysical and socioeconomic environment. Notwithstanding this, various elements may explain the limited presence of APCs such as farmers' attachment to the land or the appearance of diseconomies of scale from low dimension thresholds, linked to the costs of moving workers and equipment and the costs of coordinating work. Despite these difficulties, in Belgium, from the 2000s, new initiatives of agricultural production cooperation have been created by neo-farmers, and coexist with other social types of farms.Our research specifically examines the diversity of organizational practices implemented within APCs through the analysis of the social conditions of production, the mechanisms that allow the combination of the multiple objectives pursued and the processes of democratization of the rural economy. To do this, we conducted three complementary empirical analyses using a combination of qualitative research methods. The first analysis allows us to characterize the organizational diversity of APCs by constructing an empirical typology based on a sample of 31 organizations. Three dichotomous variables define the types of APCs: the pooling of labour on the land, the control of production, and the extent of cooperation. From the analysis of the social conditions of production in each type of APCs, it then proceeds to examine the forms of access to land and capital, the modes of decision-making, the working conditions, and the modalities of outcomes distribution.The second empirical study investigates the mechanisms by which members of the integral structures of agricultural cooperation, whose peculiarity is to organize farming labour collectively according to agroecological principles, manage to build an internal coherence within their organization given the multiple objectives they pursue. Through a comparative analysis of ten organizations, agroecological production cooperatives are studied through the prism of hybrid organizations, as they combine contradictory demands stemming from their commitment to logics of self-management, agroecology, and territorial embeddedness. After defining the properties of these institutional logics, the analysis reveals the paradoxical tensions that arise from the combination and the organisational responses adopted to pursue this multiplicity of rationalities on the long run. The third empirical analysis consists of a single case study on one type of APC, whose singularity is to allocate the control of production between farmers and citizens. Through an in-depth study of a citizen agroecological production cooperative, the analysis aims to clarify the notion of economic democracy by looking at its underpinning principles, and at the main democratic praxis that actors implement to regulate their economic activities. In particular, we unveil the internal contradictions that emerge from the organizational practices with the principles of economic democracy and certain foundations of the cooperative movement. This work finally allows us to grasp, through the adoption of a critical and nuanced perspective, the transformation of the citizen's role in economic activities, and the contemporary diversification of cooperative forms propelled by the emergence of multi-stakeholder initiatives in the agricultural sector. / Doctorat en Sciences politiques et sociales / info:eu-repo/semantics/nonPublished

The dissertation deals with the employee remuneration system in the Agricultural cooperative Klučov – Lhota and the proposal of changes in this area. In the practical part, basic terms regarding remuneration are considered. Then an analysis of the current state both in the cooperative and in its surroundings is processed. The outcome of the whole study is a SWOT analysis, on the basis of which changes are proposed in the area of the remuneration of employees. The aims of these changes are to increase the welfare of the employees and to stabilize the personnel situation of the cooperative.

Master’s thesis is focused on draft of a corporate financial plan for agricultural cooperative Sněžné. Financial plan is created for period 2020 to 2023. In the first part, a literary research is performed theoretical knowledge related to financial planning, financial and strategic analysis. In the next part, the agricultural cooperative is introduced and analyzed on the basis of individual methods of strategic and financial analysis. The summary of these analyzes is performed by SWOT analysis. In the last part of this master‘s thesis, a financial plan is created in an optimistic and pessimistic variant with 4 years outlook. In the end, the financial plan is one more analyzed and assessmented.

MSCAGR / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / Agricultural cooperatives have been generally promoted as a vehicle for smallholder agricultural development in South Africa. As a result, agricultural co-operative registrations in South Africa are increasing. However, research suggests that South African co-operatives have generally not been effective, successful and functional. The study determined factors affecting proper functioning of smallholder agricultural cooperatives in Lepelle Nkumpi Municipality. Simple random sampling method was used to select a sample of 140 active cooperative members from 13 registered agricultural cooperatives. A list of agricultural cooperatives was obtained from the Department of Agriculture, Limpopo Province to facilitate the process. Primary data was collected using designed questionnaires and secondary data was collected from journal articles, internet and other recorded data. All questionnaires were handed out during face to face interviews held with participants. Discriminant analysis was used to analyse the data. The model was used to identify different factors which might have positive or negative effects on the functioning of agricultural cooperatives. The discriminant analysis results revealed that functional smallholder agricultural cooperatives were characterized by high level of training of members; interaction with other stakeholder and satisfaction with the training and assistance received. On the other hand Dysfunctional smallholder agricultural cooperative were characterized by high age group, low level of meeting attendance, large cooperative size, dissatisfaction of assistance and training received and high number of females. The weighting coefficients of the standardized canonical discriminant coefficients of the independent variables showed that variables that discriminated between functional and dysfunctional cooperatives were: cooperative size (-0.852), interaction vi    with stakeholders to improve the level of skill (0.579), satisfaction with assistance provided (0.516), number of females in cooperative (-0.455), years in existence of cooperative (0.452), members participation in decision making (0.407) and age group (0.446). The finding obtained in this study could be quite useful to policy makers. This study recommended that government should intensify effort on cooperative training, extension service and assistance to support functioning of agricultural cooperatives in the study area. Cooperative members should also participate in decision making and attend cooperative meetings to acquire more agricultural information

MSCAGR / Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness / Poverty and unemployment are the main problems facing many people in the Vhembe District Municipality. Due to these main problems, most people turn into farming as a tool to reduce poverty, ensure food security and create employment in their rural communities. Because of high production and marketing costs, farmers often find it difficult to pool their resources together in order to raise farm income and substantially improve their living conditions. In order to deal with this problem, farmers form cooperatives to pool their resources for increased agricultural productivity, employment creation and poverty reduction. The study assessed the role of agricultural cooperatives in poverty reduction within the rural communities of the Vhembe District Municipality. The research study was a combination of both qualitative and quantitative research method. There are 70 agricultural cooperatives producing field crops and vegetables in Vhembe District. A clustered random sample of the 4 Local Municipalities within Vhembe District Municipality was employed. It involved the selection of 9 cooperatives from Thulamela, 3 cooperatives each from Makhado and Mutale respectively and 1 cooperative from Musina. Relevant data was collected from both primary and secondary sources. Descriptive and Binary logistic regression modelling was used to analyse data. The study revealed that socio-economic characteristics of respondents have an impact on the role agricultural cooperatives play in reducing poverty. The study further showed that agricultural cooperatives play a significant role in reducing poverty and ensuring food security to members’ households. The respondents showed a positive response in the effectiveness of cooperatives in poverty reduction. The study also showed that cooperatives have a significant role in creating employment opportunities. Cooperatives were also faced with various challenges which hinder their success in poverty reduction. Some of the challenges include; market access, lack of funding, conflicts within cooperatives and high electricity costs. The study concludes by recommending different strategies which will enhance the success of cooperatives in poverty reduction. Further studies concentrating on poverty reduction, food security and employment creation need to be carried-out which will help cooperatives respondents to eradicate poverty in their households and communities.