Social capital and rural producer organisations : an assessment of the relevancy of social capital in the functioning of rural producers organization…

2013

Master thesis in development management – University of Agder 2013 This thesis examines the relevancy of social capital in the functioning of Rural Producer Organisations (RPOs). RPOs are made up of farmers that want to improve their economic situation by facilitating access to the market or by for instance refining a product, selling certified seeds, or setting prices etc. In this paper it is investigated whether social capital is an important factor in determining participation in the RPOs. Low membership participation is a problem in the two empirical cases of RPOs in Sopachuy, Bolivia. Social capital is a concept that has received more attention the last two decades because of its perce…