Social capital and collective action in farming sector

Abstract

This paper analyses organized interests in agriculture and food sector, as well as the role of farmers’ organisations in the development of rural areas from social capital approach. The author states that social capital produced by farmers’ organizations is different according to the kind of association (co-operatives, farmers unions, producers organizations,etc.). In fact, some farmers’ associations produce a kind of social capital which is a very useful resource to encourage interesting strategies of rural development, whereas in other associations social capital can even restrict such strategies and become an obstacle to guarantee their sustainability in the future. This paper proposes a theoretical framework (based in the Woolcok’s multidimensional model) to analyse the different kinds of social capital produced by farmers’ organizations and their importance for rural development.