COOPERATIVISM IN FOREST COMMUNITIES IN THE AMAZON: WHAT DO NON-MEMBERS SAY?

Sousa, Adria Marielen Paz; Pontes, Biane Silva; Silva, Maria Jociléia Soares da; Vieira, Thiago Almeida

doi:10.1590/1809-4422asoc120r1vu19L4AO

Table of contents previous current next

Table of contents

Original Article • Ambient. soc. 22 • 2019 • https://doi.org/10.1590/1809-4422asoc120r1vu19L4AO linkcopy

COOPERATIVISM IN FOREST COMMUNITIES IN THE AMAZON: WHAT DO NON-MEMBERS SAY?¹

EL COOPERATIVISMO EN COMUNIDADES FORESTALES DE LA AMAZONÍA: ¿QUÉ DICEN LOS NO MIEMBROS?

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

The National Forest of Tapajós is a reserve in the western region of the state of Pará and in 2005 the Cooperativa Mista da Floresta Nacional do Tapajós was founded, with the main objective of applying forest management through community activities. This paper aimed to identify and evaluate the viewpoint of non-member residents about this cooperative, as well as to find alternative production forms. It was used a matrix of Strengths, Opportunities, Weaknesses, and Threats, semi-structured interviews, a Priority Matrix, and a Plan of Action. The most important benefits cited were the donation of wood, road maintenance and jobs for the members. Problems in the admission process related to red tape and lack of transparency in the selection process of new members should be overcome. Cassava planting and flour production; handicrafts; tourism; establishment of agroforestry systems; honey production were the main productive activities indicated in the Plan of Action.

Keywords:
Social organization; Conservation Unit; Rural Development; Amazonia

Communities	Total number of family residents	Number of non-member families	Number of interviewed non-member families
São Domingos	34	27	23
Maguari	74	54	30
Jamaraquá	26	21	12
Acaratinga	22	18	11
Jaguarari	31	27	23
Pedreira	51	37	26
Total	238	184	125

Strengths	F(%)	Opportunities	F(%)
Wood donation for the construction of community centers and schools	100%	Work offer for non-members of the cooperative.	100%
Maintenance of the community access road	100%	Admission of more members.	100%
Work and benefits for the members	100%	Construction of a school for community training.	33%
Community fund	50%	Partnership between the Cooperative and the University to train people of the community and technical training (forestry technician).	16%
Support for festivities, transportation and health care	33%	Recovery of degraded areas	16%
Capacity building for community persons	16%	Strengthening non-timber production	16%
		Youth capacity building	16%
		Sale of forest products in own store (Ecostore)	16%
		Inclusion of women in other sectors	16%
		Implementation of community projects	16%
		Creation of new cooperatives (organization of the community basis)	16%
Weaknesses	F(%)	Threats	F(%)
Lacking turnover of cooperative workers	100%	Poor management of the cooperative	33%
Difficulty in cooperation and lack of information about the functioning of the cooperative	50%	One-sided sale of a single product: wood	33%
Transparency in the selection process	33%	Actions carried out in an unplanned and unorganized manner (mainly with the communities)	33%
Lack of mobilization of non-members to attend assemblies	16%	Impacts on the fauna	16%
Little community education and training for jobs at Coomflona	16%	Deforestation without damage recovery	16%
Lack of opportunity for the illiterate	16%	Destruction of nature (flora, fauna, water, soil).	16%
Influence of the opinion of the non-cooperative community members on the directors of the Cooperative	16%	Limited forest management area	16%

General Plan of Action
What activity?		What are the difficulties?	How?	Who? (Partners)
1.	Flour production	Pests, few instructions of proper handling, lack of transport, low price, lack of sales opportunities, lack of technical assistance.	Find Technical Assistance.	EMATER¹, SEBRAE², SENAR³, EMBRAPA⁴, COOMFLONA⁵ and STTR Belterra ⁶
2.	Fruit tree planting (nance, açaí palm, coconut, yellow mombin, passion fruit, guava, barbados cherry, banana, cashew, orange, cupuassu)	Purchase of seedlings, technical assistance (determine spacing and arrangement).	Find Technical Assistance and partners for seedling purchase or production.	EMATER, EMBRAPA and COOMFLONA
3.	Free-range poultry farming	Diseases and lack of technical guidance.for farming.	Find Technical Assistance.	EMATER, EMBRAPA and ADEPARÁ⁷
4.	Honey production	Lack of wood for the manufacture of boxes and of technical guidance.	Find technical assistance and get wood for the apiary.	EMBRAPA, EMATER and COOMFLONA
5.	Fish farming	Licensing, determination of location and fish species.	Identification of partners, find technical guidance and install floating net cages.	UFOPA⁸, EMATER and COOMFLONA
6.	Handicraft (baskets, brooms, furniture)	Training, promotion of the product and outlet location.	Organize craft courses and workshops.	UnB⁹, SEBRAE, EMATER, UFOPA and INPA¹⁰
7.	Tourism	Lack of equipment and training.	Raise community awareness; implement training (English, tour guide, tourist reception, and first aid courses).	UFOPA, ICMBio¹¹, SEBRAE, COOMFLONA and Secretaria Municipal de Turismo
8.	Production of regional sweets	Suitable location.	Training.	SEBRAE
9.	Production of fruit pulp (nance, cupuassu and açaí palm)	Handling, storage and marketing conditions.	Acquisition of equipment and study of a place for commercialization.	COOMFLONA (Agroindústria)
10.	Extraction of Andiroba oil	Lack of oil analysis, soil authorization and adequate packaging.	Legalization of the activity.	UFOPA and ICMBio
11.	Rubber (latex)	Low price, lacking machinery to sew the rubber.	Machinery purchase, find potential buyers.	COOMFLONA, SEBRAE, Fundo DEMA, ICMBio, UFAC¹²

location_on

ANPPAS - Revista Ambiente e Sociedade Anppas / Revista Ambiente e Sociedade - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: revistaambienteesociedade@gmail.com

rss_feed Stay informed of issues for this journal through your RSS reader

[TFN1] Source: Author’s elaboration.

COOPERATIVISM IN FOREST COMMUNITIES IN THE AMAZON: WHAT DO NON-MEMBERS SAY?1

EL COOPERATIVISMO EN COMUNIDADES FORESTALES DE LA AMAZONÍA: ¿QUÉ DICEN LOS NO MIEMBROS?

COOPERATIVISM IN FOREST COMMUNITIES IN THE AMAZON: WHAT DO NON-MEMBERS SAY?¹