Resumo de eventos cient??ficos
Food security and urban gardens, the case of S??o Paulo/Brazil
Autor
MONTEDO, UIARA B.
SANTOS, BARBARA J. dos
PLANETARY HEALTH ANNUAL MEETING
Resumen
With Covid-19 pandemic, food insecurity in Brazil has become urgent. Since 2020, there has been an
increase in unemployment and the closing of schools and day care centers, demanding joint action
from society, university, government and companies.
Urban and agroecological gardens were highlighted in community actions in the periphery of S??o
Paulo, which has 106 vegetable gardens mapped by the Sampa+Rural program. These gardens are
run by solidarity enterprises, which have promoted the delivery of food baskets to vulnerable
families. The objective was to enhance the quality of production and ensure healthy food for about
80 families, served by 8 gardens, which contributed to generating income and thus maintaining
their dynamics.
The methodology consisted of a training cycle from August/21 to April/22, with 5 meetings in each
of the 8 participating gardens, covering the planning stages of planting, production, harvest and
distribution/marketing. In total, more than 1000 seedlings were planted, ranging from conventional
ones (lettuce, arugula, kale, parsley and chives) to seedlings of unconventional food plants, which
show a high nutritional level, such as taioba and peixinho.
Participants report community gardens as spaces that promote mental health, meeting and
reflection, serving as an educational tool in the promotion of significant and permanent social
changes, either through the form of production, through the collaborative management process and
the fight against local food insecurity.
Collective work is one of the ways to overcome food insecurity. It is necessary to take care of
volunteers, increase engagement and improve their well-being. Between August and November/22
the focus will be to improve the ergonomic conditions of work in the gardens, to promote well-being
and physical safety of those who work there. It is expected to reduce the turnover of participants
and improve their comfort, thus contributing to the sustainability of these production systems.