Orientador: Maria Angela Fagnani / Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Engenharia Agrícola / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-25T22:57:10Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Santos_EdimarPaulo_M.pdf: 10764091 bytes, checksum: d5565293183613d10b2f5e37b522d31d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2014 / Resumo: Cresce significantemente o número de consumidores de produtos orgânicos, pela preocupação com os efeitos dos alimentos ingeridos no dia-a-dia, com relação à saúde e sua ação no meio ambiente. Percebe-se que há um lugar reservado aos produtos orgânicos em grandes redes de supermercados e que, apesar do preço superior aos similares produzidos sem a tecnologia orgânica, a demanda por este produto tem aumentado. O trabalho buscou explicitar as insuficiências e limitações das práticas de mercado dos produtos orgânicos em supermercados e o risco da adoção dos mesmos pelos pequenos agricultores orgânicos, como base para buscar melhorar este canal e/ou pensar em outros canais de comercialização. Para cumprir com esses objetivos foram analisadas diferentes estratégias de comercialização adotadas pelos supermercados. Foram selecionados para estudo 10 supermercados na região do Pólo Bandeirante do estado de São Paulo, onde os produtos orgânicos foram comparados com os não orgânicos: preços praticados e estratégias de mercado. Foi verificado que há uma diferença significativa de preço de produtos orgânicos quando comparado com os não orgânicos tornando o mesmo acessível a apenas uma parcela da população e tendo como conseqüência um desserviço ao movimento de agricultura orgânica / Abstract: Significantly increasing number of consumers of organic products , the concern with the effects of food intake on a day- to-day with regard to health and its action on the environment. It is noticed that there is a place reserved for organic products in large supermarket chains and that , despite the higher price to similar produced without organic technology , the demand for this product has increased. The study sought to explain the shortcomings and limitations of market practices organic produce in supermarkets and the risk of adopting the same by small organic farmers , as a basis for seeking to improve this channel and / or think of other marketing channels . To fulfill these objectives were analyzed different marketing strategies adopted by supermarkets . Were selected for study 10 supermarkets in the Bandeirante pole of São Paulo , where organic products were compared with non- organic region : prices and market strategies . It was found that there is a significant price difference of organic products compared with non- organic making it accessible to only a portion of the population and as a consequence having a disservice to the organic farming movement / Mestrado / Planejamento e Desenvolvimento Rural Sustentável / Mestre em Engenharia Agrícola

Marketing cooperatives play an important role in agricultural activities. Institutional support for cooperatives is based on the idea that, collectively, farmers can achieve benefits than, individually would be difficult to obtain. Head lettuce in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia is marketed and distributed by a central selling agency which is organized as a producer cooperative. Members of the cooperative are subject to regulations, in the form of market quota allocations which control the quantity of head lettuce they can sell through their cooperative. This study describes and analyses the market structure of the head lettuce industry in British Columbia to ascertain and quantify the source of benefits to producers from cooperative marketing within a regulated marketing environment. A model of the industry is constructed to characterize the market for head lettuce in B.C. The parameters which affect consumer demand and farm supply are estimated with econometric equations. A feature of supply is that current production decisions are influenced by the producer's market quota allocation which, in turn, is determined by the producer’s past sales. The market quotas are believed to have constrained supply response and this is borne out by the empirical results which indicates a highly inelastic supply curve. The demand for head lettuce is also estimated to be inelastic. This result is not surprising since head lettuce is regarded as a basic commodity by consumers. The estimated supply and demand elasticities are used to derive linear supply and demand curves at the cooperative and wholesale levels. These are used with the observed 1990 price and quantity levels to calibrate a model of the B.C. head lettuce industry. A counterfactual model is then formulated to simulate a market with no controls on output. Given an inelastic wholesale demand, the simulation results indicate that for very small increases in cooperative output, large decreases in price occur. Consequently total revenues decline at every alternative assumption of supply increase. This result supports the hypothesis that output restrictions by the cooperative have the potential to increase members' output prices. It is concluded that while the market quotas have in the past provided positive benefits to cooperative members, the quotas may now be hindering the process of adjustment to the loss of tariff protection and changing market conditions by making producers less price responsive. / Land and Food Systems, Faculty of / Graduate

Dairy marketing cooperatives provide marketwide services, such as lobbying for higher support prices and negotiating for premiums above marketing order prices, which benefit all dairy farmers in the market. The presence of free riders, people who benefit from these marketwide services without paying any of the costs of these services, can jeopardize the existence of the cooperative. Understanding why members were attracted to the cooperative and why independents (non-members) were attracted to the investor oriented firm (IOF) allows cooperatives to target specific membership groups. Depending on the cooperative's goals, management can then use this information to focus on either retaining current members or attracting new members or both. The purpose of this study is to produce practical recommendations for dairy marketing cooperatives for recruitment and retention of members. This study begins with a background on cooperatives and a conceptual framework based on group and game theory. The data are a result of a regional survey of dairy farmers. The data are then analyzed using t-tests for continuous responses and chi-square tests for categorical responses. This analysis results in a comparison of responses from cooperative members and independents. The independents stressed immediate benefits over long-run gains. Independents also appeared to have a risk/return trade-off. They received higher prices in exchange for fewer written contracts. Economic issues were important to both groups but significantly more important to independent producers. The two groups exhibited no difference on tradition and loyalty issues. Cooperative members emphasized prices and deductions, but they also highlighted assured markets and field services offered by their cooperatives. / Master of Science

No description available.

