Contribution of agricultural cooperatives to territorial development in Uruguay
The aim of the article is to analyze the relationship between agricultural cooperativism and territorial development in Uruguay. First, the theoretical bases of the territorial development approach are presented, highlighting the coincidences with cooperativism. From this, the category of endogenous development is proposed as the main link between the two approaches. The methodology consists of a descriptive and exploratory analysis, with a historical focus, based on a bibliographic and documentary review, secondary information and interviews with key actors. To obtain the results, the history and evolution of cooperativism in Uruguay is analyzed, and then it focuses on agricultural cooperativism, its origins, its most representative cases and its evolution. The results show a positive contribution of agricultural cooperatives to territorial development, supported on an important role of public policies. Cooperatives promotes the competitiveness of the territory in international markets, but protects the local productive systems of small producers from the logic of concentration and exclusion of transnational capital. In turn, cooperatives favor endogenous capacities for innovation and the construction of local social capital and networks that are the basis of local development strategies.
Copyright (c) 2021 Cooperativismo & Desarrollo
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
As the author of the article declares that is an original unpublished work exclusively created by me, that it has not been submitted for simultaneous evaluation by another publication and that there is no impediment of any kind for concession of the rights provided for in this contract.
In this sense, I am committed to await the result of the evaluation by the journal Cooperativismo & Desarrollo before considering its submission to another medium; in case the response by that publication is positive, additionally, I am committed to respond for any action involving claims, plagiarism or any other kind of claim that could be made by third parties.
At the same time, as the author or co-author, I declare that I am completely in agreement with the conditions presented in this work and that I cede all patrimonial rights, in other words, regarding reproduction, public communication, distribution, dissemination, transformation, making it available and all forms of exploitation of the work using any medium or procedure, during the term of the legal protection of the work and in every country in the world, to the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia Press.
