Building Community: Thinking Through Sustainable Economic Models
Departmental News
Posted: April 21, 2016
By: Rafael Martínez
The Bueno Para Todos Organic Farming Cooperative located in Villanueva, New Mexico, is an innovative collaborative project focused on creating a sustainable economic model mindful of communal values. The Cooperative is made up of several friends, neighbors, and community members and is three years in the making. April 16th, 2016 marked a special moment in the cooperative’s development because they installed several green houses that will greatly enhance this year’s growing season. What made this event especially significant was the coming together of diverse communities to support the Cooperative’s project. The faculty and students from the Chicana and Chicano Studies Civil rights at UNM were on hand to lend a hand to this community-based project. This special day highlighted how various sectors of society can come together to work on such a vital undertaking.
The Cooperative Development Center (CODECE), led by the experienced community organizer Arturo Sandoval, organized the event. CODECE provides support to organic farming cooperatives in low-income ethnic communities around the state. CODECE brought together State Representative Tomas Salazar and County Representative Rock Olivari with UNM students from the Chicana and Chicano Studies department as collaborative partners to kick off the project. State and county representatives play an important role in ensuring sustainable economic development in the region. Importantly, the Bueno Para Todos Cooperative serves as an example of revitalization efforts through community practice.
Chicana and Chicano Studies at UNM is similarly committed to community based learning and practice. Through their hands on participation in the Bueno Para Todos Cooperatives, students gained important real life praxis that CCS places at the center of the educational process. Students were excited to participate in a community project where learned about the diverse historic and communal traditions of New Mexico communities. Community members who participated in the event shared oral histories with the students of the valley of Villanueva, enriching their understandings of social dynamics of the region and state. Students remained engaged and interested in continuing to explore possibilities of developing and participating in projects that keeps community interests at the center of their learning. At the end of the day, all participants agreed that the events not remain an isolated one, but rather that folks continue their partnership and collaborative efforts.
