Project 2011-2 UPB DESIS_Lab

UPB DESIS Lab Women weavers of fique Santa Barbara, Antioquia, Colombia

A collaborative network for a rural community-based enterprise

Key words: Regions: rural-urban links | local resources valorizationEnterprises: craftsmanship | community-based enterprises

Context:Santa Barbara town is located south-west from Medellín. There is a community in the area that’s involved for a short period of time in the production and transformation of fique, which is made of the maguey tree leaves. This community of women is looking for the consolidation of a community-based enterprise to become autonomous and improve their work organization.

Project:We conducted a 3-day camp where we came close to the daily practices of the rural community gathered around the production and transformation of fique as part of the investigation and the co-design process, involving participatory activities and knowledge transfer exercises.

Design role:To better understand rural practices their limits and possibilities, and be able to participate in the co-designing process of a collaborative network between the rural community to facilitate the work organization.

Design role:To co-design a collaborative network between the members of the rural community, to facilitate the work organization and the work production of the community-based enterprise, to promote rural-urban links and local resources valorization.