Condicionantes para inserção de pequenos produtores em canais de distribuição: uma análise das ações coletivas.

Abstract

Collective actions are suggested by several authors as an opportunity for small farmers to be included in marketing channels. In this context, this research proposes a model for the analysis of horizontal and vertical collective actions within marketing channels. The model was developed under different theoretical approaches: sociological, economical and managerial. The sociological approach is based on the assumption that the social aspects involved in the formation of a group, such as collective objectives, social capital and equity, are determining aspects of collective action. Economic aspects, which contribute to the establishment of relationships between business partners, comprise mainly transaction cost economics, thus suggesting that cost reduction is the determinant for building cooperative relationships within supply chains. According to the managerial approach, which is based on supply chain management theory, intra- and inter-organizational management and relationships have a synergic effect which improves the performance of the system as a whole. However, several factors of sociological and economic nature, which are complementary to supply chain management theory, must be considered in the process of decision-making. This integration allowed for the identification of causal relation among the conditions that made viable the access of small farmers to marketing channels. For that, a methodological structure led to the development a systemic model, which demonstrated the interrelations among the conditions. The conclusions allowed for the elaboration of recommendations, which can be implemented as innovator systems, aiming shared gains among channel agents. Those are expected to benefit agents through sustainable longterm relationships.