Economia solidária e desenvolvimento local: um estudo de caso na comunidade Laginha/Congo-PB.

Abstract

Currently, we live in a reality in which two thirds of the population live in a situation of poverty, this means people living in risky places, where access to work and income generation becomes difficult, which leads many people to not have access to basic rights such as: education, health, sport and leisure. In this sense, the theme under discussion in this work focuses on understanding how the Solidarity Economy can assist in the social and economic development of a location. The Solidarity Economy proposes the organization of work, alternatively promoting the generation of work and income, as well as social inclusion. Proposing a different way of producing, buying, selling and exchanging, without one party taking advantage of the other, that is, exercising practices contrary to those of the capitalist system, which increasingly promotes social inequalities, competition, exploitation of labor -work, among others. As we observed during the research, the solidarity enterprise analyzed will present positive points for enabling local development, namely: unity, courage, division of labor and production surpluses, mobilization, commitment, etc. These characteristics are essential so that, in a supportive manner, development can be promoted location of a community. The main objective of this work is to investigate the role of the Association of Fishermen and Farmers of Congo (ASPAC) for the personal, social and local development of the Laginha community. The study was carried out through direct observation and semi-structured interviews. Based on the results obtained through research carried out with the solidarity enterprise of the Laginha community, located in the municipality of Congo, in the State of Paraíba, characteristics are highlighted that can be considered as enabling the promotion of local development, considering that the population knows well the place where he lives, the needs and desires to improve living conditions in his locality, the necessary foundations for cooperation, solidarity, commitment among associates, becoming fundamental mechanisms for development, facilitating participation and the construction of a collective process within society. This work is structured as follows: Theoretical Foundation, which addresses content relating to the History and Proposal of the Solidarity Economy, Solidarity Economy as a Survival Strategy, Solidarity Economy and Local Development, Associativism: Contribution to Local Development; Methodology, which describes the research step by step; Analysis and Discussions of the Results, analyzing the interviewees' statements in light of the theoretical framework raised; Final Considerations, which concludes by showing the conclusions obtained through carrying out the work. We also provide the interview script and records of the location studied in the annex.