The territorial basket of goods and services an the social construction of markets: contributions from cooperatives and family-farmers'agrifood processing enterprises in Santa Catarina (Brazil)

Abstract

This article analyses the centrality of cooperativism in promoting sustainable territorial development, focusing on valorising territory-specific resources and promoting food and nutritional security through family-farmers’ agrifood-processing enterprises. In theoretical terms, it combines the Territorial Basket of Goods and Services approach and the concept of social construction of territorialized markets. The reference territory is the operating region of a financial cooperative in western Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. For almost three decades this cooperative focuses its operations on six rural municipalities, with approximately 38,000 inhabitants. Various other forms of cooperation undertaken by farming families are promoted, highlighted by a forum of family farming social organizations. This is a sphere of territorial governance that emands various kinds of support from public bodies. The main methodological resources mobilized were an inventory of existing family-farmer enterprisesin the territory, drawn from secondary sources, and interviews with territorial leaders and managers of a sample of these enterprises. Most of the processed products are sold through short routes, creating a dense and complex territorial market for quality agrifood products. We conclude that the process of building this territory reveals the collective creation of a complex and dense network of other social organizations, whichwork to create marketing channels that shape the territorial market