Markets: Popular Economy, Solidarity, and Agroecology

I accompanied two of my co-workers to a market organized for local producers from Chiapas who use agroecological practices. The market is located in San Cristobal de Las Casas. It is organized through a network called REPASUR (Red de Economías Populares y Autogestivas del Sur). They identify as an antipatriarchal network of local producers who seek to construct non-capitalist possibilities of relating with one another economically. They seek to promote more just and human ways of doing business based in community principles of solidarity and mutual aid.

"Red antipatriarkal de productor@s locales, que buscamos construir posibilidades no capitalistas, de relacionarnos económicamente. Proponemos formas de comercio justas y humanas, basadas en los principios comunitarios de solidaridad, apoyo mutuo, (...)"

In the front entrance of the building, local producers who we work with through the agricultural extension services were selling their fresh produce. The organization I work with pays for their transportation and gives them lodging to stay in San Cristobal for the market over the weekend. A crew from the office also arrived to sell products that different communities have left with us to sell. Above, you can see the stand that our organization put together. It mostly has art and textiles, handicrafts, medicinal tintures and balms made by community partners, etc.

In the photo above, an indigenous woman from the community of San Andres spoke about the tradition and meaning of weaving textiles. She spoke of the significance of different colors and patterns. But what stood out to me was the connection with the Earth that weaving has for women in her community. To support their body as they weave, they usually tie a strap around their waist and the other end around a sturdy tree so that they can lean back and support themselves. This is less straining on the body. She said that they often see the connection of themselves and the supportive tree like the connection of a child to the umbilical cord. It reflects how we are also children of mother nature.

The woman in the photos above was making quesadillas and atol with squash blossoms and cempasuchil (Mexican marigold) petals. She had a very successful market and sold out of her products quickly. It was nearing day of the dead and everyone wanted a warm quesadilla and atol on a chilly day.

It was a nice market with kind people who share common values of building more just markets. However, it felt more like a fun pop-up market with family friendly activities than a market for your weekly purchases. After the market ended, all of the vendors did a de-brief of the day. Many reported that they hadn't sold as much as they had hoped. They discussed location, publicity, etc and how to keep improving the market. I think that since they only meet every other Saturday and have a different location in the city every time, it can be difficult to secure a dedicated customer base. This is important to consider because many producers have to travel from communities several hours outside of the city of San Cristobal de las Casas, travel with their heavy load of produce, and pay for public transportation. It's important that they sell enough to make up that expense.

I bring up these shortcomings because using agroecological practices is difficult for small-scale producers. They take on a lot of risk and extra labor in converting to these practices. And, unfortunately, there isn't much of a market for agroecological produce that offers a more stable and higher price. One of the only stable, elevated market is the international market for products like coffee. While organizations like the one I am working for help support small-scale farmers convert to agroecological production, it's also important to have markets where these products can secure them a better livelihood. However, organic and agroecological products don't seem to have that market like they do in the United States. Initiatives like this REPASUR market are important spaces, but we need more of them and with more organizational capacity to secure customers doing their weekly shopping rather than just people walking through town who buy a thing or two because they stumbled upon the market. Nonetheless, it was a beautiful day with beautiful people, and I'm grateful for these critical and uplifting spaces that seek to build a better reality for producers, consumers and the community at large.