As in many least developed countries the farmers in Laos are heavily dependent on subsistence based agriculture production for their livelihood. A key for increased welfare for the rural population inLaosis to increase their profits of small scale farmers and generate a higher income per capita. One possible way to increase the profits and income for smallholder farmers may be to convert in to organic rice production for the export market, since the international market for organic rice is growing, consumers are prepared to pay a premium prise for organic products and conditions for organic rice production are favourable in Laos. Organic rice farming has grown in Laos during the last decade as greater volumes of organic rice are produced and exported. Organic rice is mainly produced by smallholders in donor projects or by contract farmers supplying contract farming companies. In this thesis I try to determine the causes behind this structural transformation by incorporating evolutionary economic theory (Schumpeter, 1911; Dahmén, 1950 and Marmefelt, 1998) which focuses on entrepreneurial innovations and creditors as the basis for changes in the economy. By performing a Dahménian transformation analysis of the transition from conventional- to organic rice production within the development block around rice production in Laos, I try to determine the transformation pressure causing the transformation to take place. Emphasis is in particular given to the role of contract farming in this process. I investigate to what extent the contract farming firm can be regarded as a Schumpeterian banker, a concept introduced by Marmefelt (1998), that can coordinate the development block around rice production by providing credits to the entrepreneurs within the development block. The analysis shows that two types of transformation pressures are likely to have caused the farmers to convert to organic rice production. First of all it is likely that the relatively higher price paid for organic rice (42 percent higher than conventional rice) has convinced farmers to make the transition. This type of transformation pressure can be seen as a market pull type, as it originates from an increased demand in the international market, which in turn increases the relative price for the product. The analysis further shows that a production method innovation had taken place by the introduction of new inputs, made available by the contract farming firm. This has led to an increased productivity which, combined with the premium price, generated higher profits for the organic contract farmers. The production method innovation can be seen as a market push type of transformation pressure originating from the supply side. In this thesis I argue that it is unlikely that the transformation would have occurred without the involvement of the contract farming firm. On their own, farmers did neither have the means to grow the organic rice, nor the proper market channels to process and sell the organic rice on the international market. I argue that the contract farming firm’s ability to facilitate price signal information from the international market to farmers, provide access to the new market thru market links, and provide credits for new inputs as well as technical assistance essentially made the transition to organic rice possible. However the analysis also shows that the contract farming firm had a limited ability to fulfil its role as a coordinator in the evolvement of the organic rice production, in terms of a Schumpeterian banker, because of limited abilities to solve bottlenecks in the value chain. The reason for this is mainly limited financial resources to finance complementary investments in other parts of the development block.

Fundação de Amparo a Pesquisa no Estado do Rio Grande do Sul / This research addresses the organic rice production process in the settlements Madre Terra, Cristo Rei and Zambeze and the impacts that such production engenders in São Gabriel / RS. With the crisis of conventional production model and the environmental, social and economic, resulting from the intensive use of agrochemicals, is included in the company an efficient production model, it is the agroecological agriculture developed during the production of organic rice process. From the literature focused on the topic of interest, as the struggle for land in Brazil and Rio Grande do Sul, the agro-ecological production strategies and the production of organic rice, it was possible to grasp the organic production system in question. To meet the objectives of the investigation, which presents a qualitative approach, was developed through semi-structured interviews, which were conducted with family farmers and settlers technicians COPTEC and ATES. Finally, it is evident that the productive organization of organic rice requires active participation of the community and technicians during the production process, because the organic management requires manual and daily work, and also the constant search for techniques and technologies that best suit the reality of the place and the variety of cultivated rice, and this form of production builds relationships between society and nature, modifying the configuration of the territory, incorporating a form of organization and different life, creating a new agriculture and a new farmer . / A presente pesquisa aborda o processo de produção do arroz orgânico nos assentamentos Madre Terra, Cristo Rei e Zambeze e os impactos que tal produção engendra no município de São Gabriel/RS. Com a crise do modelo de produção convencional e os impactos ambientais, sociais e econômicos, decorrentes da intensa utilização de agroquímicos, se insere na sociedade um modelo de produção eficiente, trata-se da agricultura agroecológica desenvolvida durante o processo produtivo do arroz orgânico. A partir do levantamento bibliográfico centrado no tema de interesse, como a luta pela terra no Brasil e no Rio Grande do Sul, as estratégias de produção agroecológica e a produção do arroz orgânico, foi possível apreender o sistema produtivo orgânico em questão. Para atender os objetivos da investigação, que apresenta uma abordagem qualitativa, foi desenvolvida, através de entrevistas semiestruturadas, que foram realizadas com os agricultores familiares assentados e técnicos da COPTEC e ATES. Por fim, evidencia-se que, a organização produtiva do arroz orgânico necessita participação ativa dos assentados e técnicos durante o processo produtivo, pois o manejo orgânico exige trabalho manual e diário, e também, a busca constante por técnicas e tecnologias que melhor se adaptam a realidade do lugar e a variedade de arroz cultivado, sendo que, esta forma de produção constrói relações entre a sociedade e a natureza, modificando a configuração do território, incorporando uma forma de organização e vida diferente, gerando uma nova agricultura e um novo agricultor.

