Introduction
We all understand the concept of Responsibility, but do we all understand the term “Social Responsibility”? According to Vélez, X. & Cano, E. (2016) define social responsibility as the fulfillment of the commitment of individuals towards society. So in general terms we understand by social responsibility the obligation that the members of a community have to preserve the good conditions around them. This concept is closely related to ethics and morals, since when making a decision it will affect all the individuals that make up society, so it is important to create a collective conscience.
This term is very old, although it began to become very popular only a few years ago, with the recent environmental awareness this term has evolved to what we now know as corporate social responsibility is defined as the active and voluntary contribution to social, economic and social improvement. environmental performance by companies, with the aim of improving their competitive and value situation and their added value (Ministry of Economy, 2016). Currently, from a business point of view, moral obligation or social responsibility is used as a competitive advantage in the market. For this reason, companies have dedicated an important part of their budget to improving or developing actions related to social and environmental concerns.
In Puebla between 2010 and 2016, the population living in poverty went from 3 million 616 thousand to 3 million 728 thousand, which implies an increase of 111 thousand 900 inhabitants, according to the latest measurement of the National Council for the Evaluation of Development Policy Social (Coneval, 2017).
Puebla is the fifth national with the highest number of people in poverty, after Veracruz (62%), Guerrero (64.4%), Oaxaca (70.4%) and Chiapas (77.1%).
Statistics Poverty Mexico
When analyzing the figures and the situation that is lived day by day in the state, the idea arises of creating a project that calls for the social responsibility of people and companies, to somehow combat poverty in our communities, and thus contribute something to the growth and development of our environment, through the Community Gardens.
It is in the second half of the 19th century that the first references to urban gardens appear. It is a time full of changes in which cities are filled with peasants, generating a working class in an environment of poverty. At this time the government and the Church give them spaces, called "gardens of the poor" so they can grow their food to cushion their economic situation a little. Since then, community gardens have evolved, and have been of great help, in times of war and extreme poverty.
Community gardens or community gardens are an agricultural practice that takes place in public spaces. These gardens are shared resources, or what they have in common is that they are tended by a community of people. In order to harvest for consumption, but throughout history the reason for having your own garden has changed.
Community gardens can meet many needs and problems, especially in communities where people have high rates of poverty, since they allow people to have healthy food without having to spend. Among other contributions, the gardens increase interest and responsibility for the proper use and maintenance of community spaces, experiences of participation, promote healthy life, and service to society, etc.
To start with a community garden it is necessary to follow some points:
- Specify a group of people willing to join forces to maintain the garden Find a land with suitable conditions for planting the products to be harvested Plan the garden, at this point we must consider the plots or boxes where the planting, the types of vegetables to be harvested, the type of irrigation to be used, the conditions of sun and shade, a tool room, the spaces that will be available for the transit of people, etc. According to the previous point, we must analyze the budget, the contributions that we will have from the community, or other institutions, and verify where we will obtain the capital to carry out the works.We have to keep in mind a regulation, in which the maintenance schedules will be established,who will participate what will be the tasks of each one.
With all this planned, we can start our garden, we must be very careful when choosing the type of vegetables, fruits or what we want to harvest, since some need special care, we must also consider in this entire project vandalism that could occur, or any type of altercation or obstacle that we may have throughout this process.
conclusion
It is important to support these types of initiatives that solve current problems. In these times we can give support through multiple networks, platforms and associations, which carry out initiatives and campaigns to increase cultivation spaces, in some cases with the financial support of the Government.
This particular Project creates access to healthy food grown locally, strengthening communities, improving the urban landscape and livability. During a long period in which orchards have only been used as a means of de-stressing or as a mere pass of time, today the objective of making cities more sustainable and of achieving the insertion of nature in them through ecological corridors is gaining strength and other types of green spaces that positively influence urban metabolism and increase biodiversity. People interested in gardens are often also interested in the food model, and they are looking for ways to have access to fresh, organic and quality food.The challenge for the future would be to integrate urban garden projects within a general process of ecological urban and territorial rehabilitation, as one more element of those that make up urban complexity, and not just as exotic or specific exceptions.
References
National Council for the Evaluation of Social Development Policy. (Coneval). (2017). State Poverty 2016. Retrieved from
Secretary of Economy. (2016, May 27). Corporate social responsibility. Retrieved from
Vélez-Romero, X. & Cano-Lara, E. (2016). The different types of social responsibility and their ethical implications. June 27, 2018, from Domain of Sciences.
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