e-COO: Social Technology in the Commercialization of Family Farming

Abstract

Family farming faces persistent challenges related to commercialization, dependence on intermediaries, logistical constraints, and digital exclusion, requiring solutions that combine technological innovation with collective organization. Although digitalization initiatives in agriculture have expanded, studies addressing digital platforms as participatory and territorially grounded social technologies remain limited. This paper systematizes the experience of developing e-COO, a digital social technology designed to strengthen the commercialization of family farming in southern Brazil. The study is based on the systematization of experiences and adopts a participatory and multidisciplinary approach involving participatory diagnosis with farmers, educational activities, incremental platform development, and the implementation of a sociotechnical infrastructure composed of a digital platform, a local distribution center, organized commercialization cycles, and participatory governance processes. The results show that the collective construction of the technology reorganized commercialization processes, improved logistical predictability, strengthened self-management practices, and fostered digital literacy among participants. The study concludes that digital platforms for family farming become socially meaningful when integrated with educational processes, territorial mediation, and collective organization, thereby constituting a sociotechnical infrastructure with strong potential for adaptation and replication across different territorial contexts.