Abstract
The intersection of Commons and the Social and Solidarity Economy (SSE) provides a promising framework for addressing the socio-ecological challenges posed by globalization, which is increasingly marked by competition beyond established rules among global appropriators (Polanyi 1047, Ostrom et al. 1999). This intersection offers the potential to integrate economic activities with social and environmental care, which is particularly important in rural and mountainous areas. Here, monoculture and intensive farming, while beneficial for increasing productivity and profit—partly due to government and EU subsidies (Balogh 2021)—are leading to significant ecological degradation and long-term social vulnerability (Rasmussen et al. 2018, Balogh 2021). These vulnerabilities manifest in various ways, including economic dependency on external markets for inputs and product sales, exposing communities to market volatility exacerbated by unstable geopolitical conditions, the human-caused climate crisis, and growing social inequalities related to land concentration and the marginalization of smallholder farmers and those with different skills. Research has shown that combining SSE with a commons approach offers a sustainable development and resilience model by promoting community-based resource management and inclusive economic participation (Salustri 2021).
While the literature on SSE and commons offers extensive theoretical analysis and various examples (see e.g., Albareda and Sison 2020), there is a noticeable gap in comprehensive case studies exploring the mutual benefits of commons and SSE principles. Specifically, there is a lack of in-depth investigation into how SSE initiatives manage community resources and address vulnerabilities through diversified production systems. Understanding this interaction is essential for formulating policies that enhance resilience and sustainability in marginalized communities.
To address this gap, a qualitative approach can be employed to explore unique patterns and complex interactions, examine factors & processes utilizing intersectional critical systems thinking. This approach should incorporate methods that avoid reproducing power dynamics while generating detailed data on how SSE initiatives operate within the commons framework. Key criteria for analysis include resource management and accessibility, collective entrepreneurship, and the socio-ecological impacts of SSE initiatives.
This study focuses on two SSE initiatives in the Vinschgau region of South Tyrol, which emerged from a civil society-led movement to counter the spread of apple monoculture and its associated socio-ecological impacts at the municipal level. One initiative is a social cooperative that engages in organic social agriculture to include vulnerable people in the labor market, while the other is a community cooperative consisting of small-scale organic farms and a dairy factory. Both initiatives leverage community-based resources, such as land, local knowledge on food production, and cultural heritage, to address socio-economic vulnerabilities.
The study aims to:
* Investigate how these initiatives manage and make resources accessible.
* Analyze the creation process and organizational models of these SSE initiatives.
* Explore their role in addressing gender exclusion, skills marginalization, and other intersectional vulnerabilities.
* Assess their contributions to broader societal challenges and their potential to scale up through polycentric governance and subsidiarity.
They will illustrate how SSE initiatives in Vinschgau enhance community resilience by fostering diversified production systems that incorporate socio-ecological values. Drawing on the commons organizing framework (Bollier and Helfrich 2015, Albareda and Sison 2020), this study will explore how these initiatives create and reproduce new commons, highlighting the mechanisms that align collective and individual interests, build trust, and mobilize local resources. Furthermore, building on literature emphasizing the importance of collaborative networks and polycentric governance for scaling SSE efforts (Albareda and Sison 2020), this study will identify the key elements supporting such development and propose policy implications that connect SSE initiatives to broader social-ecological transitions.
The findings will contribute to the Horizon Europe project SERIGO (“Social Economy for Resilience, Inclusion, and Good Life in Rural Areas”) that aims to investigate the potential of SSE initiatives to address vulnerabilities and foster resilience in rural areas.
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Balogh, A. (2021, December 13). The rise and fall of monoculture farming. Horizon Magazine. https://projects.research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/en/horizon-magazine/rise-and-fall-monoculture-farming
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Ostrom, E., et al. (1999). Revisiting the commons: Local lessons, global challenges. Science, 284(5412), 278–282. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.284.5412.278
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Rasmussen, L.V., et al. (2018). Social-ecological outcomes of agricultural intensification. Nature Sustainability (1):275-282. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0070-8
Salustri, A. (2021). Social and solidarity economy and social and solidarity commons: Towards the (re)discovery of an ethic of the common good? Annals of Public and Cooperative Economics. (92):13-32