Having a backyard and the willingness to learn how to grow their own food are what unite low-income families participating in an innovative project in Roraima. This is "Sustainable Backyards" (Quintais Sustentáveis), an initiative by Embrapa in partnership with Lar Fabiano de Cristo (Casa de Timóteo unit) and funded by CNPq, which seeks to stimulate the production and consumption of vegetables, fruits, and medicinal plants in backyards across Boa Vista.
Launched in 2018, the project's pillars include sustainable agroecological production, food and nutritional security, income generation, and the social and productive inclusion of vulnerable populations.
"People don't realize the productive potential of a simple backyard," says Rafael Porto, an Embrapa researcher and project coordinator. The agronomist explains that through simple, affordable techniques, anyone can make use of spaces within urban and peri-urban areas, successfully obtaining an interesting variety of fruits and vegetables.
The goal is to train families in sustainable production, contributing to dietary diversification and incorporating healthier, more nutritious products into daily meals. To this end, the project has been conducting practical courses and workshops on organic cultivation, fertilizer production, composting techniques, rational water use, and food utilization.
The initiative also seeks to encourage the sale of surplus produce grown by the families in local markets and shops. “There are several possibilities, including producing seedlings and organic compost for sale,” the researcher points out.
For body and mind
A resident of the Nova Cidade neighborhood on the outskirts of Boa Vista, Roraima, Dona Gisaura was one of the first participants to have her backyard transformed. Before discovering the project, she had little contact with gardening. Today, she is already producing lettuce, green onions, cilantro, tomatoes, radishes, and carrots, as well as her own organic compost. “I think I have a green thumb, because everything I plant is sprouting, growing, and blooming,” she says.
Beyond learning about fertilizing, planting, and pest control, she highlights the improvement in her family's diet as one of the main benefits. “Everything I grow is pesticide-free and natural. Our meals at home are much healthier now,” she says.
For her, working in the garden brought yet another benefit. “It works like therapy, a moment to destress from daily problems. When I'm tending to the plants, I forget about the world and feel much more relaxed,” she explains.
Her future plans include expanding the garden. “I want to plant eggplant, gherkin, and okra.” Eggplant was introduced to Dona Gisaura during one of the workshops. During these sessions, in addition to technical aspects, information is shared on how to prepare and use the vegetables, including recipe tastings, all to further encourage families to consume natural foods.
Collaborative nature
To benefit from a Sustainable Backyard, a family must first be registered with Casa de Timóteo. A selection process is then conducted, assessing the family's availability and commitment to maintaining the backyards, as well as the viability of the spaces for setting up the gardens and orchards.
Once the families are selected, technical training in organic production begins, followed by the donation of seedlings and seeds for the initial setup of the backyards. At this stage, the work is done collectively, with all participating families helping to establish one another's gardens.
This collaborative approach is one of the project's highlights. The selection of species to be planted is done together with the participants, using a questionnaire to understand the family's dietary habits, explains Raimeyre Dias, an agronomist working with Casa de Timóteo.
“We carry out participatory work so that everyone has a voice in the decisions and feels part of the process. Therefore, we try to make use of what the families already have at home, working with alternative materials like tires to build the gardens and planting beds. The goal is to produce according to each family's reality—first for themselves, and then for sale or donation,” says Raimeyre.
Information sharing is another key feature. Through a messaging app, participants can easily communicate with the technicians, sending photos and videos, and asking questions about pests and diseases, for example. This communication also fosters closer ties among the families, who often build friendships through the exchange.
Partners
Seedling production takes place at the headquarters of Casa de Timóteo, a social institution that serves low-income children with tutoring, education, and recreational activities. According to the researcher, the partnership with the organization has been essential to the project's success. “Casa de Timóteo has the physical infrastructure and staff that greatly facilitate the coordination of activities and training, in addition to having worked with urban gardens since 2007,” he says.
Other project partners include the Roraima State Secretariat of Agriculture, Livestock and Supply (SEAPA), the State Foundation for the Environment and Water Resources (FEMARH), the Federal University of Roraima (UFRR), the State University of Roraima (UERR), Cathedral College (Faculdades Cathedral), Embrapa Western Amazon (Manaus/AM), and the National University of Loja (Ecuador).
Via CicloVivo.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
