Bringing Collective Knowledge to Light: Community Gardening and Intergenerational Practices in the Mesana Informal Settlement

Abstract

The article aims to describe the experience of an extension project currently being implemented. The initiative "Making Collective Knowledge Visible: Community Gardens and Intergenerational Practices in the Altos de Mesana Campamento" presents an opportunity to reflect on the process of building a participatory working methodology in connection with marginalized communities (campamentos) and subaltern groups (children, women, and the elderly), through pedagogical integration.

The methodological process is structured in spiral cycles, which implies a dynamic, cyclical, and progressive approach that is fed back by questioning the practices, adjusting them to the present (or absent) conditions and materialities.

The constant revisions, adjustments, and reflections during the project's development process allow for the gradual consolidation of its core purpose: the proposal does not directly focus on the community garden itself, but rather aims to build a meeting space that allows for the exchange of knowledge among people of different ages, while generating forms of collaborative work, learning about care, and occupying public space for community gathering.