Bottom-Up Sustainability: The Case of Altavista in Medellin, Colombia
Any bottom-up perspective needs to not leave from the capabilities that the community currently has, or the practices that they already engage in.
Because 2018, researchers at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, in collaboration with associates at the Castleberry Peace Institute at the University of North Texas, have been working to collect info about the existing abilities of the Altavista neighborhood. We have actually tried to help with jobs that the Altavista neighborhood has actually already thought of, but at initially, we were not exactly sure how to establish them and we needed to fundraise. One of the jobs we founded was a neighborhood garden that completely exemplifies the bottom-up technique.
While taking care of the garden, the Altavista neighborhood gains food security, sufficient nourishment for the children, and knowledge of sustainable harvesting practices.
Marisol (in the hat), the project leader for a community garden in Altavista, Medellin. The children were talking about the garden and describing how their lives have altered because the job started.
Sustainability is a practical matter. That implies that it must be a part of what we perform in our daily lives. Frequently, governments try to satisfy this requirement, however they deal with three main barriers: 1) the authenticity of their actions; 2) an absence of presence in the territory (through representatives, schools, hospitals, and other social services); and 3) other externalities such as spending plan, meteorological scenarios, and so on. All three concerns are particularly essential with respect to sustainable practices. The second is usually ignored while talking about various sustainability choices.
There are several aspects that may increase the complexity of applying sustainable practices in a territory: geographical complexity, demographic density, technological and technical problems, environmental risks, and so on. However these aspects are challenging only from a top-down perspective– applying the same method to a manifold of areas is a nearly difficult job, because there are so lots of variables that may restrain present and adoption. Instead, one may examine the possibilities that emerge from adopting a bottom-up perspective, which alters the perspective to not the provision of something, however the interaction that emerges from it. Any bottom-up viewpoint needs to not depart from the abilities that the neighborhood already has, or the practices that they currently engage in.
Trainee volunteers operating in the neighborhood garden. The garden is made up of many kinds of veggies and medicinal herbs.
Medellin, Colombia is an intricate city– an unique mix of violence, social inequality, sense of community, compassion towards the less lucky, and so on. This is certainly the case for Altavista, one of the frequently forgotten territories of Medellin. How would a bottom-up approach effect Altavista?
Because 2018, researchers at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana, in collaboration with associates at the Castleberry Peace Institute at the University of North Texas, have been working to gather info about the existing capabilities of the Altavista community. Sustainability stays one of our main issues. We have tried to facilitate jobs that the Altavista community has currently believed of, but initially, we were not exactly sure how to establish them and we required to fundraise. One of the tasks we established was a neighborhood garden that completely exemplifies the bottom-up method.
This garden is situated at the back of a school and is taken care of by members of the neighborhood, as well as the children who participate in the school. While taking care of the garden, the Altavista community gains food security, adequate nutrition for the children, and understanding of sustainable harvesting practices.
Undoubtedly, the Altavista community will not be entirely changed by such a little job as a neighborhood garden, but it is at least an initial step towards a communitarian governance that acknowledges the practices that would help them end up being sustainable.
James Meernik, director of the Castleberry Peace Institute at University of North Texas, with some of the leaders harvesting lettuce.
Simón Ruiz-Martínez is a 2021 CMM Learning Exchange Fellow and currently a Ph.D. candidate in Political and Juridical Studies at Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana. Together with the Youth, Peace and Security program at Columbia Universitys Advanced Consortium on Cooperation, Conflict and Complexity, Simón has actually been working to comprehend how everyday deeds and actions of people in a community shape and determine the concept of security.
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Simón Ruiz-Martínez|January 12, 2022
