Communities and social and solidarity economy.

The social and solidarity economy is based on its constitution as an instrument for
the transformation of the community's social structure and development, which
includes within its structure the three spheres of sustainability in social, economic
and environmental terms. The essence of the economy and its responsibility to
society is to ensure the satisfaction of people's material needs but also to promote
a more just and equitable social structure. This is where we find the solidarity
economy because its essential characteristic is social responsibility.

The social and solidarity economy has an integral vision oriented towards socio-
political, educational, cultural and environmental aspects. In this economy,
community networks of mutual support are established and people become
managers, producers and owners of their resources and production, that is, the
power of communities to maintain themselves and produce their own resources
and solutions, since the State cannot provide them efficiently.
Transition communities are citizen community projects that seek to build social
resilience against the progressive social collapse caused by climate change, peak
oil production and economic instability. An example of this can be found in Mexico
City, specifically in the municipality of Milpa Alta, where there is a social enterprise
called NOPAL MEXICA S.C. de R.L. de C.V.. A family cooperative dedicated to the
production and transformation of nopal and derivatives, which has a pioneering
model of integral use that allows to produce a catalog with 9 nutritious products of
nopal such as: marinade, brine, sweet dehydrated nopal, flour, jam, burst
amaranth, amaranth flour, amaranth biscuits and amaranth bars.
The primary mission of the family is to become entrepreneurs and transform the
traditional production of nopal in the Milpa Alta and Xochimilco areas, and to move
from primary production, with little possibility of expansion and scarce income,
towards an increase in production and income, which has allowed them to position
themselves as one of the twenty companies in the American continent with the
greatest social and environmental impact (AGORA PARTNERSHIPS &
MOMENTUM PROYECT).

I consider that the case of this company fulfills the aspects of the assignment,
because it has a humanistic character since it prioritizes the development of its
members and strives to accelerate change towards a more sustainable, equitable
and abundant world from its slogan: "Empowering entrepreneurs to transform the
world". The company is part of a community that manages its own natural
resources to belong to an area traditionally producing nopal and has implemented
preventive measures in the planting processes respecting the environment and the
welfare of workers so that natural resources sustain this economy in a fair and
equitable for the environment and the ecosystem. It should be remembered that
60% of agricultural producers in Mexico share limited access to technology, low
productivity which increases costs. With the strategies and innovations of this
company, as well as access to state incentives and credits, it will allow a better
self-management of resources and allow that 60% to decrease little by little. The
adequate social capital mentioned above will allow communities and groups to
manage their own projects.

With regard to social equality and the recomposition of the social network, 16
permanent jobs are generated annually, which represents the sustenance of 10
families. In addition to being governed by cooperative principles, the fulfillment of
which allows them general social capital in the social community where they are
located. They encourage citizen participation in social capital, that is, social
networks and relations that facilitate collective action and focus on the
empowerment of groups and communities of primary nopal production in the
production zone of Milpa Alta and Xochimilco as their slogan says.

This company, as any project requires an investment in time that will be reflected in
the identity and the common good because it has both social and cognitive bases
to achieve its objectives successfully and especially to help transform the world
from its community, with a vision of social and community economy.

Sources

 Nopal Mexica:
http://www.nopalmexica.com.mx/home.php
 Calixto Escobar, N. Nopal Mexica: “De la raíz mexicana, vida, salud y
manjar”. 40 casos de éxito. Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería, Desarrollo
rural, Pesca y Alimentación. México.
https://www.redinnovagro.in/casosexito/2017/Nopal_Nopal_Mexica.pdf