Cooperative sustainability: socio-economic aspects of a group of agroecological farmers linked to ecocitrus

The research sought to understand and clarify phenomena present in the agrarian space occupied by ecological family farmers and organic AF linked to the Cooperative of the Ecologic Citrus Growers of the Caí Valley (ECOCITRUS) in order to list their main socioeconomic and productive characteristics, in order to analyze the effects of economic association in the field of organic production. The analysis of the social space produced by ecological farmers and organic farmers, and their cooperative, was done through the concept of region. The researched administrative Region is located in the state of Rio Grande do Sul (RS) - Brazil. In this region are some of the most important and consolidated expressions of ecological agriculture and organic agriculture that is under way in RS. Next, we proceeded to surveys and field observations, knowing and understanding all the processes that develop in the properties of family farmers, focusing on Agroecology. In these occasions the areas with orchards and the conditions of the productive feet (flowering, fruiting and ripening), the extension of the orchards and the association between different species and varieties of citrus were verified.In possession of the information and the primary data obtained from the producers, in the interviews with all ecological farmers linked to ECOCITRUS, the systematization, analysis and representation of these data was passed. The results endorse / confirm the thesis that family farmers and peasants become stronger to face the problems of distribution and commercialization when they acting through solidarity, associative and cooperative.