SOCIAL CAPITAL AND RURAL COOPERATION IN PEASANT LEARNING COMMUNITIES OF THE SEMBRANDO VIDA PROGRAM: A SOCIAL EVALUATION IN TLAXCALA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63121/48dmbz74Keywords:
Desarrollo rural, programas sociales, políticas públicas, comunidades campesinasAbstract
Government 's main strategies aimed at addressing rural poverty, promoting food self-sufficiency, and strengthening the social fabric through community organization. Within this framework, the objective of this research was to evaluate the contribution of the Sembrando Vida Program's Farmer Learning Communities (CACs) to social capital formation and rural cooperation in the municipalities of Españita, Hueyotlipan, and Xaltocan, Tlaxcala. A quantitative study was conducted using a structured questionnaire administered to a non-probability sample of 50 beneficiaries from six CACs. The instrument included indicators related to the satisfaction of basic needs, participation in community organization, and levels of trust and cooperation among members. The data were processed using SPSS software. The results show that the CACs have partially contributed to strengthening social bonds, particularly in terms of coexistence, cooperation, and basic organization. However, they face limitations such as: concentration of leadership, low participation from certain groups, and tensions arising from the program's institutional context. Furthermore , it was identified that the program fulfills a social rather than a productive role, allocating financial aid primarily to meet essential needs (food, health, and housing), and to a lesser extent, to expenses related to productive activities. It is concluded that Community Agricultural Cooperatives (CACs) are important for building social capital in rural areas, but their impact depends on strengthening the participation, technical training, and autonomy of producers through institutional adjustments.
References
Altieri, M. A., & Toledo, V. M. (2011). La revolución agroecológica de América Latina: rescatar la naturaleza, asegurar la soberanía alimentaria y empoderar al campesino. Journal of Peasant Studies, 38(3), 587–612.
Aguilar, J., Guevara, R., & Ramírez, E. (2010). Extensionismo rural y escuelas de campo para agricultores. FAO.
Barba, C. (2015). La política social en América Latina: enfoques y dilemas. FLACSO.
Barba, C. (2016). Transferencias monetarias y política social en México. FLACSO.
Bebbington, A. (1999). Capitals and capabilities: A framework for analyzing peasant viability, rural livelihoods and poverty. World Development, 27(12), 2021–2044.
Bourdieu, P. (1986). The forms of capital. En J. Richardson (Ed.), Handbook of theory and research for the sociology of education (pp. 241–258). Greenwood.
Consejo Nacional de Evaluación de la Política de Desarrollo Social (CONEVAL). (2022). Informe anual sobre la situación de pobreza y rezago social. CONEVAL.
Guevara, R., Aguilar, J., & Ramírez, E. (2003). Escuelas de campo y desarrollo rural. FAO.
Manzo, F., Sánchez, J., & López, R. (2007). Educación popular y desarrollo rural. Universidad Autónoma Chapingo.
Martínez, R. (2020). Gasto social, pobreza y estancamiento productivo en México. CEPAL.
Pretty, J. (2003). Social capital and the collective management of resources. Science, 302(5652), 1912–1914.
Retolaza, I. (2010). Teoría de cambio: una herramienta para la planificación orientada a resultados. Hivos.
Rogers, P. (2014). Theory of change. UNICEF.
Secretaría de Desarrollo Social (SEDESOL). (2005). Informe de programas sociales. Gobierno de México.
Secretaría de Seguridad Pública. (2011). Reconstrucción del tejido social. Gobierno de México.
Torres, G. (2008). Capital social y desarrollo comunitario. UNAM.
Turrent, A., Wise, T., & Garvey, E. (2017). Milpa intercalada con árboles frutales. Tufts University.
Velásquez, F. (2007). Participación social y acción colectiva. Siglo XXI.
Yáñez, R., Velásquez, J., & Pérez, L. (2006). Organización comunitaria y participación social. FLACSO
