Agroecological practices in rururban lands of the Concepción metropolitan area. Contributions from social and solidarity economy to urban sustainability.

Abstract

In the Metropolitan Area of Concepción (AMC), lifestyles and practices that mix urban and rural life associated with the development of small-scale agriculture and family socio-economic base persist. This has implied the existence of rururban sectors centered on the cultivation of food plant species, mainly vegetables. However, these territories and the communities that develop these activities in them are strongly stressed by the urban development model deployed in recent decades.From this premise, the question arises whether these agricultural practices can be considered agroecological, from the conceptual sustenance of agroecology and its approaches towards more sustainable forms of urban life. To answer the question, the article reviews some cases of communities that develop agriculture in the AMC, with the aim of contributing to its valorization as a sustainable activity, considering its contributions to the urban metropolitan system from the social, environmental and economic dimensions. The methodology is based on previous background checks on areas with agricultural production, field surveys to learn firsthand how these practices are developed, application of semi-structured interviews, construction of specialized planimetry, and discussion of the potential of these areas as areas of interest for urban sustainability. The results allowed to identify zones in four communes, and the elaboration of a framework of indicators of evaluation of agricultural practices from the agroecology approach. In the research process, links were generated with the communities, and contributions to the link between farmers and spaces for marketing their products in the urban system. Along with this, a multimedia file was created that allowed the development of teaching material for teaching and dissemination of these practices at the academic and community level.