Cooperatives in the northern Amazon paths and detours

Abstract

This paper aims to reveal the institutional context of the cooperative movement in the micro southeast of Roraima. The region is distinguished by the production of banana (Musa spp), Caroebe being considered the largest municipality of the state's production. The fact confirms the city being chosen as the starting point for construction and institutionalization of the cooperative movement in the southern state. Production organization was guided by the activity in the traditional way, without the use and application of production technologies. These reasons collaborate to low productivity of banana, for low quality in the process of post-harvest and for the insufficient income, which did not provide the conditions necessary for life to producing families. One of the reasons attributed for the development of banana production in southern Roraima was the government incentive to producers via Special Credit Program for Agrarian Reform - PROCERA. Another reason for the development of banana production took place in the face of changing federal and state governments. Thus, the production clusters of banana in southern Roraima become, by its location and organization process, target policy Local Productive Arrangements - APL's, as a continuation of the policy of federal government intervention in the Amazon north, from programs: Communities in Solidarity; subsequently Active Community and finally the Local Development Forum Integrated and Sustainable - DLIS. Thus, it is the constitution of an Agricultural Cooperative in southern Roraima, the premise of the cooperative institutionalization in the area surveyed.