THE COLLECTIVE ENTERPRISE AND ITS ROLE IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT: EXTENSION WORK IN THE “HANDS OF FIBER” ARTISAN BAKERY

Abstract

This article presents the results of university extension work undertaken in a cooperative enterprise located in Viçosa, Minas Gerais State. Advisory work supported by the Proext Cultura 2009 project involved the participation of a group of students from the Cooperativism course at the Federal University of Viçosa (UFV) in rural households that comprised the enterprise. The formalization of a collective enterprise, together with community organization, is important for the promotion of social participation in the community and for guiding actions and decisions in order to promote development. It also acts to encourage entrepreneurial activity in the community. Empowering members of the enterprise and enabling them to participate in a more qualified way helps to produce citizens who are capable of contributing to the management of local development activities. The organization of rural families in a cooperative venture, hence converting them into collectives, plays a prominent role in the community development process, contributing to socioeconomic sustainability and creating conditions that provide better income and improved living conditions. One of the results achieved by the implementation of the project, which will be presented in this article, concerns the importance of linking the recuperation of community cultural values to the building of an identity. This reinforces the sense of community and provides rural households with the training and skills needed for an autonomous collective enterprise, as well as for the manufacturing and marketing of products.