Agroecology and the power of the collective
How might we involve the collective in agroecological projects and ensure long-term application? A group of World Food System Center alumni recently traveled to Colombia to explore answers to this question with local organizations.
In November 2022, several members of the World Food System Center alumni had the opportunity to organize and lead a workshop in Colombia. The government of Colombia is starting to talk about ecological transition in its agendas, where initiatives like agroecology can flourish and be scaled-up.
The focus of the workshop was on agroecological practices, specifically the management of organic waste and community gardening. The goal was to explore what drives the power of collective action and sustained engagement in these types of projects. The workshop journeyed across the western regions of Quindío and Antioquia, seeking to understand how to involve the community in agroecological projects through collaboration with various partners.
In Quindío, the practical learning experience kicked off by helping build a community garden and a greenhouse at the site of a project partner called the Start of the Rainbow. The experience finished off in Antioquia, at the Recycling association, a social enterprise that keeps pristine the municipality of Sabaneta. Their team consists of formerly homeless individuals, who now have the necessary skills to compost the municipality’s organic waste.
As a result of this journey, and through interactions with host communities and experienced organisations, participants gained valuable knowledge on agroecology, fair trade, and organic waste management in fieldwork. The group of alumni identified many valuable insights that will be crucial to the success of future fieldwork interventions and serve as important learning outcomes of the workshop.
One important lesson from Peace Territories, a mobile agroecological school, is that it is crucial to identify the type of community and act accordingly. In some cases, the project may serve to create a community where one did not previously exist which was the case for the formerly homeless. It is also important to remain flexible and open to the needs and desires of the community, as well as to be sensitive to any factors that may prevent the project from moving forward. Community work must be organic, concerted, participatory, and binding, with the community leading the way rather than the organization.
At Mandala Corporation, which works for life and territory in conflicted areas, they emphasize the importance of approaching communities with a great deal of respect rather than as someone who is going to teach or who brings something. They encourage seeking to strengthen what the community already have, and always to start a dialogue and discover their natural leaders.
The fair trade shop ColyFlor, which connects consumers and producers, focus on making practices very simple. They agree that the creation of habits that will be sustained over time is key to ensuring the success of such practices.
The value of including children in agroecological projects was also emphasized by Tiernitorio, an agroecology school that works with rural and urban farmers to promote seed propagation and the fabrication of organic inputs.
At the Technological University of Pereira (UTP), they view the collective as a vital player in the food system, especially when it comes to local sub-systems that have cyclical, closed dynamics. One example is agro-eco markets, where the value of native seeds unique to each market contributes to the preservation of the territory's biocultural heritage and agrobiodiversity.
Agroecology, which combines ancestral and peasant knowledge with academic research, can engage people when it addresses their well-being and leads to better living conditions. For the cultural, ecological, and feminist organization, Penca de Sabila, experiences the need to resonate with people on a personal level. When people feel accepted and recognized, they are more likely to get involved and contribute to finding solutions to problems.
The main message from the host communities is that agroecology promotes overall well-being. All the projects visited during this workshop highlight the potential for agroecological practices to foster community engagement and sustainability. The group of alumni will be closely monitoring the progress of these projects over the next months. All are invited to follow World Food System Center Alumni Network (WFSN) Instagram account to see more about these intiatives: external page https://www.instagram.com/world.food.systems.network/
