Providencia Festival: Popular Economy extension experience

Abstract

The objective of this article is to describe the experience of participating in neighborhood fairs, as spaces that promote popular economy, within the framework of the "Colectivo Semilla" community outreach project. This project lays its basis on a sustainable production model that considers local food production and consumption top priorities. At present, the project organizes activities at "La Costa" communal vegetable garden (Providencia-Córdoba), where food is produced for the participating families, and promotes the manufacturing of products that are later sold in fairs. Thus, students, teachers and families from the “Bajo Providencia” neighborhood work together in the production and commercialization of these products. This process involves conceiving ideas, collecting supplies and expanding the participants’ knowledge to finally manufacture and market good quality products. Fairs are not just places to buy and sell goods; they are spaces in which cultural, social and symbolic capitals are at play. These elements are highly valued for the families living in Bajo Providencia who are frequently excluded from these processes. In this experience, the market stall worked as a resource to spread information about the project's mainstays, to promote the interaction between the neighbours and the organizations, and to foster the appreciation of fairs and stalls as ways to manage collective undertakings that favour family economies. The "Colectivo Semilla" mediated in this process.