Meso-organizations, relational capital, and rural producers’ integration into the market in a context of violence

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Violence influences the productive activity of rural producers. One of the effects of violence is the disruption of the relationships between rural producers and the market, because violent actors attempt to control the interactions, the transportation, and the flow of products. In this study we investigate how rural producers interact with the market in a violent context. With this purpose we define integration into the market as the establishment of strong and long-term exchange relations with other market agents. In contrast to other approaches to understand the interactions with the market, this definition focuses on the established relationship instead of its inputs or outputs. We analyze the roles of both relational capital and meso-organizations’ programs in the process of integration of rural producers into the market in a violent context. We find that some forms of relational capital strongly relate to the rural producers’ ability to establish those exchange relations. Additional to this direct effect, there is an indirect effect when rural producers participate in meso-organization programs that focus on improving internal productive capacities and on facilitating connections with agents from outside their communities. Programs that provide subsidies and credit have no effect on integration into the market. • Integration into the market positively relates to relational capital beyond the close community. • Rural producers' relational capital favors meso-organization programs. • Programs focused on long-term benefits favor integration into the market. • Programs focused on financial support do not favor integration into the market. • Communitarian insecurity is strongly related to integration into the market.