Paper short abstract:

Rural Producers' Organizations were conceived by donors as drivers of poverty reduction, promoting specialization of cash crop, they risk to increase socio-economic inequalities. The paper explores social and economic barriers to household participation in Caia district, Mozambique.

Paper long abstract:

Rural Producers' Organizations (RPOs) were conceived by donors as drivers of poverty reduction, in the field of agriculture focusing on promotion of cash crop specialization, they risk to increase socio-economic inequalities. The paper aims at exploring how the creation of RPOs interacts with existing social structure. The two main research questions are what are the determinants of household participation in RPOs and what are the features of main flux of information and help among households. A sample of households was interviewed in 5 neighborhoods in the municipality of Caia collecting both socio-economic features and networks among households.

Research shows that the main determinants of household participation in RPOs are number of years in the village and low level of food vulnerability. Most of RPOs members have better education and more affiliations than average households. RPOs leaders tend to have relevant position both in local churches and political party. The main informal networks beside kinship are churches (protestant and catholic), local authorities and political party. These four dimensions tend to be overlapping.

In Caia district most social mobility due to trading activities tends to be socially sanctioned in the discourse practice. Interviewing non-members and some merchants it emerges though that RPOs leaders are some of the most important farmers in the district, yet fellow members do not question their social position. Can this change in the definition of wealth accumulation socially accepted be an effect of RPOs creation?