The present research deals with a study on the production of organic rice in settlement Filhos de Sepé, located in the municipality of Viamão/RS, which is a production based on the principles of Agroecology. In the context of changes that include land reform and environmental crisis, arising from the intensive use of pesticides in rice production, this research aims to answer the following questioning: how farmers of the settlement Filhos de Sepé, located in the municipality of Viamão/RS, if organize the production of organic rice, starting on the agroecological transition and the maintenance of this production system, as well as the social and productive organization that settlement. To answer the problem of the research, it was established as a general objective: to understand the agroecological conversion process and the maintenance of the organic rice production system in the settlement of Filhos de Sepé, Viamão/RS. More specifically it his intended: characterize the challenges and motivations of settlers of settlement Filhos de Sepé in organic rice production; understand the social, cultural, economic and environmental setting of the producers of organic rice in settlement Filhos de Sepé; identify the types of certification of organic rice in the settlement Filhos de Sepé. To achieve the objectives proposed in the research was selected approach and qualitative analysis. The method to be used is dialectical, because, it is what is closest to the reality of research. Because of the need to gather information on the study area, this paper presents the methodological procedures divided into three phases. The first phase consisted of the initial and the guidelines, survey and analysis of bibliographic material, which are the secondary data, it will be the basis for the construction of the theoretical framework of the research. The second phase will be the primary data collection conducted through field work, together with the settlers and technicians of settlement Filhos de Sepé; and in the first instance, it performed the recognition and characterization of the settlement Filhos de Sepé, taking into account the cultural, social, economic and physiographic, after, was carried out data collection with relatives settled and technicians settlement with implementation of the roadmap of semi-structured interviews, informal conversations, systematic observation and nonparticipant observation. The third phase consists of the intersection of data and information collected, enabling specific analysis of the study area. In this harvest(2015/2016), the organic rice production area in the settlement was 1,600 hectares, involving 157 families, organized in to 25 production groups. In the production of organic rice, the settlement is one of the largest producers in the country and the largest in the state. Organic certification in the settlement is carried out in two ways, namely: through audit, performed by the certifying company IMO and participatory certification, performed by the Sistema Participativo de Garantia. / A presente pesquisa trata de um estudo sobre a produção do arroz orgânico no assentamento Filhos de Sepé, localizado no município de Viamão/RS, sendo esta uma produção com base nos princípios da Agroecologia. No contexto de transformações que incluem a reforma agrária e a crise ambiental, advinda do uso intensivo de agrotóxicos na produção orizícola, esta investigação pretende responder ao seguinte questionamento: como os agricultores do Assentamento Filhos de Sepé, localizado no município de Viamão/RS, se organiza na produção do arroz orgânico, partindo da transição agroecológica e da manutenção desse sistema de produção, bem como, se encontra a organização social e produtiva nesse assentamento. Para responder o problema da pesquisa, foi estabelecido como objetivo geral: compreender o processo de conversão agroecológica e a manutenção do sistema de produção do arroz orgânico, no Assentamento Filhos de Sepé, Viamão/RS. Mais especificamente pretende-se: Caracterizar os desafios e as motivações dos assentados do Assentamento Filhos de Sepé na produção orgânica do arroz; compreender os aspectos sociais, culturais, econômicos e ambientais dos assentados produtores de arroz orgânico do Assentamento Filhos de Sepé; Identificar os tipos de certificação do arroz orgânico no Assentamento Filhos de Sepé. Para atingir os objetivos propostos na investigação, foi selecionada a abordagem e a análise qualitativa. O método a ser utilizado é dialético, pois, é o que mais se aproxima da realidade da pesquisa. Devido à necessidade de reunir informações sobre a área de estudo, este trabalho apresenta os procedimentos metodológicos divididos em três fases. A primeira etapa se constituiu das orientações iniciais e constantes, levantamento e análise do material bibliográfico, sendo estes os dados secundários, se são a base para a construção do referencial teórico da pesquisa. A segunda fase foi a coleta de dados primários, realizada através de trabalho de campo, junto aos assentados e técnicos do assentamento Filhos de Sepé; sendo que, em um primeiro momento, foi realizado o reconhecimento e a caracterização do Assentamento Filhos de Sepé, levando em contas as características culturais, sociais, econômicas e fisiográficas, após, foi realizado a coleta dos dados junto aos agricultores familiares assentados e os técnicos do assentamento, com aplicação do roteiro das entrevistas semiestruturadas, conversas informais, observação sistemática e observação nãoparticipante. A terceira fase consiste no cruzamento de dados e informações coletadas, possibilitando análise específica da área de estudo. Nesta safra (2015/2016), a área de produção do arroz orgânico no assentamento foi de 1.600 hectares, com envolvimento de 157 famílias, organizados em 25 grupos de produção. Na produção do arroz orgânico, o assentamento é um dos maiores produtores do país e o maior do estado. A certificação orgânica no Assentamento é realizada de duas formas, sendo: por meio de auditoria, realizada através da empresa certificadora IMO e a certificação participativa, realizada através do Sistema Participativo de Garantia.