Abstract Mesorregiao Grande Fronteira do Mercosul (GFM) in southern Brazil is the country’s largest dairy production area. This region has the highest concentration of dairy cooperatives of small and medium-sized producers in the country. Nevertheless, the traditional policies and practices of Brazilian cooperatives no longer align with market realities and the exclusion of less efficient cooperatives from the market affects many small family farms. This study about the development of dairy cooperatives located in the GFM aims to identify these cooperatives’ vulnerabilities and improvements that can increase their competitiveness. Using Cook’s (1995) life cycle approach, we describe the evolution of cooperatives in the dairy industry in this region. The results indicate the necessity of new designs for GFM dairy cooperatives’ business models and strategies in order to disconnect them from government aid. Measures to enhance their market competitiveness are necessary to promote self-sufficiency in this growing sector and maintain family farms’ continued existence.

中文翻译：

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巴西南部乳制品合作社的组织结构和演变：生命周期分析

摘要巴西南部的Mesorregiao Grande Fronteira do Mercosul（GFM）是巴西最大的乳制品生产区。该地区是该国中小型生产商的乳品合作社最集中的地区。然而，巴西合作社的传统政策和做法已不再与市场现实相吻合，效率低下的合作社被排除在市场之外，这影响了许多小型家庭农场。这项关于GFM乳业合作社发展的研究旨在确定这些合作社的脆弱性和改进措施，以提高其竞争力。使用Cook（1995）的生命周期方法，我们描述了该地区乳制品行业合作社的演变。结果表明，必须为GFM乳品合作社的商业模式和战略设计新的设计，以使其脱离政府的援助。必须采取措施提高其市场竞争力，以促进这一不断增长的部门的自给自足并维持家庭农场的持续存在。