Experiences of Popular Economies and Energy Communities in Canutal, Colombia

Sergio Villegas Rodríguez, Universidad Nacional Colombia (Colombia)

The "popular economy" experiences have become a topic of interest for the social sciences in recent years in Colombia and Latin America. This interest has gone beyond the limits of academia and has become part of the institutional discourse of some governments in the region and the design of public policy programs. In the municipality of Canutal, in the department of Sucre, Colombia, the rural electrification program ‘Energy Communities’ was promoted to contribute to the reduction of energy poverty and the strengthening of popular economic units. This research shows, through ethnographic methods and the results of surveys, how the community energy in Canutal promoted the women's popular enterprises and strengthening the ‘popular economy’ units. This research highlights that popular organization, the relationship of communities with the State and the link with large private enterprise is not free of contradictions and possibilities in relation to the transformation of the territories.