The network of solidary economy of agroecological cotton: human development, sustainability and cooperation between farmers of the state of Ceará

Abstract

The solidarity-based economy as a form of social reorganization of several areas of human action has remarkably expanded in the last decades and it has taken several forms and configurations. This study has as its main objective to analyze the influence of three dimensions of the social solidarity-based economy: cooperation, human development, and sustainability among rural workers who integrate the so-called Justa Trama, that means, the solidarity-based network of agroecological cotton which ranges from the production of cotton to the manufacturing and trade of pieces of cloth and accessories. This study is characterized as qualitative. The data collection was carried out through semi-structured interviews applied to several key informants and twenty five rural workers. The interviewees work in the first stage of the cotton production, in the state of Ceará. The data collected revealed that the studied dimensions, although are articulated and understood in a very superficial way by the rural workers, are part of their daily activities. The insertion of the rural workers within the network has brought about several benefits for the workers such as the raising of income and environmental awareness, stimulating cooperation and solidarity.