A ação coletiva como facilitador da inovação no manejo orgânico: o caso do Sistema Participativo de Garantia

Organic food requires quality assurance systems that ensure the traceability of the product throughout the value chain, from the producer to the final consumer. Brazilian regulations created three organic quality assurance systems: the Social Control Organism (OCS) for direct marketing to consumers, without certification; audited certification; and the Participative Guarantee Systems, of which the latter operates based on Participatory Conformity Assessment Organizations (Opac). The results, derived though analysis of data obtained from 107 Opac associates, show that, far beyond allowing for the use of the government label for organic quality assurance, the Opac creates a mechanism of communication that boosts knowledge exchange. It also helps to build upon a social system based on social capital and polycentric governance that contributes to adoption of organic production technologies. It also shows the importance of regulatory policies as an element to induce collective action.Keywords: organic production; innovation; collective action.MEDAETS, Jean Pierre Passos; CECHIN, Andrei Domingues. A ação coletiva como facilitador da inovação no manejo orgânico: o caso do Sistema Participativo de Garantia. Estudos Sociedade e Agricultura, v. 27, n. 1, p. 118-136, fev. 2019.Submitted in september 2018.Accepted in december 2018.