The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems

Continuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development, governance, and sustainability. One of these challenges relates to the management of urban green space, whether municipal parks, forests, or productive land (animal husbandry, vegetable or fruit production). This paper d...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: M. Dolores Dominguez Garcia, Paul Swagemakers, Otto Schmid
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2017-08-01
Series:Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems
Online Access:https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/ua/articles/2/1/urbanag2016.05.0001
_version_ 1828775845529911296
author M. Dolores Dominguez Garcia
Paul Swagemakers
Otto Schmid
author_facet M. Dolores Dominguez Garcia
Paul Swagemakers
Otto Schmid
author_sort M. Dolores Dominguez Garcia
collection DOAJ
description Continuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development, governance, and sustainability. One of these challenges relates to the management of urban green space, whether municipal parks, forests, or productive land (animal husbandry, vegetable or fruit production). This paper draws on case study research of forestry associations in Galicia. We pay specific attention to the role of (commoners): parishioners, who collectively own and manage often-neglected green spaces: planting or rejuvenating forests of native species to enhance ecological services (water retention, fire prevention, biodiversity) while also including productive functions such as forest fruit production and small-scale animal husbandry. At the same time these activities create social benefits. With the aim of examining the position and strategies of self-governing forest organizations, we explore the organizational-institutional environment of the commons and how this facilitates (and/or obstructs) the objective of providing multiple sustainable and health benefits within the parishes, between them, and to nearby urban residents. We conclude that this particular type of management of urban green space provides products (food and non-food) and services which are not only of private interest in that they create potential new business opportunities but also of high public value.
first_indexed 2024-12-11T15:47:34Z
format Article
id doaj.art-36393f6c0efb4453b413b01781936f2a
institution Directory Open Access Journal
issn 2575-1220
language English
last_indexed 2024-12-11T15:47:34Z
publishDate 2017-08-01
publisher Wiley
record_format Article
series Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems
spelling doaj.art-36393f6c0efb4453b413b01781936f2a2022-12-22T00:59:39ZengWileyUrban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems2575-12202017-08-012110.2134/urbanag2016.05.0001The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry SystemsM. Dolores Dominguez GarciaPaul SwagemakersOtto SchmidContinuing urbanization means that city regions face challenges of development, governance, and sustainability. One of these challenges relates to the management of urban green space, whether municipal parks, forests, or productive land (animal husbandry, vegetable or fruit production). This paper draws on case study research of forestry associations in Galicia. We pay specific attention to the role of (commoners): parishioners, who collectively own and manage often-neglected green spaces: planting or rejuvenating forests of native species to enhance ecological services (water retention, fire prevention, biodiversity) while also including productive functions such as forest fruit production and small-scale animal husbandry. At the same time these activities create social benefits. With the aim of examining the position and strategies of self-governing forest organizations, we explore the organizational-institutional environment of the commons and how this facilitates (and/or obstructs) the objective of providing multiple sustainable and health benefits within the parishes, between them, and to nearby urban residents. We conclude that this particular type of management of urban green space provides products (food and non-food) and services which are not only of private interest in that they create potential new business opportunities but also of high public value.https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/ua/articles/2/1/urbanag2016.05.0001
spellingShingle M. Dolores Dominguez Garcia
Paul Swagemakers
Otto Schmid
The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems
Urban Agriculture & Regional Food Systems
title The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems
title_full The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems
title_fullStr The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems
title_full_unstemmed The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems
title_short The Commons Revisited: Revalorizing the Role of comuneiros in the Redesign of Urban Agro-Food and Agroforestry Systems
title_sort commons revisited revalorizing the role of comuneiros in the redesign of urban agro food and agroforestry systems
url https://dl.sciencesocieties.org/publications/ua/articles/2/1/urbanag2016.05.0001
work_keys_str_mv AT mdoloresdominguezgarcia thecommonsrevisitedrevalorizingtheroleofcomuneirosintheredesignofurbanagrofoodandagroforestrysystems
AT paulswagemakers thecommonsrevisitedrevalorizingtheroleofcomuneirosintheredesignofurbanagrofoodandagroforestrysystems
AT ottoschmid thecommonsrevisitedrevalorizingtheroleofcomuneirosintheredesignofurbanagrofoodandagroforestrysystems
AT mdoloresdominguezgarcia commonsrevisitedrevalorizingtheroleofcomuneirosintheredesignofurbanagrofoodandagroforestrysystems
AT paulswagemakers commonsrevisitedrevalorizingtheroleofcomuneirosintheredesignofurbanagrofoodandagroforestrysystems
AT ottoschmid commonsrevisitedrevalorizingtheroleofcomuneirosintheredesignofurbanagrofoodandagroforestrysystems