An alternative, solidary and conscious way of

commerce and consume.

A case study on a consumer cooperative.
1 2
Mariana Mendes da Silva and Cristina Parente
1
Master's Degree student in Sociology at the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto - marianasmmsilva@gmail.com Encontro de Investigação Jovem
2
Assistant Professor with tenure of the Faculty of Arts of the University of Porto - cparente@letras.up.pt Poster n.º 33, ref.ª 14233

I. ABOUT THE COOPERATIVE II. AXES OF ANALYSIS AND KEY GOALS

Founded in 2013, Fruta Feia (Ugly Fruit) aims to re- 3. Producers' motivations
duce food waste (good quality fruit and vegetables) farmers to join the cooperative
due to appearance reasons through new consumpti- worldviews
on patterns and the improvement of farmers’ socioe-
conomic conditions.
consumer
Launched in Lisboa, it arrived in Porto in 2016, ha- rationality
ving currently 9 local delivery points. 2. Consumers' social
profiles and trends around solidarity
It is a successful and highly awarded cooperative. responsible consumption economy 1. Recent cooperatives
revival and renovation

III. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

SOCIAL AND SOLIDARITY ECONOMY
Hybrid economic space which reconciles social utility with financial efficiency. Oriented by a strong political dimension, it en-
sures individuals well-being, social justice, democratic participation and sustainable growth through conscious consumption
(Laville, 2009; Singer, 2010).

PEASANT RATIONALITY RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION

From recent rural studies Klaas Woortmann em-
phasises through the concept of Peasantry the farm-
ers ambiguous moral order based on traditional
values merged with capitalist market principles and
modern lifestyles (Mutra, Mafra, 2014).
Jan Douwe Van der Ploeg, in his idea of Repeasanti-
zation considers traditional agriculture as a tool to
farmers dignification and emancipation from catchall
multinational agro-food industries currently blocking
alternative markets and increasing this group econo-
mic exclusion (Paulino, 2008).
Marc Barbeta Viñas describes Responsible Con-
sumption as a critical and ethic act based on its en-
vironmental and social consequences. It implies the
empowerment of consumers (Viñas, 2015).
This individuals ability of affirmation justifies An-
thony Giddens perception about agency reflexive
consciousness and its potentiality to change social
processes (Lopes, 2000).
Nonetheless, since this is considered a restrictive
consumption practice, we point out Pierre Bour-
dieu's theoretical framework about Distinct Con-
sumption which stresses the objective conditions of
existence such as cultural capital and social class
(Magalhães, 2005).

IV. METHODOLOGY
This case-study design about Porto, Matosinhos and Vila Nova de Gaia delivery points relies on a mixed method strategy, speci-
fically the convergent parallel mixed methods to emphasize both quantitative and qualitative approaches (Creswell, 2014)

Research methods: Research method: semi structured in- Research method: survey
- direct observation (cooperative's terviews Population: cooperative consumers
work activities and routines) Population: cooperative farmers Sampling procedure: stratified ran-
- unstructured interviews (coope- Sampling procedure: non-probability dom sampling procedure
rative workers) Convenience sampling strategy
- document analysis (national and (theoretical sample)
international social media articles
about the cooperative)
REFERENCES
1. LAVILLE, Jean-Louis (2009) - A economia solidária: um movimento internacional. Revista Crítica de Ciências Sociais. Mar. 2009, vol. 84.
2. LOPES, João Teixeira (2000) - Itinerário teórico em torno da produção dos fenómenos simbólicos. Sociologia, Revista da Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto, Vol. 10.
3. MAGALHÃES, Dulce (2005) - Dimensão simbólica de uma prática social: consumo do vinho em quotidianos portuenses. Porto: Faculdade de Letras da Universidade do Porto.
Tese de doutoramento em sociologia.
4. SINGER, Paul (2010) – Introdução à economia solidária. São Paulo: Editora Fundação Perseu Abramo. ISBN 85-86469-51-3.
5. MUTRA, Oliveira; MAFRA, Martins (2014) - Ethos camponês: a expressão de uma racionalidade na modernidade em crise. In CONGRESSO PORTUGUÊS DE SOCIOLOGIA,
VIII, Évora, 2014 – 40 anos de democracia(s): progressos, contradições e prospetivas [Em linha]. Universidade de Évora.
6. PAULINO, Eliane (2008) - PLOEG, Jan Douwe van der: camponeses e impérios alimentares, lutas por autonomia e sustentabilidade na era da globalização. Agrária . N.º 9.
7. VIÑAS, Marc (2015) - L’economia moral del consum responsable: una mirada sociológica. Medi Ambient, Tecnologia i Cultura . 2015, n.º 52.
8. CRESWELL, John W. (2014) - Research design: qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods approaches. 4.ª ed. Londres: Sage Publications, Inc. ISBN 978-1-4522-2610-1.