  In this work the phenomenology of models possessing a non-minimal coupling
between matter and geometry is discussed, with a particular focus on the
possibility of describing the flattening of the galactic rotation curves as a
dynamically generated effect derived from this modification to General
Relativity. Two possibilities are discussed: firstly, that the observed
discrepancy between the measured rotation velocity and the classical prediction
is due to a deviation from geodesic motion, due to a non-(covariant)
conservation of the energy-momentum tensor; secondly, that even if the
principle of energy conservation holds, the dynamical effects arising due to
the non-trivial terms in the Einstein equations of motion can give rise to an
extra density contribution that may be interpreted as dark matter. The
mechanism of the latter alternative is detailed, and a numerical session
ascertaining the order of magnitude of the relevant parameters is undertaken,
with possible cosmological implications discussed.
