Cooperativism as a sheep industry organization strategy in Paraná state, Brazil

摘要

Sheep breeding is an activity that has many bioeconomics and social benefits, being a meat production alternative to farmers based on integrated production systems. This study aimed to identify, describe and analyze the role of agricultural cooperatives as strategic agents raising sheep for meat production in the state of Paraná, Brazil. To achieve the proposed aim, an exploratory qualitative study of the four cooperatives operating in the sheep meat production chain in the State of Paraná in the year 2016 was done. Managers of these cooperatives and production chain experts were interviewed. For the analysis of results, cooperatives were classified into two groups: those which engage in various agro-industrial activities, and those which work exclusively in the sheep industry. The results obtained showed that there is not a single sheep production technological standard in the State of Paraná, and that cooperatives already worked in other agribusiness segments, the sheep industry being an additional activity in the portfolio of these companies, which seem to achieve better results by including this activity, involving higher expectations of expansion and seeking strategies to overcome major challenges, especially those related to animal slaughter and meat/meat by-product processing.