A atuação das cooperativas na atividade mineral no seridó paraibano: os casos da coopicuí e coomipel

Abstract

This dissertation analyzed the performance of the mineral cooperativism and how it dynamized the small mining activity (the garimpo) in the micro region of Seridó Paraibano in the municipalities of Picuí and Pedra Lavrada both in the state of Paraíba. Mining in these municipalities dates back more than a century and it is responsible for absorbing a portion of the local workforce. Characterized by illegality and economic and social vulnerability, mining has provided many small farmers, in periods of drought, with an alternative to employment and income source. However, the 1988 Federal Constitution promulgates a new legal framework, whose guidelines begin to affect the miners‟ lives as well as their organization, giving priority to the creation and fomentation of mineral cooperatives, in an attempt to regularize, regulate and encourage the organization of small-scale mining. From this, the work is directed to understand the universes of two cooperatives: COOPICUÍ and COOMIPEL, analyzing how the cooperativism has interfered in the activity of the garimpo, in the miners‟ life and organization, assuming that the culture of the garimpo directly influences the organization of the Cooperative. We used a theoretical-empirical methodology, an exploratory-descriptive type, with a qualitative approach and multi-case study method, adopting techniques such as bibliographic and documentary research, as well as semi - structured interviews. At the end, we conclude that the two cooperatives COOPICUÍ and COOMIPEL have contributed to the mining, such as the insertion of machinery to assist the process of extraction and commercialization of ores, adding value to them. We can also mention as an important improvement, the acquisition of PLG (Mining Permission), a situation that occurred with COOMIPEL, however COOPICUI does not yet have such legal instrument, which is necessary for a mining company. We identified that the cooperativism performance in the garimpos of the studied municipalities is associated to sociocultural and institutional problems, which make mineral cooperativism an ideal to be pursued.