The aim of this qualitative study is to explore the perspectives of current members of the cooperative regarding the role of social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative on the Suid Bokkeveld in the Northern Cape, South Africa (SA). This cooperative has been cited by several researchers as being successful for various reasons, including the existence of a marketable resource, a steady increase in production, and certification through Fairtrade, resulting in an export market. Social capital, as a contributing factor to the success of the cooperative, has not however previously been investigated in depth. In light of the unique success of this cooperative, it is important to obtain an in-depth understanding of the role of social capital, if any, in its success, particularly in the formation and day-to-day operation of the cooperative. With a particular focus on the members’ perspectives of the cooperative, this qualitative research adopted a case study approach to explore and to gain multiple and subjective understanding of the role played by social capital in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative. This may assist the organisation under study, as well as similar initiatives, in strategically harnessing the benefits of social capital as a resource in future. This report has three interrelated sections. The first part is an academic paper, which includes a condensed literature review, research methods, results and discussions. The second part is an expanded literature review, while the third section details the research methods. It is vital to note that these sections are separate, but interrelated. Convenience sampling was used to identify current members of the cooperative who participated in this exploratory qualitative study. Four heterogeneous focus group discussions, with a total of 44 members of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Suid Bokkeveld, were conducted. The focus groups were heterogeneous, as they included ordinary members, founding members and committee members. A guideline with questions based on the theory of social capital was developed, and used to initiate or stimulate discussion among the members of the cooperative in order to address the key research question, namely: What was the role of social capital, if any, in the success of the Heiveld Cooperative in the Northern Cape as perceived by current cooperative members? The primary source of data was collected through focus group discussions, while secondary data was obtained from documents in a form of internal reports and papers written for the Heiveld Cooperative. Data was analysed using open coding and constant comparison techniques in order to induce emerging themes from the data. Findings of this study revealed that social capital played a major and influential role during the inception and also in the successful operation of the Heiveld Cooperative, by bonding and bridging not just between individual members, but also between communities, trading partners and other collaborators. Another key finding of this study is that social capital was also critical in enhancing supportive knowledge sharing, and the promotion of pride and shared identity, which the study identifies as aspects of cognitive social capital. Interestingly, the cognitive dimension of social capital in the Heiveld Cooperative has contributed to the weakening of social capital, as evident in claims related to lack of transparency and procedural injustice. Last, but not least, leveraging the sense of community has also been useful in promoting collective efficacy, strengthening familial togetherness, and enhanced democratisation of decision-making. Diminished trust, based on perceived oligarchy and nepotism is gradually weakening relational social capital. Findings in this study are illuminated using the social capital theory described by Nahapiet and Ghoshal (1998) to depict the social, cognitive and relational aspect of social capital that are at work at Heiveld Cooperative. Additionally, the social network theory by Hoppe and Reinelt (2010) is used to highlight the systemic view of social capital, which embraces the structural, relational and cognitive nature not only internal to but also between networks of the cooperative. Recommendations are provided to ensure social capital is harnessed, rather than undermined. These include the need to promote the processes of learning, monitoring and discussion that have been implemented; harnessing the benefits of bonding and bridging social capital; leveraging the sense of community and applying a more systemic view of social capital; and addressing perverse aspects of social capital such as nepotism and oligarchy that have been identified.

No description available.

Thesis (MSc. Agriculture (Agricultural Economics)) -- University of Limpopo, 2021 / The South African agricultural sector plays an important role in creating jobs, alleviating food insecurity and poverty, and also contributes to exports. Agricultural produce from smallholder farmers is often lost after production due numerous marketing challenges which make it difficult for smallholder farmers to explore full market potentials. This, among other challenges, reduces smallholder farmers’ motivation to participate in formal (commercial) or high-value markets. The study aimed at assessing factors hindering marketing among smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers in the Polokwane Municipality. The objectives of the study were to: identify and describe socio-economic characteristics of smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers; examine the influence of socioeconomic characteristics of smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers; identify factors hindering marketing among smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers and constraints faced by smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers in the study area. Primary data with a sample size of hundred and twenty smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers was used. Descriptive statistics, the Marketing Hindrance Index and Tobit Model were employed as analytical tools to achieve the objectives of the study. Results of data analysis revealed that there are factors hindering marketing among smallholder vegetable cooperative farmers in the Polokwane Municipality. The major factors affecting smallholder farmers are source of water and types of vegetables grown, respectively. From the Tobit Model results, access to credit, access to reliable information about marketing, age, access to storage and farming experience in years were found to be significant. In view of the research findings, the recommendations of this study include: encouraging youth participation in agriculture, improved access to agricultural information and formal market access, improved access to credit and enabling accessibility through the development of better infrastructure in the form of storage facilities.