The contributions of the Solidarity Economy in the context of Covid-19: the case of community gardens in Araraquara (SP), Brazil

In this year of 2020, in view of the events caused by Covid-19, negative implications occurred (and still occur) in the dimension of contact, experience, material conditions of life, sharing relationships. Additionally, other impacts are felt, with regard to the daily life of solidarity economy enterprises, both in the field of production and commercialization, as well as in the work process. Given this situation, it is understood that the solidarity economy can contribute with alternatives to face this pandemic, in the short and medium term. One way refers to the formulation and use of social technologies that can be designed, proposed and reapplied in different territories. Thus, in this work, the connection between the solidarity economy, social technologies and the capacity to face the post-pandemic scenario will take place from urban community gardens and their experience in the municipality of Araraquara, a municipality located in the interior of the State of Sao Paulo, in the Brazil. This experience is understood as a social technology that has been gaining strength as a way of providing food security, especially in times of deep economic crises. The research carried out, of a qualitative nature, has an exploratory character, outlined as an action research, and the data were collected through action research and participant observation.