Objective:

Analyze and contrast the role of the participants in six local and farmers markets in Mexico and Colombia based on six common roles with diverse trajectories, motivations and strategies.

Metodology:

The methodological design privileges the qualitative tradition from the use of different tools and instruments for the collection and analysis of information, taking as a reference the perspective focused on the actor and the case studies, allowing to recover and contrast the voices of its protagonists in around roles, contexts and forms of participation.

Results:

From the common roles, it is possible to identify the virtues, challenges and obstacles of the participants in the configuration of these experiences. Trajectories, interests, relationships, among others, allow us to identify common elements and particularities of each context, which allow us to analyze different strategies around similar problems.

Limitations:

The particularities of the contexts in which these experiences are located, the trajectories of those who assume certain roles and the situations they face, make the functions, objectives and strategies of some roles adapt frequently.

Conclusions:

The heterogeneity and dynamism of the participants allows us to recognize in these spaces the possibility of moving towards relationships and ties that go beyond the market, acquiring different meanings and interests among their participants.