Family Agriculture and Honey Production Chain in Rio Grande Do Norte

Abstract

Purpose: The study questions whether the ways in which beekeepers in Rio Grande do Norte interact with the market focus on the dimension of competitiveness or are guided by values ​​that prioritize other sociocultural dimensions. The objective was to characterize the forms of social interaction experienced by farmers in their production and marketing relationship with the honey production chain.
 
 Theoretical framework: The study has as its theoretical axis the proposition of Polanyi (2000) that recognizes that economic interactions are not the only ones and suggests that it is necessary to recognize other forms of relationship that are not exclusively economic.
 
 Method: This is a qualitative research. Ten subjects who are part of the honey production chain in Rio Grande do Norte were interviewed. The analysis technique adopted was the interpretive analysis using the NVivo® 11 software. The analysis categories were: redistribution, reciprocity and market exchanges.
 
 Results and conclusion: The forms of social interaction with the market depend on the beekeeper's immediate needs. He does not rule out types of relationships, as his main focus is their survival, which can override the needs of collective structures. However, this does not put the beekeeper guided by a business logic.
 
 Research implications: The study reveals that managerial practices that focus exclusively on the dimension of competitiveness do not contribute to the understanding of how agents that operate with a non-instrumental logic conduct their organizational practices.
 
 Originality/value: The study contributes with the perspective of a broader organizational theory than just the market dimension.