Ação coletiva e meios de vida: análise das transformações operadas pela Cooperativa dos Pequenos Produtores Agroextrativistas de Lago do Junco (Coppalj) em comunidades do Médio Mearim, MA

Abstract

The search for better living conditions and commercialization of production led to the emergence of the Cooperative of Small Agroextractive Producers of Lago do Junco (Coppalj), which, since its emergence, has contributed to improve social reproduction conditions for its subjects, through a combination of a range of social, economic and environmental resources, that allow them to guard against lack of opportunities, poverty and marginalization resulting from social injustices. The work seeks to identify the transformations in local livelihoods derived from the combination of strategies adopted by Coppalj and the perceptions of members and non-members about its effectiveness, as well as its contribution to the construction of self-management, peasant autonomy and productive and technological diversification within its territory. The study is based on bibliographic and documentary consultation, combined with semi-structured and interactive interviews in communities where Coppalj operates. It demonstrates how, with its policy of valuing agricultural and extractive production, the cooperative collaborated for the emergence of new perspectives and the increase in families‟ access to income. It also highlights the actions taken by peasants during agrarian conflicts, which resulted in the creation of organizations that have played an important role in guaranteeing their rights, and the contribution of actions of the Catholic Church to peasant political organization in the Mearim Valley.