Solidarity economy and short-circuit marketing: Agroecology in the Osvaldo de Oliveira settlement of the MST/RJ

Abstract

The objective of this research is to investigate how the concept of solidarity economy is applied in the organization of work in the Osvaldo de Oliveira settlement of the Landless Rural Workers Movement. The investigation is based on what the settlers inform. With a descriptive qualitative approach, the construction of the research corpus was based on participant observation during contact with the settlers, preparation of a field notebook, in addition to semi-structured interviews carried out with residents of the settlement. The interpretation of the collected material was supported by the categorical content analysis
guidelines. The study is relevant because, beyond the perspective of organizational studies, it consists of giving visibility to small farmers, sometimes ignored by society, who use Short Circuits of Commercialization to sell their production, in addition to contributing to unveiling, the social discourse present in the space of the settlement, as a place of emancipation of the rural worker. The results suggest that the settlement proposes an organization with the praxis of solidarity economy, which is characterized by a community managed collectively. The issues of interest to the settlement related to the organization of work, for example, are all discussed in assemblies, as the solidarity economy enterprises are governed. As a suggestion for future research, we point out the need to investigate the impact that work and living with conflict situations to which they
are subjected can have on the health of rural workers, also the impact on the local economy and in farmer’s personal life.