Thesis (M.Dev.) -- University of Limpopo, 2016 / In 2010, the South African Department of Agriculture rolled out the Farm Together Agricultural Co-operative Training Programme (Farm Together Programme) to support the development and growth of selected agricultural co-operatives nationwide. This study is an impact assessment of the programme, focusing on the Capricorn District Municipality in the Limpopo Province. A survey of co-operative members whose co-operatives had participated in the programme and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders were conducted. The findings provide insights into the strengths and weaknesses of the programme. Overall, the programme was relevant and comprehensive. It provided the basic skills needed to run co-operatives. However, there has been minimum impact on growth and development. Gaps identified in the programme include lack of ongoing mentoring, monitoring and evaluation of progress being made in setting up structures to support growth and development. Women with low levels of literacy dominate the membership. Further research is required to explore why the youth and men do not participate in co-operatives.

Cette thèse analyse le régime juridique des coopératives brésiliennes et des coopératives françaises à partir de leur principe plus remarquable: la double qualité d’associé et d’usager de la société coopérative. Elle vérifie la modalité selon laquelle sont réalisés l’engagement sociétaire et l’engagement de coopération dans les deux pays, en présentant les contrastes et les convergences entre les deux systèmes juridiques, ayant comme objectif contribuer à la modernisation du droit coopératif français et brésilien. On remarque les nouvelles modalités de renforcement du capital, tel comme réalisées en France et la notion d’acte coopératif brésilien, inexistant en France. L’adoption du modèle français de contrat de coopération, est présentée comme une alternative pour le système brésilien, dans l’objectif de garantir l’efficacité des engagements opérationnels réalisés par la coopérative et par le coopérateurs. L’adoption des éléments de l’acte coopératif, tel comme pratiqué au Brésil pourra se révéler comme important mécanisme en France lors du processus de qualification du contrat de coopération. / This paper analysis the juridic system of the Brazilian co-operative societies and the French agricultural co-operative societies, from their most remarkable principle: the twofold quality of both owner and user of the members of these societies. It was verified how the society's engagement and the cooperation engagement is done in both countries, presenting the contrasts and the convergences between the two juridic systems, with the finality to contribute to the modernization of the Brazilian co-operative law system, as well as the French. There were highlighted the new ways of capital reinforcement as the practiced in France and the notion of the Brazilian co-operative act, unknown to France. The adoption of the French model of co-operative contract was suggested as an alternative to the Brazilian system, in a sense of guaranteeing the stability of the operational engagements done to both the co-operative society and the co-operators. As to the acceptance of the elements of the co-operative act, such as the practiced in Brazil, will also be able to be revealed as an important mechanism in France, related to the qualifying process of the co-operational contract.