Dinámicas socio-económicas en la Compañía de economía mixta AgroAzuay: Un estudio de caso de las relaciones entre productores agroecológicos e intermediarios de la Feria Talleres en los Patios de la Prefectura del Azuay de la Ciudad de Cuenca

Abstract

This research focuses on studying the relationships between agroecological producers and intermediaries in the Feria Talleres de la Compañía de Economía Mixta AgroAzuay, in Cuenca, Ecuador. Nowadays, agroecological trade is marked by power imbalances due to the lack of transparency in the participation networks that generally harm small producers. This structural problem arises due to the existing inequities in the exchange processes between agroecological producers and intermediaries, based on this problem the following question has been posed: How are the socioeconomic relations between agroecological producers and intermediaries constituted through participation networks in the Feria Talleres? This led us to explore several economic sociological perspectives, among them, embeddedness, social networks and fair trade. A qualitative case study approach was implemented, where data was collected through semi-structured interviews and surveys that allow us to obtain descriptive data from the traders, participant and non-participant observation. Concluding that the networks of participation, as well as the social and economic dynamics are marked in the production and commercialization more equitable and transparent in the commercial relations that occur between agroecological producers and intermediaries contributing to local economic development and the adoption of agroecological practices